The first East Side Day Parade and Street Festival was held at Washington Park in Bridgeport Saturday.

Tatiana Urena said she spent months organizing the event. She hopes that it will become popular in the years to come.

"It makes it special because I'm a product of the East Side," Urena said. The single-working mother added that she was proud of her neighborhood's turnout.

"Show them that there's a bigger community out here and that there are hard-working families and there's a beautiful culture over here on the East Side," she added.

The event featured music, entertainment, activities for families and a variety of food and vendors.

Organizers said the goal was to promote diversity and bring people and area businesses together to celebrate the neighborhood's cultural traditions.

They added that they were proud to spend the day showing off the neighborhood's community centers, nonprofits and youth efforts.