Ismael Rivera's Birthday

Ismael Rivera left a profound impact on the Puerto Rican society. His music shaped Puerto Rican society from the 1950’s well into the 1990’s. Rivera’s music revealed the living conditions in the slums and his musical success made the mainstream Puerto Rican society aware of life in the slums. His unique spin on Bomba, Plena and Salsa reshaped the Puerto Rican culture. As a result, on September 27th 2001, the Puerto Rican society decided to forever commemorate Ismael Rivera by deeming October 5th as “Ismael Rivera Day.”

On October 5th, people from all over Puerto Rico gather to celebrate the birthday of Ismael Rivera. The celebration of his birthday is very symbolic of the strength and power the lower class has obtained through Ismael Rivera's success.

The celebration of Ismael Rivera is a family event in which all are invited to attend. Also, since the performances range from young children to mature adults the celebration is designed to attract people from all age groups. To accommodate for the array of age groups attending the celebration, the festivities include many carnivalesque and concert features. The main area is a concert arena. It has a stage on which live performances take place.

The stage performances include live singers of Bomba, Plena and Salsa. The arena also has a dance floor in which anyone who attends the celebration can dance to the music.

In addition to singing, the celebration also includes various traditional dance performances inspired by the creativity of Ismael Rivera. Though Ismael Rivera’s success plena was able to explode into the mainstream culture. And as a resul the celebration includes Bomba, Plena, and Salsa dance performances, all genres that Ismael Rivera renovated.