Merger Brings Puerto Rican Parade From Grant to Wicker Park

Chicago’s two largest Puerto Rico Day parades are joining forces, kicking off their annual parade in Wicker Park.

The Puerto Rican Parade Committee of Chicago announced Tuesday the merger of their downtown festival with the Puerto Rican Cultural Center’s fest in Humboldt Park.

That means on June 15 at noon, the much larger parade will kick off at Western Avenue and Division Street, making its way toward Humboldt Park.

However, not everyone’s happy with the merger that pushes the festival out of Grant Park. CBS Chicago and Huffington Post report multiple activists are angry with the change, and organizers say it could be the last year on the West Side.

“Downtown shows a Puerto Rican presence for the entire city and not just for a small group of people who will be watching it on Division Street,” Dr. Julio Cruz told CBS.

The five-day event draws an estimated 1.8 million visitors for the event, according to organizing partner Special Events Management. Combining music, entertainment, authentic cuisine and even carnival rides, the annual Puerto Rican festival is a popular Chicago event.

It’s a primary reason why the Grant Park parade combined forces with the Humbolt Park fest, with the Sun-Times reporting the event suffered from dwindling attendance in recent years.

An estimated 15,000 people are expected to attend this year’s parade, Hufftington Post Chicago reports.