Women dance in traditional Puerto Rican dresses during the Puerto Rican Day Parade in Orlando on Saturday, April 25, celebrating culture and community.
Tanairi Hernandez
Downtown Orlando came alive last weekend, with pride, culture and tradition at the 10th annual Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival, drawing a crowd that included members of the UCF community.
On Saturday, April 25, large crowds in red, white and blue gathered in the Lake Eola neighborhood to watch organizations, parade floats and vehicles bearing the Puerto Rican flag march along the parade route. The parade started at North Rosalind Avenue and East Robertson Street and ended at North Orange Avenue and East Livingston Street.
A large all-day festival with food, vendors and performances followed the parade at the intersection of North Orange Avenue and West Amelia Street.
The parade opened at 11 a.m. with members of the Orlando Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Orange County Fire and Rescue. Many Puerto Rican employees marched in uniform and distributed small Puerto Rican flags to spectators, highlighting their contributions and presence in public service.
Joy Soler, a UCF alumna and longtime Orlando resident, said she believes such events are important.
“It’s a fun time to be among your people and share the same taste in songs and culture,” Soler said.
Brandon Caro, a volunteer at the parade and a UCF graduate student who completed his undergraduate studies in Dallas, echoed this sentiment.
“I have never been to an Orlando Puerto Rican parade before; this will be my first time,” Caro said. “Growing up, I was never patriotic or had pride in being Puerto Rican, but when you get far away from the island, you get a desire to represent, and the further away I was, the more pride I had in being Puerto Rican.”
He explained that while living in Texas, he missed Puerto Rican culture because it was so limited. At UCF, Caro joined the Puerto Rican Student Association, where he serves as the public relations officer, helping foster a sense of community among Puerto Rican students on campus.
Events like the parade show how strong the Puerto Rican community is at UCF. Groups like PRSA help students by organizing cultural traditions year-round, supporting Puerto Rican students who are far from home and welcoming all students who want to celebrate the culture.
In 2019, UCF also established the Puerto Rico Research Hub, an organization focused on researching the needs of the Puerto Rican community while supporting students on campus and throughout Central Florida.
This year’s parade honored Yabucoa, a municipality in the island’s eastern region known as the “City of Sugar” for its sugar production. A delegation from Yabucoa, called Los Azucareros, meaning “sugar makers,” traveled to Orlando to join the parade. They danced, played Puerto Rican percussion instruments and cheered from the sidelines, wearing purple-and-white shirts representing the town’s flag.
The first Puerto Rican parade was held in Orlando in September 2016 to recognize Puerto Rico’s contributions to Florida.
Florida has the largest Puerto Rican population in the U.S., with Orlando ranking second among cities. Economic struggles and natural disasters, including hurricanes Irma and Maria, have led many Puerto Ricans to relocate — many choosing Central Florida for its proximity and similar climate.
Both parade participants and spectators chanted, “Yo soy Boricua, pa ‘que tú lo sepas.” This phrase, meaning “I am Puerto Rican, so you know it,” originated from a 1995 song by rapper Joel Bosch.
The phrase has become a strong symbol of Puerto Rican pride and unity within the diaspora, one that continues to resonate throughout Central Florida and on college campuses like UCF.