Puerto Rican Festival In Milwaukee Allowed To Continue At Humboldt Park

Organizers for the local 4th Annual Puerto Rican one-day festival announced that this year the event will take place once again at Humboldt Park in Milwaukee.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

July 20, 2016

Milwaukee, WI - Organizers for the local 4th Annual Puerto Rican one-day festival have confirmed that this year's event will be held on August 14 at Humboldt Park. In early 2016, the Milwaukee County Department of Parks had denied a permit for this year's event, but eventually decided to grant a permit after Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) and the local El Conquistador Newspaper published in April that members of the Puerto Rican Festival Team (PRFT) had been denied a park permit, which generated a public outcry after an administrator from the Milwaukee County Parks cited in an e-mail that the even was overcrowded and apparently a successful event. At least 5,000 people attended the one-day PR festival in 2015, according to organizers.

Last year after the 2015 event, the PRFT met with officials with the Milwaukee County Parks administration including a representative of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office and the meeting turned sour when the PRFT was denied a permit in September 2015 for this year's event. 

In early 2016, Ryan Broderick, the Milwaukee County Parks Special Events Coordinator in an e-mail to the PRFT denied to grant another permit citing multiple issues from last year's festival. Broderick claimed that allegations of public urination were reported, there was excessive trash during and after the festival, loud music and vehicles squealing tires, overcrowding exceeding permit estimated attendance and parking complaints by neighbors around Humboldt Park. Broderick confirmed that in the September 2015 meeting between the PRFT members and park administrators, it was decided to denied the PRFT a permit to hold this year's PR festival at Humboldt Park.

The organizers for the 4th Annual Puerto Rican Festival have not released any information concerning any conditions that were agreed upon to hold the event once again at Humboldt Park, but Victor Huyke, the Publisher for El Conquistador, which sponsors the festival confirmed in his Facebook account that the PR festival will be held on Sunday, August 14 at Humboldt Park from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. This year's PR festival starts an hour early and ends an hour early than last year.
Huyke is a former President of the Puerto Rican Cultural Committee and has been instrumental in supporting and continuing the local PR festival.