The Puerto Rican Heritage Society of Hawaiʻi is hosting its first Puerto Rican Festival this week.
The local nonprofit is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of the Caribbean Island's history, culture and arts in Hawaiʻi.
The event will be held on Saturday at the Hawaii Plantation Village in Waipahu from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The free event will feature dance, genealogy, food, music and more.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos make up about 11% of the state’s population.
Puerto Ricans make up a large part of that group. They were the first immigrants to come to Hawai’i Island as plantation workers in 1901. They came a couple years after two deadly hurricanes devastated the island, damaging their agricultural industry.
