Toñita Fest Returns as Caribbean Social Membership Celebrates 51 Years

Brooklyn’s Caribbean Social Membership, one of many final surviving Puerto Rican social golf equipment within the metropolis, will host its second annual Toñita Fest on Sunday (June 22). The pageant marks the membership’s 51st anniversary and the legacy of María Antonia Cay — higher referred to as Toñita — whose contributions over 5 a long time have elevated her to a revered determine in Williamsburg’s Latin group.

The occasion will function a lineup of artists representing a wide range of kinds, together with bomba and plena, Afro-Caribbean group Daso and Grupo Cemi, Latin Grammy winner La Lulu, and salsa orchestra The Anonima Orchestra. Moreover, there will likely be a domino event paying tribute to the membership’s roots. The pageant, organized with the assistance of the nonprofit La Gesta Inc., builds on the success of final 12 months’s inaugural occasion, which drew over 4,000 attendees from throughout the town.

But behind the exuberance of the pageant lies a quiet reflection on what it means to protect dwindling cultural areas like Toñita’s amid the gentrification of Williamsburg. “It’s crucial to carry folks collectively from all walks of life,” she tells Billboard Español on the venue. “At any time when [the locals] are available, it’s like they’re at my residence. They really feel good and completely happy.”

In 1973, Toñita based the Caribbean Social Membership as a gathering spot for the Puerto Rican baseball workforce she managed. “The membership began as a result of the baseball league didn’t have a spot to get collectively. Mommy created the house the place that could possibly be doable for us,” Toñita’s daughter, Sylvia Rosado, says.

Dominoes, beer and music formed its laid-back environment. Over time, the membership grew into one thing a lot greater — not only a place for intergenerational gatherings however a useful resource for addressing group wants like starvation and displacement.

“The quantity of meals that we’re cooking now day by day — as a result of we prepare dinner day by day for the people who find themselves much less lucky — is astounding,” Rosado added as she spoke about her mom’s ongoing impression. Fifty-one years later, those self same parts endure, although Williamsburg’s demographic adjustments have considerably diminished cultural areas like Toñita’s.

Though Toñita’s mission has at all times been centered round group, fame has lately discovered her. In 2022, famous person Bad Bunny visited the membership on Residente’s suggestion. In 2025, Bunny name-dropped her in his track “NuevaYol” from his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos. She was additionally invited to celebrate the Puerto Rico-themed album on The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside then co-host Bunny. Toñita’s response to the famous person’s recognition was, as at all times, understated: “It was immensely joyful, and I’m completely happy. I hope it will probably occur once more,” she says.

Through the years, artists like Rauw Alejandro, J Balvin, Nicky Jam, and Guaynaa have additionally visited this iconic Williamsburg house, drawn by its authenticity and cultural significance. Nonetheless, for Toñita, movie star visits pale compared to the satisfaction of seeing her membership proceed to thrive decade after decade, increasing its legacy by way of occasions like Toñita Fest.

Giovanni González, one of many pageant’s organizers, added: “This is likely one of the final social golf equipment left in Williamsburg. It’s an actual effort to make this place thrive in such a small house. However similar to Puerto Rico, dimension doesn’t matter — it’s the guts and power of the people who make it what it’s.”

Rising Mexican singer-songwriter emjay, who will likely be performing within the U.S. for the primary time at Toñita Fest, shared her pleasure about being a part of the occasion: “It’s a real honor. To be thought of in order that New York’s Latin group can get to know my music, and particularly at such an unbelievable occasion like Toñita’s, is wonderful.”

As Williamsburg continues to rework, Toñita’s Caribbean Social Membership stays rooted in its objective — however for a way lengthy? Toñita herself insists she doesn’t dwell on legacy, stating, “Reminiscences are recollections; I don’t place an excessive amount of emphasis on them,” although her longevity speaks for itself. For this 12 months’s attendees, the pageant represents way over simply music or dominoes; it’s a reminder of the significance of preserving the areas that hold Latin identification alive in New York.