Puerto Rican Day Celebration in Waterbury & Hartford

September 24, 2024
The state is proudly showcasing our Puerto Rican pride and heritage in Waterbury and Hartford. Just last week, Ms. Jacqueline Matos kicked off Borifest by raising the Puerto Rican flag at Waterbury City Hall and was honored to be the city’s Puerto Rican mayor for a day! Matos was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and worked as a bilingual educator in Waterbury schools for 31 years. I cannot thank her enough for her dedicated service to our children.
The party continued the following day as Waterbury hosted its first Puerto Rican parade in nearly 25 years. Our vibrant and passionate Puerto Rican community was brimming with pride as we marched on our city streets with class, camaraderie, and enthusiasm! It was an eye opening experience for our younger generation who experienced their first taste of such a wonderful event. I would like to thank the ACCC & Puerto Rican Parade Committee for doing a splendid job planning and executing this event.
The celebration shifted to Hartford last weekend as our capitol city paid tribute to our amazing island at the 60th annual Puerto Rican parade there. Between the flag raising and the massive party, there is no doubt that we were heard through and through.
We showcased our culture, food, music, and so much more as crowds marched in downtown Hartford. I was overwhelmed by the size of the crowd and the sea of Puerto Rican flags. It was a great day to honor our heritage!