The Festival Nacional de la Quenepa (English: National Genip Fruit Festival) is a cultural celebration that takes place every year in Ponce, Puerto Rico.Celebra Ponce a su mimada quenepa. Ana María Rolón Romero. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 26, Issue 1535. Page 26. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2013. Archived. The festival centers around the genip fruit, the city's official fruit.Quenepas – A Taste of Ponce. See Puerto Rico.com Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Government of Puerto Rico. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2013. The celebration lasts three days and takes place over a weekend (Friday through Sunday). It is generally held on the second weekend of August, but occasionally during a weekend in September. It is sponsored by the Oficina de Desarrollo CulturalReaparece el Festival de la Quenepa. Carmen Cila Rodríguez. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2016. Updated Weblink 24 April 2018. (Office of Cultural Development) of the Ponce Municipal Government.Resolucion 32; Serie 2009-2010: Para Autorizar a la Administracion Municipal de Ponce a Otorgar Premiaciones en Metalico a los Participantes Ganadores del Concurso de Recetas; Asi com a los Ganadores de un Concurso de Trovadores, Eventos que se Realizaran Como Parte de las Actividaded de la Segunda Fiesta Nacional de la Quenepa a Celebrarse del 14 al 16 de Agosto de 2009; Y Para Otros Fines. Ponce Municipal Legislature. Government of the Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
History
The festival is one of the newest in the Puerto Rico. It was started in 2008.Celebra Ponce a su mimada quenepa. Ana María Rolón Romero. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 26, Issue 1535. Page 26. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2013. It was proposed in January 2008 by Jorge Fernández Torres, a municipal government employee, to the Municipal Government, who accepted and adopted the idea.Reaparece el Festival de la Quenepa. Carmen Cila Rodríguez. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2016. Updated Weblink 24 April 2018.
It takes place at Plaza Las Delicias, the city's central square. The festival takes place during August, but sometimes in September.Quenepas – A Taste of Ponce. See Puerto Rico.com Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Government of Puerto Rico. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2013. The event has been held, at least once, at Parque Ecológico Urbano.Quenepas – A Taste of Ponce. See Puerto Rico.com Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Government of Puerto Rico. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2013. Four varieties of quenepas are grown in Puerto Rico, with one of them named after the city of Ponce.En temporada la quenepa. Yaira Solís Escudero. El Vocero. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 19 July 2017. Accessed 24 April 2018. The city of Ponce is known as La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City), not because of any quenepa farms, but because the fruit is so commonly grown in city residents' backyards.La quenepa no es exclusiva de Ponce. Angelique Fragoso Quiñones. EsNoticiaPR.com 12 August 2016. (Updated: 31 March 2017.) Accessed 24 April 2018.
Events The festival includes arts and crafts, food, folkloric music, games, and plenty of farmers market quenepas.Quenepas – A Taste of Ponce. See Puerto Rico.com Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Government of Puerto Rico. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2013. It also includes a competition for the most unusual quenepa-based dish.Puerto Rico: When to go: Quenepas Festival. CaribTours. 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013. All the activities of the festival center on the genip fruit. As such, much of the foods, from cakes to juices, are based genip fruit recipes. Likewise, crafts are made, displayed and sold that are based on the seed of the genip fruit.Celebra Ponce a su mimada quenepa. Ana María Rolón Romero. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 26, Issue 1535. Page 26. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2013. The Second annual Festival de la Quenepa included cakes, custards, juices, jellies, frappes, and rice with quenepas, among others.Endulzada la fiesta de la quenepa: Ponce realiza festival que rinde tributo a este fruto. El Nuevo Dia. Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. 16 August 2009. Accessed 24 April 2018. It is organized as a family event, with activities for children, such as games, and clowns.Endulzada la fiesta de la quenepa: Ponce realiza festival que rinde tributo a este fruto. El Nuevo Dia. Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. 16 August 2009. Accessed 24 April 2018.
See also Carnaval de Ponce Feria de Artesanías de Ponce Ponce Jazz Festival Fiesta Nacional de la Danza Día Mundial de Ponce Bienal de Arte de Ponce Las Mañanitas Festival de Bomba y Plena de San Antón Carnaval de Vejigantes Festival Nacional Afrocaribeño
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