Live Entertainment in Ponce

Puerto Rico's Bomba and Plena performances present the most important Afro-Puerto Rican musical traditions — a musical heritage born from the African slaves brought to sugar plantations in the 17th and 18th centuries that became the foundation of Puerto Rican cultural identity. Bomba's extraordinary call-and-response between drummer and dancer and Plena's remarkable role as Puerto Rico's "living newspaper" (chronicling community events through song) create cultural performances of unique Caribbean African heritage significance.

Ponce is Puerto Rico's most culturally significant second city — the "Pearl of the South" where the extraordinary neo-classical architecture, the remarkable Museo de Arte de Ponce (the finest art museum in the Caribbean), and the beautiful Plaza Las Delicias create a concert and cultural environment of singular Puerto Rican provincial cultural significance. Ponce's extraordinary heritage and its passionate community cultural investment create concert experiences of genuine Puerto Rican identity significance.

Teatro La Perla in Ponce is one of the finest 19th-century theaters in Latin America — a beautifully restored 1864 theater whose extraordinary neoclassical architecture and remarkable cultural programming serve Puerto Rico's most architecturally significant city. Teatro La Perla's 160+ year history and its outstanding cultural programming in the Pearl of the South create a performing arts venue of genuine Puerto Rican provincial cultural heritage significance.