Soak up the sights, sounds and flavors of the island at the Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts

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In its 58th year, the annual Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts will bring live performances by local and international artists, food, arts and crafts, mechanical rides and a variety of activities to Franklin Park on July 26 and 27 for “a tradition rooted in unity, resilience and cultural pride.” 

The festival also offers a health expo for the community. On the closing day, the festival has the big finale of the Puerto Rican Parade, where the community puts a spotlight on its rich culture through floats, colorful dance troupes, singers, dancers and appearances by distinguished honorees.

According to its website, the Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts was born in 1967 in Boston’s South End. Under the leadership of the late Jorge “Chico” Muñoz, a small group of Puerto Rican pioneers became the first festival committee.

The website also states that with the commitment of many community stakeholders, the first committee worked to make sure to “promote a sense of belonging and cultural affirmation for Puerto Ricans living across the Commonwealth.”  Their hard work paid off, as the first event took place in Blackstone Park with approximately 2,500 in attendance, launching the Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts.

Scene from the closing day Puerto Rican Parade during a past Puerto Rican Festival. PHOTO: CITY OF BOSTON

Today, the Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts organization is more than just the annual event, as it is now also a “non-profit cultural and community-building organization” that hosts many additional events and programming each year. Among these are Puerto Rican Heritage Night at Fenway Park, a Puerto Rican flag-raising ceremony, a cultural pageant program, professional development workshops, artistic opportunities for young people, athletic tournaments and community service opportunities.

Marilyn Rivera, the current president of the organization, talked about the importance of holding this festival annually.

“We really want to continue our tradition, to see people playing dominoes, seeing people enjoying a day that is a free event to the public and open to everybody. You can see people go back to their culture for that moment. They feel like they are in Puerto Rico,” she said. “The other part is that we bring resources to people that don’t know how to find these resources.”

She also said that one major aspect she is excited about this year is the unveiling of a monument to festival founder Jorge “Chico” Muñoz at O’Day Park in the South End, which they worked to get installed for the past two years.

Along with the monument, Rivera said she is also looking forward to seeing the elders dancing, which is her favorite part of the festival.

“I love to see the elderly dancing. It brings them back from growing up, being teenagers, hearing that music…seeing them dancing, doing line dancing with salsa. It’s amazing,” she said. “To see the happiness, I can’t explain how great it feels to see so many people enjoying those moments that they look forward to all year-round.”

Rivera encourages all community members to attend the festival even if they are not Latino, as they will gain so much knowledge about the culture while having fun doing so.

“You’re going to learn traditional music, to dance—bomba, salsa. (You’ll) see the energy, how people have this energy to dance. …We’re going to have authentic Puerto Rican food,” she said. “So, it’s learning the culture and opening eyes about why Puerto Ricans celebrate our culture so much.”