PUERTO RICAN FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES POSTPONEMENT OF ITS 51st CELEBRATION
The festival postpones its 2020 celebration due to current COVID-19 pandemic conditions.
Rochester, NY / April 17, 2020 – The Puerto Rican Festival, Inc. announces, after consulting with the City of Rochester, that the festival board and City of Rochester has jointly decided to postpone the Puerto Rican Festival until 2021 due to COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and the various uncertainties facing our community during this time. The festival was originally scheduled for August 13th through August 15th, 2020 at the Frontier Field VIP Lot.
“This was a difficult decision to make after we had such an amazing 50th celebration in 2019 that included a gala celebration, various events throughout the year, and the 50th Puerto Rican Festival,” said Orlando Ortiz, President, Puerto Rican Festival, Inc. “This is the socially responsible action to take and is consistent with other community events given the current climate. Rest assured we will be putting our efforts to bringing this deeply rooted tradition in Monroe County back in 2021. This unprecedented decision for our organization allows us to dedicate our efforts to informing the Latino community of the importance of adhering to the guidelines set forth by government officials as it relates to COVID-19.”
In addition to the Puerto Rican Festival, the following events have also been postponed:
· Miss Puerto Rico of Rochester Cultural Pageant (scheduled for June 6th)
· SSGT Javier Ortiz Memorial 5K Race & Walk (scheduled for June 20th)
· Public Market Latino Night (scheduled for July 17th)
The organization has begun working with the City of Rochester’s “Protect Your Circle” media campaign launching in April to raising awareness of the impact of COVID-19 in black and brown communities. “We are honored to be partnering with the City of Rochester in this vital endeavor to ensure the Latino community is aware of this pandemic and the importance of being socially responsible through this crisis,” said Ortiz. “We expect to utilize our network, local partners, and you, the community, to help spread the awareness of this campaign in the coming weeks.”
Puerto Rican Festival Inc. will keep the community posted on updates as they become available. Thank you for your understanding and support of this difficult decision. We wish you and your families the best as we navigate this pandemic as a community and do our part in preventing the spread of the virus.
About the Puerto Rican Festival:
The Puerto Rican Festival was formulated in 1969 for the express purpose of celebrating and recognizing the culture of Puerto Ricans. Puerto Ricans continue to be one of the largest growing Hispanic populations in New York State. This growth now makes Monroe County and the City of Rochester home to the second largest population of Hispanics in New York State.
The Puerto Rican Festival Incorporated sponsors a variety of events, which serve to share and celebrate Puerto Rican culture. The largest event is the Puerto Rican Festival, the longest running cultural festival in the County of Monroe. The festival is an annual three-day event, which attendance of 7,000 people of all cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Please visit our website www.prfestival.com for more up to date information about the festival.
