Everything Ready for 2008 Merengue Festival

The 41st edition of the Brugal Merengue Festival 2008 will feature, for the first time, a simultaneous live closing in both the Dominican and Puerto Rican capitals. The Tourism Promotion Office (OPT) in Puerto Rico and the Association of Hotels of Santo Domingo officially launched the event – to be held July 24-27 – along with the major tourism companies and news media of Puerto Rico.

The 41st edition of the Brugal Merengue Festival 2008 will feature, for the first time, a simultaneous live closing in both the Dominican and Puerto Rican capitals.

Cosette García, Director of the OPT, said that Santo Domingo is already cheerfully preparing to receive its Puerto Rican brothers who will come here for the festival of Dominican heritage and brotherhood between the two islands. The festival will take place along Puerto Avenue (Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó Avenue), said the Ministry of Tourism office.

Patricia Álvarez, Executive Director of the Association of Hotels in Santo Domingo, said the main hotel plazas in the capital will be holding different activities and private dances. Free transportation will be provided for hotel guests who will be taken to a VIP area to enjoy the Festival.

The hotel chains that participated in the Festival launch were the Dominican Fiesta, Hotel Hispaniola, Marriott International, Renaissance Jaragua, V Centenario, Hodelpa, the Western Ambassador, Hilton Santo Domingo, Meliá Santo Domingo, Barceló Lina and the Hotel Santo Domingo.

Program

The music kicks off on Thursday night, July 24 with a special recognition to merengue singer Bonny Cepeda followed by merengue shows from the glorious 1980s and Indica Canela who will do traditional merengue songs.

Friday night, July 25, Fernando Villalona, Kilo the President and the Gorda Band will be performing on stage at Puerto Avenue. At the same time in the municipality of Santo Domingo East, Las Chicán and Julián Oro Duro will be playing.

Saturday July 26 Pochy Familia and the Coco Band, Querubanda and Eddy Herrera will close the show.

Sunday July 27 marks the hour of the historical finale that will be celebrated simultaneously here in the DR and in the Hiram Birthan Stadium of San Juan, Puerto Rico. On stage on Puerto Avenue in Santo Domingo, will be Sergio Vargas, Geovanny Polanco and the Torito, Héctor Acosta. On an additional stage Fefita la Grande and Jeffrey will be performing.

Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, the Rosario Brothers, Milly Quezada, El Prodigio, Joseph Fonseca, Grupo Manía, Limit 21, Bonny Cepeda, the Sabrosos of Merengue and the Mayombe Group will fill the air with merengue.

The musical program of the Merengue Festival will be complemented by a montage replica of a typical Dominican village that will show a wide variety of our culture and handcraft including the typical Dominican and Caribbean food. To be sure that everyone enjoys the activities, the Ministry of Tourism has recruited additional specialized personnel to guarantee the safety of the thousands of people expected to attend the festival and to visit other touristic areas in the country.

Ron Brugal, the company promoting the Festival, has created a musical program including the most outstanding merengue and other types of Dominican music including the popular bachata, explained the commercial director of the company, Ángel Duvergé.

The musical program of the Merengue Festival will be complemented by a montage replica of a typical Dominican village

Also participating in the activities and concerts, including the simultaneous musical event (list of events available in the program attached to this article), are the Ministry of Tourism, the Town Hall of the National District, the Association of Hotels, the Federation of Artisans and the Tourism Department of the Apec University.

“The Festival began in 1967 with the idea of creating a special attraction for tourists, mainly Puerto Ricans visiting Santo Domingo, and since then it has become a regular annual activity that attracts tens of thousands of people to the Dominican capital,” said Cosette García.

For more information: www.godominicanrepublic.com.