Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival del Coqui Postponed

Hartford, CT - In light of the tragic loss suffered by our community, CICD Puerto Rican Parade regrets to announce the postponement of all festivities originally scheduled for this coming Sunday September 10th, 2023. This includes all three events previously announced, Faith Outreach Concert, PR Parade, and the Festival del Coquí.

As you may already know, a dedicated member of the Hartford Police Department, made the ultimate sacrifice while in the line of duty last night. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of Officer Bobby Garten during this difficult time.

In honor of Officer Garten and to respect the mourning period of our community, we have decided to postpone the Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival to a later date still to be determine. This decision was not made lightly, as we understand the importance of coming together to celebrate our culture. However, we believe it is the right course of action to pay our respects and support our community in this time of grief.

The Mayor of Hartford earlier shared the following statement… "The CICD Puerto Rican Day Parade Committee puts an enormous amount of time, energy, and work into organizing and sustaining this important Hartford tradition, and I know that this was a difficult decision. I want to express my respect and gratitude to CICD for standing in support and solidarity with the men and women of the Hartford Police Department by postponing this Sunday’s event. The parade and festival is a large scale undertaking, and it’s an all-hands-on-deck effort by HPD to support and facilitate. The CICD’s decision to postpone will allow some of our officers to get a little more of the time that they need to rest and to grieve, and I know that it means a lot to our officers. Our city is committed to working in close partnership with CICD to support a rescheduled parade and festival.”

We are currently working closely with the City of Hartford and the Police Department to determine the most suitable rescheduled date for the event. We will communicate the new date and any updated details as soon as they become available. We remain committed to making the PR Parade and Festival a memorable and meaningful occasion that reflects the values of our community and pays tribute to our fallen hero.

We would like to express our gratitude for the understanding and support of our community during this challenging time. Together, we will remember and honor the life and service of Officer Garten while continuing to build a safer and more united community.

We extend our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of Officer Garten and ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Please stay tuned for further updates regarding the rescheduled of the PR Parade and Festival.