El festival de Rafael Cepeda 100 anos de cultura

Tonight we attended the first evening of the Festival de Rafael Cepeda, a 4 day festival honoring the life's work of the man known as the father of Bomba y Plena. The festival will highlight some of the best Puerto Rican music on the island including prominent Bomba y Plena groups. The festival also offers Bomba dance workshops along with lectures on Puerto Rican dance and rhythm.

It was a great open air show at the Plaza del Quinto Centenario in Old San Juan where we heard a symphony with Puerto Rican flavor, a Bata group, singing traditional Orisha songs and a lively Plena group that was cut off after the generator went out. The plaza was perfectly situated at the edge of old San Juan overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The festival was like a Puerto Rican version of Stern Grove.