The annual Dominican Parade returns to Hyde, Jackson and Egleston Squares on Sun., Aug. 18, but the Dominican Festival afterward is still moved out of Franklin Park this year. Instead, the festival will be held at Roxbury’s Clifford Playground—even though the parade route still runs to Franklin Park.
Like the Puerto Rican Festival earlier this year, the Dominican Festival had to move at short notice from Franklin Park due to re-sodding work. Both events are gigantic cultural festivals that draw thousands of people from around the region. They are planned to return to Franklin Park next summer.
The Dominican Parade will start around the 10-11 a.m. hour at Whole Foods Market, 413 Centre St. in Hyde Square. It will continue on Centre Street to Jackson Square, then follow Columbus Avenue and Seaver Street to Franklin Park.
Parking will be prohibited on those parts of those streets from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Dominican Festival, which wraps a full week of Dominican cultural activities around the city, will be held at Clifford Playground across from the City of Boston’s 1010 Massachusetts Ave. building in Roxbury. The parade and festival celebrate the culture of the Dominican Republic, a Caribbean nation.
The relocation of the festivals caused some concern, with Dominican Festival officials saying they learned of the move from the Gazette. Clifford Playground was chosen as the site after negotiation with City officials.