How about some arroz con pollo at Festival del Pollo?

Aibonito’s Festival del Pollo

Hands down, the most tempting activity for this weekend is the Chicken Festival. The event will be held in Aibonito, a small municipality located in the Cayey Mountain Range. The temperature in Aibonito is relatively cool all year round, thanks to the town’s high elevation. This, together with the beautiful panoramic views, has contributed to the municipality being nicknamed as the “Switzerland of Puerto Rico”. Weather in this town is excellent for growing flowers, coffee and tobacco. Cattle and chickens are also farmed in Aibonito, which is why this town is home to one of the largest producers of chicken in the island, To-Ricos.

Why Festival del Pollo?

Here are some good reasons for you to go to Aibonito this weekend:

San Juan is too hot these days.
VIews in the Puerto Rico countryside are spectacular.
On Saturday, the festival will host the cooking of a giant asopao de pollo.
On Sunday, they will cook arroz con pollo in a “super giant cauldron”.
You haven’t been to a Chicken Festival before.
An exciting musical offer! From traditional jíbaro music, to salsa (Tito Nieves, one of the best nuyorican salsa singers, nicknamed “El Pavarotti de la Salsa”) and merengue (Limite-21, by far the most energetic and melodic merengue band in Puerto Rico).

A gastronomic adventure

This festival is about gastronomy. You will be able to taste local dishes such as:

Chicken sausage kebabs (pinchos de longaniza de pollo)
Cassava-based fritters with chicken (alcapurria yuca-pollo)
Green banana-based fritters with chicken (alcapurria masa-pollo)
Green plantain-based fritters with chicken (alcapurria plátano-pollo)
Chicken patties (pastelillos de pollo)
Chicken + sausage patties (pastelillos de pollo-longaniza)
Potato fillings with chicken (relleno de pollo)
Apio fillings with chicken (relleno de apio-pollo)

Here is the best part:

The entrance is free of charge,

1,500 people will have up to two dishes for free, each day.

Plus, the asopao de pollo will be free to everyone.

This is too good to be true. If case you have trouble claiming your dishes, tell that the mayor Willie Alicea told so to El Vocero, a local newspaper. We have a government agency called the Department of Consumer Affairs that will make him honor the offering.

Click here if you would like to watch a video that tells about the 500 pounds of pollo and other ingredients that will go into the huge caldero.

Program of Music Events

Saturday, October 18, 2014:
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM: Grupo Dinastía Jíbara
3:30 PM to 5:30 PM: Aníbal de Gracia & Batukéalo
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM: Karlo Ruben & Orquesta
9:30 PM to 11:00 PM: Tito Nieves

Sunday, October 19, 2014
2:00 PM to 3:15 PM: El Junte Sanabria (Julio-Fernando-Alfonso)
3:45 PM to 5:15 PM: Son de Montaña con Trovadores
5:45 PM to 7:00 PM: Pucho Y La Gran Orquesta
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM: Limit-21 – Merengue

Chef Lorelei that will be preparing the Arroz con Pollo. Her participation will be on Sunday, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Directions

Festival del Pollo will be held in downton Aibonito at the Public Square. This map will help you get to Aibonito.