Live bomba and salsa music, traditional dance performances, delicious food, and so much more abounded at the 50th annual Puerto Rican Day Festival in Bucks County on Saturday, writes Emily Rizzo for the WHYY.

Festival goers from the Philadelphia region and New Jersey all gathered to celebrate Boricua pride.

“The significance is to educate the people and preserve the values and all the gifts that we receive from our ancestors, like faith, hospitality, sharing,” said Maria Berrocal, Vice President of the Puerto Rican Cultural Association of Bucks County, the festival’s organizer.

Crowds got to enjoy empanadas, chicharrón, and bacalaitos as they danced the day away.

“Being Puerto Rican you have to know how to dance,” said Nereida McCulley-Breustedt, president of the Puerto Rican Cultural Association of Bucks County.

During the festival, people wore clothes which were adorned with the island’s flag and its signature colors of red, blue, and white.

Those who wanted to trace their indigenous Boricuan roots could do so at the booth set up by Bucks County Genealogical Society.

Additionally, two scholarships were awarded to Bucks County high school seniors by festival organizers.

Read more about the celebration in the WHYY.

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