The 'beautiful' mission behind Puerto Rican Festival RVA: 'Embrace your culture'

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — The Puerto Rican Festival RVA brought together community members from across the country to celebrate Puerto Rican heritage and culture in Henrico's Dorey Park on Saturday.

Hosted by Rising Up Now, the 4th annual event featured music, dance, authentic cuisine, live performances and cultural storytelling. Attendees traveled from as far as Florida, New York and Georgia to take part.

Organizer Maria Arroyo said the turnout reflected the festival's broad appeal.

"We were able to get a whole bunch of people from different areas, different cultures, different backgrounds, and just people from Puerto Rico," Arroyo said.

She said the festival is about more than a day of celebration — it is about connection, education and community.

"I want everybody to walk away with a sense of community, connecting to roots, learning about other cultures and just embracing and having fun and getting educational resources," Arroyo said.

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Arroyo said the event also serves as an opportunity to educate people about Puerto Rico's relationship with the United States.

"A lot of people don't understand, first of all, Puerto Rico is part of the United States," Arroyo said. "There's so many beautiful things on the island... We want people to be educated of what's there, and one thing about Puerto Ricans is they embrace every culture."

She said the festival's message extends beyond those who attended in person.

"Embrace your culture, embrace other cultures and connect with each other because everybody has a purpose," Arroyo said.