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In Hartford, a celebration of Puerto Rico at annual Puerto Rican Day Parade

Nardy Berrios, 3, of Springfield, Mass. cheers during the Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday Oct. 8, 2023. Thousands marched and gathered along the parade route that finished in Bushnell Park.
Joe Buglewicz
/
Connecticut Public
Nardy Berrios, 3, of Springfield, Mass. cheers during the Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday Oct. 8, 2023. Thousands marched and gathered along the parade route that finished in Bushnell Park.

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Scores of Puerto Rican flags filled the streets of downtown Hartford Sunday afternoon for the 2023 Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade.

Thousands of people attended the parade, which had ideal weather — sun and temperatures in the 60s.

The parade — with the theme "Unity and Solidarity" — featured police vehicles, fire trucks, floats, drum lines, dancers, horses and more. The parade was followed by the Festival del Coquí in Bushnell Park.

Organizers describe the parade as a "celebration of diversity, culture and community."

The annual celebration was postponed in early September after a Hartford Police officer was killed in a car crash and organizers opted to provide time for mourning officers.

While the decision to move was necessary, organizers said, rescheduling the parade wasn’t easy.

“It was hard. Financially, we took a hit,” said Samuel Vega, Jr., president of the Connecticut Institute for Community Development-Puerto Rican Parade Committee (CICD), the non-profit organizer of the annual celebration.

“But again, we had great support from the city. We came together and we figured out how to work it out,” Vega said.

Even after the rescheduling, Vega expected 70 different parade participants, the most in event history.

Members of the Hartford Police Department march in the Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday Oct. 8, 2023. The parade's original date of Sept. 10 was postponed respectfully following the death of Hartford Police Department Officer Bobby Garten.
Joe Buglewicz
/
Connecticut Public
Members of the Hartford Police Department march in the Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday Oct. 8, 2023. The parade's original date of Sept. 10 was postponed respectfully following the death of Hartford Police Department Officer Bobby Garten.

This story has been updated.

Matthew Long-Middleton has helped shape Connecticut Public's broadcast and digital reporting, producing and writing since the fall of 2022.

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