MILWAUKEE — Crowds filled Humboldt Park on Sunday for Milwaukee's Fiesta Puerto Rico Parade & Festival after community support helped organizers overcome financial challenges.
Organizers said community donations helped make this year's event possible after financial pressures put the long-running festival at risk.
"It means a lot," said Victor Huyke, president of Fiesta Puerto Rico. "They wanted to see this. They went out of their way to make sure this happened."
The annual festival featured a parade, live music, dancing, food vendors, and cultural performances.
Huyke said the event has grown significantly since its early days.
"It went from a dining room in a parish, to the street, to the park next door, and just kept growing," he said.
Crowds traveled from across Wisconsin and neighboring states to attend, including visitors from Chicago, Madison, and Green Bay, according to Huyke.
For Marialyz "Mari" Colon, owner of Mari's Corner of the Lights, the festival was an opportunity to share her culture through food.
Colon, who recently launched her business, traveled nearly three hours to be at her first major festival.
"A lot of people love our culture, and that's one of the reasons I decided to go for it," Colon said.
Throughout the day, attendees sampled Puerto Rican favorites, including empanadillas and rellenos de papa, while enjoying performances from musicians and dance groups.
"When people do things like this, they take it as an opportunity to spend time with family and culture," attendee Christopher Medina Correa said.
Huyke said organizers also view the festival as an economic driver, highlighting local businesses and entrepreneurs while challenging stereotypes about the community.
"That's what it's really all about — economic development," Huyke said. "What we're doing is showcasing businesses from the neighborhood. It's helping keep the community up."
This year's festival also included recognition of longtime community leader Cecil Negron Sr. for his decades of work preserving and promoting Puerto Rican culture in Wisconsin.
For Colon, the large turnout reinforced why events like Fiesta Puerto Rico matter.
"My main goal was to get to know and meet new people, notice how much people love my culture," she said. "It impresses me and fills my heart to know there's way more than I expected."
This story was reported on-air by Kaylee Staral and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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