The 2020 Puerto Rican Festival has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After deliberating with the City of Rochester, the Puerto Rican Festival Inc. announced that this year’s Puerto Rican Festival has been postponed until the year 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement came Friday afternoon. The festival was originally scheduled for August 13-15 at the Frontier Field VIP lot in Rochester.

The Puerto Rican Festival Inc. released the following statement:

“This was a difficult decision to make after we had such an amazing 50th celebration in 2019 that included a gala celebration, various events throughout the year, and the 50th Puerto Rican Festival,” said Orlando Ortiz, President, Puerto Rican Festival, Inc. “This is the socially responsible action to take and is consistent with other community events given the current climate. Rest assured we will be putting our efforts to bringing this deeply rooted tradition in Monroe County back in 2021.  This unprecedented decision for our organization allows us to dedicate our efforts to informing the Latino community of the importance of adhering to the guidelines set forth by government officials as it relates to COVID-19.”

Other events and festivals canceled include the Miss Puerto Rico of Rochester Cultural Pageant, the SSgt. Javier Ortiz Memorial 5K Race & Walk, the Rochester Public Market's Latino Night, and the Jazz festival.