The largest event in Puerto Rico, bringing together half a million people in the traditional Old Town of San Juan for four days Street parties in San Sebastian In the 54th edition they are dedicated to three important and popular personalities from music, sport and the third social sector of the island.
It's about the forever “Vedette of America”, Iris Chaconthe former basketball player and NBA player, José Rafael Ortiz, better known as “Piculín Ortiz” and chef Iván Clemente for his undeniable service to the community with his project the Kennedy Dining Room.
There will be a large mass party, the focus of which will be to highlight the native rhythm of the bomb from January 18th to 21st, 2024 in the cobblestone streets of the historic capital with an extensive cultural and artistic calendar that delights the tastes of thousands of visitors, announced this Wednesday morning that Mayor of San Juan, Miguel Romero from the Tapia Theater.
“All year long we have been preparing for a world-class event that the whole family can enjoy. Once again we revive the legacy of Doña Rafaela Valladares, who led the revival of San Sebastián's traditional street festivals in 1970. We will have a great artistic offering because we have managed to raise the financial resources to allow our artists to present themselves as they deserve. We have focused our efforts on also promoting the cultural essence and traditions such as the Mass and the procession celebrated in the name of San Sebastián. as well as the traditional historical dances that we resumed in the last edition, in which over half a million people took part,” said Romero during the press conference, which was attended by a large representation of the artists performing on the various stages of the festival of San Sebastián Street will be present.
The press conference began with a troupe of great minds led by Aidita Encarnación and Jíbaro from Puerto Rico, who transformed the Tapia Theater into the festive atmosphere of the world recognized festivals.
Press conference for the San Sebastián street festival 2024. (Pablo Martínez)In addition to the three winners of the traditional celebrations, the artists were also present at the press conference, Glenn Monroig, La Sonora Ponceña, Choco Orta, El Conjunto Quisqueya, Luisito Ayala, Vivanativa, Attention Attention and Plena Libreamong others, and the current Miss Universe Puerto Rico, Karla Guilfú, who was inspired by the event for the signature costume she wore in the international competition, where she was one of the five finalists.
The eternal “Vedette of America” thanked the mayor and the community of San Juan for the honor and dedicated it to her loyal admirers for more than 50 years.
“I am happy about this wonderful award. on one of the most important holidays in my beloved country. “I would like to dedicate this award with great affection to all my fans who have accompanied me for 50 years and to my entire family, who raised me to dance and jump with a lot of heart,” said Iris Chacón, who traveled to Puerto Rico for the event Press conference from the state of Florida where you live.
The former basketball player Piculín Ortiz joined in thanking the general director of the capital, emphasizing that the traditional celebrations are an example of “uniting a people, holding a cultural and national festival, necessary to bring together all artists and talents from here.” Ortiz recently announced that he has started chemotherapy to treat colon cancer, which he was diagnosed with last November.
He Chef Ivan Clementean example of courtesy, service and generosity to the community with his achievement of eliminating hunger on the island through the project Kennedy Dining Room He also had the opportunity to thank him for the award for making the problem in Puerto Rico visible. During Mayor Romero's presentation on Clemente's work, his voice actually broke for a moment as he read aloud the laudable mission of bringing a plate of hot food to more than 5,000 people a week.
“My country deserves the best. We currently feed 2,000 children and 3,500 elderly people every week. Children who are orphans of living parents and older orphans of living children“s,” Chef Clemente explained. The three award winners were received with a standing ovation by those present.
Iris Chacón, Ortiz and Clemente will not be the only ones honored at the event carried out and organized by the municipality and the producer Paco Lopez.
The Rafaela Balladares Awards are dedicated to FCésar Concepción Foundation, Felisa Rincón de Gautier Foundation and the memory of the musician and Founder of the Plena Libre group, Gary Núñez. In his honor, Mayor Romero asked for a standing ovation at the press conference. He thanked Núñez's widow, Valerie Cox, for her presence and praised the personality of the late musician, who died on October 14. Cancer of the pancreas and the contributions of the group, which has performed at all of San Sebastián's street festivals since 1994.
The artist Roberto Matos, a native of San Juan, was responsible for the creation of the official screen print under the motto “In the rhythm of the bomb”, intended to capture the cultural, historical and religious value of the event, popularly known as “La SanSe”.
The mayor mentioned the implementation as one of the new features of the 54th edition of the first Troubadour competition at traditional festivals.
Regarding the logistics and security of the event, the municipality will hold a press conference on January 11th with full details.
For his part, Romero announced that they are looking for a place closer to Old San Juan to pick up passengers using the Uber transport service and to designate a parking lot for employees of the capital.
The mayor of San Juan, Miguel Romero. (Pablo Martinez)As in other years, the holiday will feature an extensive calendar of traditional cultural activities as well as a wide variety of artisans at the Municipal Craft Fair, represented in different parts of Old San Juan.
Below you will find the artistic offer for 2024
Fifth Centenary Square (considered the most important by the organizers) will include an artistic representation of:
- Join Loiceño
- Completely free
- Gilberto Santa Rosa
- Cepeda brothers
- Iris Chacon
- Ednita Nazario
- Victoria Sanabria
- Sonora Ponceña
- Yolandita Monge
- Giselle
- Victor Manual
- Moncho Rivera
- Andy Montanaz
- Fill it out
- The great conclusion with Wisin
MAIN SQUARE to the rhythm of the music of:
- Ridge Pleneros
- Luis González and his orchestra
- Mania group
- To the sound of war
- Severo Pleneros
- Galdy Santiago & Fabián Torres and their orchestra
- Oscarito
- Makein group
- Hermes Croatto
- The Abrante Tribe
- The big finale with Andrés Waldemar's orchestra
Railing square will have a focus on Puerto Rican families:
- Workshops and games for children by Pompearte
- Jubilee magician and bombo clown show
- Lucita and her friends (puppet characters, animation and original songs)
- Bomba with Troubadours from Yauco
- Seed bomb workshop for children
- Dinosaur and baby dinosaur show
- Saritas and his friends (dolls)
- Danger! Danger
- Transformers characters
- Tamboricua
- Capital Kids Dance Group
- Imbuye Group of Loíza
At night they dance to the rhythm of:
- Atabal
- Cayey prickly pear cactus
- San Juan Havana
- Meeting of the Sanabria brothers
- The first ever Tommy Olivencia Orchestra
- Glenn Monroe
- Aidita Encarnacion
- Choco Orta
- Lourdes Robles
- They are divas
- From full to full
- Decimania
- Segreles prickly pear cactus
- The closure by Puerto Rican Power
COLON SQUARE offers visitors music from:
- Seven
- Algarete
- Millo Torres
- The sect
- Coco maze
- Live Native
- The Rivera's fate
- Alberto Style and DJ Nelson
- The conclusion of Rai Nao