Culture, Community, And Celebration – Boston’s 2023 Puerto Rican Festival And Parade

If you happen to be anywhere in the Boston area this weekend, I promise you one thing.  You will see more Puerto Rican flags flying than Dunkin restaurants. And you know we have A LOT of those here. It's a celebration of culture and community at the Puerto Rican Festival and Parade.

The Puerto Rican Festival and Parade take place on Saturday, July 29th and Sunday July 30th at City Hall Plaza in Boston. Before those get underway, you don't want to miss Puerto Rican Heritage Night at Fenway Park.

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 PR Festival of Massachusetts. (From The Puerto Rican Fest of MA)

You can't have a festival without music! There will be live performances by local and international artists. Puerto Rican food? Check! As well as: local arts and crafts, mechanical rides and a variety of activities for the entire family. It also offers the opportunity for business partners to interact with the Hispanic community, including a Health Expo. The festival culminates with the parade where the community showcases its culture through wonderful floats, colorful dance troupes, singers, dancers and appearances by distinguished honorees. It truly is a celebration of community, culture, and pride.

If you want an idea of what to expect, here is video from last year's festival.

There's so much to love about summer. The beach, the pool, barbecues, and just hanging out with family and friends. But I would guess that one of the very best things about summer is the food. Seasonal fruit and veggies, fried clams, ice cream, and more. So many things to choose from. Well if you're looking to try lots of different foods, one of the best ways to do that is by attending a Boston Summer Food Festival.

Each season has their special seasonal foods. In the Fall there's: anything apple or pumpkin, sweet potatoes, squashes, and cranberries. Winter favorites include: hot cocoa, soups and stews, roasted vegetables, and anything in a crockpot. And when it comes to summer, there are definitely some specific favorites you have to have before the season ends.

According to Thrillist, here are their Greatest Foods Of Summer, Ranked.

#9 - Assorted melons - Not my personal favorites, but if you get a perfectly ripened cantaloupe or honeydew, I will devour it. The problem is, I can never get one that's perfectly ripened.

#8 - Corn on the cob - Personally, that would be a lot higher on the list. It's delicious slathered with butter and salt, or just plain as it is. Perfection!

#7 - Clam bakes - This New England tradition combines clams, lobsters, fish, chickens, corn on the cob, whole onions, and potatoes. They're placed on top of stones and the food is covered with a thick layer of seaweed. Delicious!

#6 - Anything with tomatoes - My mother grows tomatoes every year and I have to say that it's one of the things I look most forward to in the summer. There are times when we eat tomato sandwiches. Sounds weird, but they're delicious.

#5 - S'mores - Sitting around a campfire eating s'mores makes the bugs worth it.

#4 - Lobster rolls - Whether you get the hot buttered roll or a cold mayo-based one, lobster rolls are a summer classic.

#3 - Hot dogs - Delicious fresh off the grill!

#2 - Italian Ice - One of the best ways to cool off

#1 - Watermelon - Get a perfectly ripened one and life is so good.

If you want to try some delicious food this summer, look no further than one of the several Boston summer food festivals.

The SoWa Boston Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival is coming up this weekend. Happening rain or shine, Food Truck Festivals of America is heading to SoWa Open Market for the SoWa Boston Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival! Featuring some of the area's most popular food trucks, dishing out fan favorites. Along with dozens of regional and national craft breweries, FTFA will be bringing the ultimate food truck experience to Boston on Saturday, 7/22 from 12pm to 5pm.

https://www.foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com/sowa-boston

For 27 years, Taste of Eastie has been East Boston's largest charity dining event. It features close to 30 local restaurants including Italian, Latin American, Asian & American Cuisine. Last year's event had over 1,200 attendees who tried a "bite" from their food establishments & supported the work of East Boston Main Streets (EBMS). Get your tickets HERE. 

Not necessarily what you would consider a traditional festival, but it's a celebration around food, and that's good enough for me. Dine Out Boston is an opportunity to try out new, or new-to-you restaurants. Each restaurant has a set menu for a set price. Check out participating restaurants and make your reservations early!

https://www.meetboston.com/dine-out-boston/restaurant-search/

While not strictly a food festival, St. Anthony's Feast in the North End of Boston, has a delicious array of foods for you to try. You can try some of the best Italian street foods from 100 pushcarts enjoying arancini, sausage peppers & onion, quahogs, calamari, pizza, pasta and of course zeppole, cannoli and gelato. 

https://stanthonysfeast.com/index.html

It's in September, but technically it's still summer. Check out the Boston Seafood Festival for music, competitions, chef demonstrations, and of course, delicious seafood!

https://www.bostonseafoodfestival.org/