In Holyoke, two islands get two special celebrations each year -- Ireland, with the city’s massive St. Patrick's Day Parade, and -- for the past five years -- Puerto Rico, with "Fiestas Patronales.”
Of course, Puerto Rico is technically more than one island, but all the same - it's where numerous families in the city and the Pioneer Valley can trace their roots, with some traveling back and forth regularly.
With Holyoke being home to one of the largest, if not the largest, Puerto Rican populations per capita in the states, it's a core part of the city's identity. For four days, its front and center, along with other acts and offerings spanning Latin America.
“We want to really educate the next generation … the music, the culture, the language, the symbolism, [about] what it is to be Latino, and what does that mean, you know, being here in Western Massachusetts,” says festival director Melvin Sanchez.
Various “festivals of the saints” are celebrated across the globe, but this one goes back to 2022, pitched after Mayor Joshua Garcia and others sought a way to celebrate Puerto Rico in a region with plenty of other annual festivals.
It may be among the "youngest" of the Pioneer Valley's cultural fests – younger than Ludlow's Portuguese-centric "Festa" or the Greek "Glendi" festival at St. George's in Springfield, but compared to year one, the event has doubled in size, from an initial 19,000 to about 40,000 last year, despite a rain-out, organizers say.
Throughout the event, much of the music and food trucks can be found at Heritage State Park by Dwight Street. Also on Dwight Street: the International Volleyball Hall of Fame, where things will kick off Thursday at 11 a.m.
There’s a special tie-in, Sanchez says, given that each year the city celebrates a particular town in Puerto Rico.
“This year we're dedicating it to the town of Naranjito,” he said. “Why Naranjito? Because Naranjito is the birthplace of volleyball on the island… we found this out and we said, ‘Oh my gosh, what a great concept, to go there, recognize them, the birthplace of volleyball.’ In Puerto Rico they call it ‘La Cuna del Voleibol’ - la cuna means ‘the crib,’ representing the beginning.”
Of course, inventing modern volleyball is also one of Holyoke’s claims to fame. The museum’s launching a special exhibit devoted to that shared heritage. A special “Sister City Volleyball Game” is also on tap, featuring a team for Holyoke and another from the town of Salinas.
That's on top of multiple nights of music.
“We have a salsa singer on Friday night, Christian Alicea … on Saturday night, we have two major artists. One of these is Alexandra, which is bachata, which is Dominican music, then we have … coming in from Spain … Tony Tun Tun, who hasn't been in this area for over 25 years and then we're closing with La Makina, which is a merengue band, and Luis Vargas…”
Sanchez and fellow organizer Arlene Berrios said to expect plenty of drums, guitars and a fair bit of dancing. All of this for an event that’s open to all, Berrios stresses.
“This is not a strictly Puerto Rican event - it's for everyone,” she said. “A little bit of cultural diversity, a little bit of cultural education… I just love how everybody comes together and people look forward to it. [Then] the festival finishes and the following week, everyone's like, ‘Who’re you bringing next year?’”
Some audio for this story was provided by festival-goers from Fiestas Patronales past, as well as the event’s official Facebook Page.
