‘Never Forget Your Roots’: 2023 Puerto Rican Parade celebration kicks off in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - The highly anticipated 2023 Springfield Puerto Rican parade kickoff celebration was held on Thursday night.

The event took place at White Lion Brewing Company.

This year’s parade highlights the vibrant fusion of Taino, Spanish, and African influences that shape Puerto Rican culture.

Thursday night’s kickoff celebration also introduced the parades ambassadors to the community.

Kelvin Molina’Brantlay, event organizer said, “The theme is...which is ‘Never Forget Your Roots.’ There’s a lot of things going on now in our community. A lot of searching for purpose, searching for meaning, and so what we’re trying to encourage all of us to do is don’t try to recreate the wheel, we have deep culture and heritage within our community we can all lean in on.”

Organizers told Western Mass News, the event had an amazing turnout.

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