The Bronx Cultural and Arts Festival kicked off on East 152nd Street and Jackson Avenue Saturday afternoon.

Vendors selling food, arts and crafts and colorful T-shirts lined streets for the celebration that has been going on since 1995.

Residents say the festival is a wonderful way to get the family together and get a good dose of culture.

The event serves as a precursor to the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in Manhattan on June 8.