A festival in Peñuelas brings together the two elements that distinguish the town and give it its particular nicknames.
Any Puerto Rican identifies with the güiro and with the flamboyán. One we play at Christmas parrandas and hear in the most emblematic rhythms of our archipelago. The other paints the green summer landscapes of Puerto Rico orange and is the subject of many of the most notable works of art in the Caribbean.
But what do the güiro and the flamboyán have in common?
Both are nicknames for the town of Peñuelas, which is known as the "Valle de los Flamboyanes" and the "Capital del Güiro," and they are celebrated at a festival taking place July 24–26, 2026 (details below).
How did the Festival del Güiro y el Flamboyán come about?
"Originally, they were two separate festivals," Hiram Rosario, director of the Secretaría de Arte, Cultura y Turismo of the Municipio de Peñuelas, told Platea.
The Festival del Güiro y el Flamboyán is a celebration of our roots, of our people, and of what Peñuelas represents for all of Puerto Rico. It is part of our essence. Here we celebrate our music, our culture, and what we are as a town.
Starting in 2018, after Hurricane María (September 2017), "a decision was made to unite these two symbols, which are emblematic of our town," into a single festival "taking into account various economic and cultural factors," he explained.
🎶 Origins of the Festival del Güiro
This is the older of the two festivals. It began on April 3, 1974, when the first güiro competition was held in Peñuelas. One of the most emblematic güiro players from the town took part: Don Aníbal Alvarado, 84 years old, who has been playing güiro since age 9 and has founded multiple musical groups, including the only Orquesta de Güiros in Puerto Rico, which will perform at the festival.
Modesty aside, it's rare for güiro players in Puerto Rico not to have picked up a thing or two from me… Peñuelas is known as the Capital del Güiro, modesty aside, and that's because of me.
Both Don Aníbal and the Pérez family, who have dedicated their lives to making güiros, cuatros and guitars at the Taller de los Pérez, are the reasons Peñuelas is known as the Capital del Güiro, an instrument inherited from the Taíno but with diverse origins as well, Rosario said.
From the Pérez family, Frankie Pérez stands out. He is not only a musician and güiro craftsman but also the inventor of Puerto Rico's first electric güiro.
Frankie was one of Don Aníbal's many students and continues to carry the art of the güiro forward. He is one of the craftspeople who will take part in the Festival del Güiro y el Flamboyán.
🌳 Origins of the Festival del Flamboyán
During the 1980s, Peñuelas began to be called the "Valle de los flamboyanes" because of the number of trees that could be seen blooming in the summers.
In 1997, the Festival del Flamboyán was founded to recognize the beauty of this tree, which is native to Madagascar.
"A decision was made to unite these two symbols, which are emblematic of our town, since Peñuelas is known as the Valle de los flamboyanes and the Capital del güiro. Our honorable mayor's main intention in continuing this festival is to highlight that same identity and that peñolano character," Rosario noted.
📚 A town that keeps the tradition alive
Flamboyanes: Rosario noted that, with the goal of keeping flamboyanes growing in Peñuelas, Mayor Josean González Febres arranged for students at Escuela Superior Josefa Vélez Bauzá to plant various trees as part of Earth Day celebrations in April.
It is an initiative they hope to bring to other schools so that reddish orange remains the color of their town.
Güiros: The Municipio de Peñuelas is also looking to establish a school with güiro and other instrument workshops to carry on the musical legacy of figures like Don Aníbal and Frankie Pérez.
🎼 Festival del Güiro y el Flamboyán schedule
Where: Plaza Pública de Peñuelas
When: July 24–26
Weekend activities
Mercado Familiar
Exhibición de Carros Antiguos
Concurso de Güiros
Desfile en Honor a la Zafra
Concurso de Trovadores "Pico a Pico"
Friday, July 24
Mercado Familiar Agrícola — 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Programa Radial Pelota Dura (NotiUno) — 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Feria de Salud Comunitaria — 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Banda Escolar de Peñuelas — 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Banda BLB — 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Jíbara Banda — 10:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 25
Exhibición de Carros Antiguos — 9:00 a.m.
Diamante del Cuatro — 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Concurso de Trovadores "Pico a Pico" — 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Orquesta de Güiro — 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Hermanos Sanabria — 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Pirulo y La Tribu — 10:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 26
Desfile Conmemorativo de la Zafra (detour to Casa Alcaldía) — 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Presentación del Grupo Local Subsuelo — 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Concurso de Güiro — 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Innovación Boricua con Frankie Pérez — 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Grupo Esencia — 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Oscarito — 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
