Chicago Puerto Rican parade, festival back together in Humboldt Park for 1st time in 2 years

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Puerto Rican Peoples' Parade, stepped off Saturday for the 44th time in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood.

It's a Chicago tradition filled with so much pride and heritage

Residents and political leaders waved the island's flag proudly down what's known as Paseo Boricua, a stretch of Division Street near Western.

"I'm just very happy and proud to be celebrating my culture, born and raised here in Humboldt Park," said Shacora Hawkins. "So, I'm very happy to know the parade returned this year. It's just a great day to celebrate community, family, and just being here in Chicago under the great weather."

RELATED: Chicago Puerto Rican Festival and parade return to Humboldt Park in June

This year's parade honors the 50th anniversary of the Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School, which started in the basement of a building the neighborhood.

It's the first time in two years the Puerto Rican festival and the parade are being celebrated within the same weekend.

"I see now that we are more together because of what happened with COVID," said Maria Trujillo.

It's a weekend full of Puerto Rican pride with food, music and rides.

"Being Boricua, Puerto Rican, puertorriqueña means that we are sharing with everyone, not just Puerto Ricans, but all Latinos. And, for me specifically as a professional in higher ed, it's about education, empowering our community," said Maria Llobiz.

Division Street between Sacramento and Western will remain closed until Sunday night as the festivities continue. That means if you plan to come out, you're going to want to be patient. There will be a whole lot of traffic, but not a lot of parking spots.