Find food and fun at the Phoenix Puerto Rican Festival this weekend

The 17th annual Puerto Rican Festival will take place this weekend and include food vendors selling traditional dishes. Phoenix Coqui

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As the fifth largest city in the country, Phoenix is ripe with exciting events and delicacies from many cultures and parts of the world. This Sunday, the Stratus Event Center will welcome the 17th annual family-friendly Puerto Rican Festival.

There will be over 20 vendors and music throughout the event, including two DJs and two live bands, according to event organizer Freddie Cruz. 

While enjoying a variety of Puerto Rican eats from businesses all over Arizona, festival goers can groove to bands La Salsa Orquestra and Proyecto Clave Bomba Y Plena with Orgullo Boricua. DJ Fuego and DJ Ceasar Tercero will be spinning through the event. There will be a range of reggaeton, dembow, jaleo music and more, representing Caribbean and Puerto Rican sounds.

"This is not an event simply for Puerto Rican people," Cruz says. "It's for everybody in the community to come together and have a good time."

Cruz explains that Mexican food is completely different than the Caribbean flavors of Puerto Rico. He hopes to share those flavors with those familiar, and people looking to try something new. This Sunday, prepare to try some of Cruz's favorite dishes including arroz con gandules y pernil, mofongo con camaron and empanadas.

Arroz con gandules y pernil is a traditional Puerto Rican dish featuring rice and pigeon peas. Sazon seasoning and sofrito give the rice a rich golden color and layers of flavor. Mofongo con camaron is a dish of mashed plantains with shrimp that is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle to give the plantains a similar look to yellow mashed potatoes. The dish is a flavorful blend of sweet and savory.

There will be a range of traditional meal options including rice and plantain-based plates as well as fried festival-style bites and sweet desserts.

VIP tickets have sold out but standard tickets are $20 to purchase online and children 16 or under get free admission. Parking is free and the venue is a combination indoor and outdoor event. There is a full bar within the Stratus Event Center's venue with plenty of alcohol and cocktails for purchase.

"1,200 people came to our last event and we are hoping for more this year," Cruz says.

Juan Ayala puts heart and soul into his cooking. Find Phoenix Coqui at the Puerto Rican Festival this weekend.

Phoenix Coqui

Find these food vendors at the Puerto Rican Festival

Scottsdale-based Puerto Rican food truck El New Yorican specializes in classic dishes ranging from small snacks to hearty main plates and specialty beverages such as coconut soda.

Phoenix restaurant Phoenix Coqui offers a large menu of Puerto Rican meals consisting of fried plantains, fried yucca, many rice-based courses and several sweet dessert choices such as mango cheesecake and coconut ice cream.

Delicias Boricuas by Elsie is a Surprise-based business with a website and menu in Spanish only. Expect to see lots of empanadas and alcapurrias (plantain fritters), sorullos (corn fritters sometimes filled with cheese), and coconut-based desert tembleque.

Gilbert-based food truck Mami's Cocina serves signature empanadas which they claim are "the best anyone has ever tasted." Mami's is a gem with a loyal following. Try an arroz dish with pigeon peas, potatoes and carrots and macaroni salad. Also make sure to try the ground beef and potato empanadas or unique soyrizo vegetarian empanadas.

17th Annual Puerto Rican Festival

Noon-8 p.m., May 19
4344 W. Indian School Road