Katy Perry, Calvin Harris, Juan Luis Guerra and Don Omar Turn Festival Presidente’s Return Into a Dominican Republic Celebration
The December 11–12 festival brings global headliners and Dominican favorites to Santo Domingo, reviving a musical tradition with nearly three decades of superstar history.
SANTO DOMINGO — The Dominican Republic is putting some serious star power on its holiday calendar.
Katy Perry, Calvin Harris, Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 and Don Omar will headline Festival Presidente 2026, bringing two nights of pop, merengue, reggaeton and electronic music to Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez on December 11–12. Returning after a nine-year absence, the festival is preparing a reunion big enough to bring generations of music fans onto the same dance floor.
The combination is a compelling one: international attractions with worldwide followings, Dominican institutions whose songs soundtrack family celebrations, and newer performers building their own place in the culture.
Friday, December 11, pairs Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 and Calvin Harris, with Beéle, Danny Ocean, Milly Quezada, Chiquito Team Band, Fineta, La Más Doll, Leo RD and Arlene MC also scheduled.
Saturday, December 12, brings Don Omar and Katy Perry, alongside Omar Courtz, Aria Vega, Elena Rose, Dalvin La Melodía, Yiyo Sarante, DJ Karlo, Fineta, El Lápiz and Donaty.
Perry’s appearance, also listed on her official website, adds a major pop draw to the weekend. Guerra and Quezada supply a distinctly Dominican heartbeat, while Harris and Don Omar give dance and reggaeton audiences considerable incentive to keep the party moving.
A Festival With a Superstar Scrapbook
Festival Presidente’s ambitions have been large since its 1997 debut, when Cervecería Nacional Dominicana brought together artists including Juan Gabriel, Thalía, Marc Anthony, Carlos Vives, Enrique Iglesias and Alejandro Fernández. The event established a platform where Dominican performers could share billing with some of Latin music’s biggest attractions.
Over subsequent editions, its stages welcomed Shakira, Ricky Martin, Chayanne, Maná and Daddy Yankee, among many others. Bruno Mars and Tiësto helped broaden the international mix in 2014, while Justin Timberlake, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Maluma, Marc Anthony and Enrique Iglesias were among the names featured in 2017.
That history gives the comeback an emotional advantage. Some fans will arrive remembering earlier editions; others will finally experience an event they have heard about for years.
The crowds have reflected that reach. Retrospective reporting estimates approximately 150,000 admissions across the inaugural festival’s three days, while the 2017 edition drew more than 100,000 across three days. These are cumulative attendance figures, which can include the same person attending multiple nights. A verified attendance projection for 2026 was not available in the sources reviewed.
The Price of Bringing the Party
Behind the festive billing sits a substantial business undertaking. The actual Festival Presidente contracts for Perry, Harris, Guerra and Don Omar have not been publicly verified, so specific claims about what they will earn would be premature.
Public listings from Celebrity Talent International, a booking intermediary, nevertheless offer an illustrative sense of the budgets associated with hiring these performers:
|Artist |Illustrative booking range in U.S. dollars Approximate Dominican peso
|Calvin Harris |US$1 million–US$1.5 million |RD$61.3 million–RD$92 million
|Juan Luis Guerra. |US$1 million–US$1.5 million |RD$61.3 million–RD$92 million
|Katy Perry |US$1.5 million–US$2 million |RD$92 million–RD$122.7 million
|Don Omar |US$1 million–US$1.5 million |RD$61.3 million–RD$92 million
The rounded figures above reflect CTI’s advertised example ranges, not confirmed Festival Presidente fees. CTI does not represent the artists, and its Guerra and Don Omar listings specifically identify U.S. booking ranges. A Dominican festival agreement may differ considerably depending on negotiations, scheduling, performance requirements and separately charged expenses.
For a documented historical measure of the festival’s scale, reporting puts the 2017 investment above RD$1.2 billion — equivalent to approximately US$19.6 million at that same current comparison rate, rather than the exchange rate prevailing in 2017. That edition reportedly generated more than 4,000 direct jobs, with approximately half the investment remaining in the Dominican economy.
Those numbers help explain why the return matters beyond the headliners. A festival of this size creates work for production crews, staging companies, security personnel and other businesses supporting the event.
A December Reunion With Global Reach
The strongest aspect of the 2026 lineup is the prominence it gives Dominican talent alongside its international bookings. Perry and Harris bring global recognition; Guerra, Quezada and the broader local contingent give the celebration its sense of place.
That balance is central to the festival’s appeal. Audiences can come for a favorite superstar and stay for a musical tradition, a new discovery or the pleasure of hearing thousands of people sing the same chorus.
After nine years away, Festival Presidente has an opportunity to reconnect its history with a new generation. With this lineup, Santo Domingo’s December party is already looking considerably louder.
Tickets and two-day combinations are available through the festival’s official TuBoleta platform. (festivalpresidente.tuboleta.com.do)
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