JC PR Heritage, Arts & Culture

About the Jersey City Puerto Rican Heritage Festival & Parade

Founded in 1961 out of a need for cultural identification by Rafael Rodriguez, Diego Berrios, Juan Benitez, Primitivo Valle, Rafael Bou and Santiago Bonilla, the group organized the first Puerto Rican Day Parade in Jersey City.

Its 56 year history has grown from a small marching group into what is considered to be the largest parade celebrating Puerto Rican culture in New Jersey. A yearlong event in the planning, this cultural affair includes events that celebrate the diversity of Puerto Rican culture and its influence through Culinary Arts, Artisans, Bomba & Plena, Dance, Percussion, Poetry, Music and Pageantry, to name a few.

A calendar of events will be provided along with information on Volunteering, Sponsorship, Vendor sign up and performances in the upcoming weeks.

The 57th Annual Jersey City Puerto Rican Heritage Festival and Parade honors the late Francisco “Junito” Rodriguez as a proud member of the Jersey City Puerto Rican community who sponsored different organizations during his lifetime in Jersey City.