About
The Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts
The Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts is a cultural organization that amplifies and celebrates the Puerto Rican community of the Commonwealth. We build community through artistic and cultural celebration, youth and community engagement, education, and service.
Join us in our celebration and be a part of our festival!
History: From a Festival to
a Cultural & Community
Building Organization
The Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts was born in 1967 out of Boston’s South End neighborhood. A small group of Puerto Rican pioneers, under the leadership of the late Jorge “Chico” Muñoz, became the first Festival Committee. The committee, along with the commitment of a countless number of community stakeholders, set out to create an event that would promote a sense of belonging and cultural affirmation for Puerto Ricans living across the Commonwealth. This first event took place in Blackstone Park, with approximately 2,500 in attendance. This launched the Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts.
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Over time we’ve grown from a cultural festival to a non-profit cultural and community-building organization. We host a wide variety of programming and events every year, including a 2-day festival in Boston, 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, community service opportunities, and drives. We seek to build community, celebrate culture, and connect Puerto Ricans across the commonwealth – while also maintaining strong connections and partnerships with organizations across Massachusetts and Puerto Rico.
The Festival
The annual Puerto Rican Festival is our flagship event, bringing together people from all cultures and walks of life to celebrate and join our community. This three-day event will be held at Franklin Park on July 27 and 28, 2024.
It will consist of live performances by local and international artists, kiosks selling typical Puerto Rican food, local arts and crafts, mechanical rides, and a variety of activities for the entire family. It offers the opportunity for business partners to interact with the Hispanic community, including a Health Expo. The festival culminates with the Puerto Rican Parade, where the community showcases its culture through fabulous floats, colorful dance troupes, singers, dancers, and appearances by distinguished honorees.
Our proven ability to attract 50,000+ participants during the three-day celebration, coupled with this year’s outstanding program of events, musical bands, artists, and sponsors, makes the Festival the perfect venue to market and outreach to the fastest-growing ethnic population in New England and the United States.