For many Americans who identify themselves as Puerto Ricans or “Boricuas,” the distinction is only a location in their minds. It’s a feeling fortified by a diverse ancestry, created in a rich Caribbean milieu and filled with primordial sounds that reflect and inspire their culture. After a five-year hiatus, the Dia de San Juan Salsa Festival will be held at NTC Liberty Station in Point Loma on Saturday, June 25. Thousands of like-minded San Diegans are expected to attend an event officials characterize as an enlightening family experience centered on music, dancing, food and good times. “This is a celebration of our culture and way of life” said festival organizer Tommy Rosas. “We want to share our ancestral inheritance with everybody and pass it on for generations to come.” A self-described “Nuyorican,” Rosas said he was “created in Puerto Rico, but born in New York City.” Raised in the Hunt’s Point neighborhood of the south Bronx, Rosas developed an early love for salsa music, which he called the foundation that binds like glue and motivates a consciousness that makes everyone descendants of the island of enchantment. Featured at this year’s festival will be two-time Grammy Award winners Spanish Harlem Orchestra, directed by world-renowned pianist, producer and arranger Oscar Hernandez. The all-star ensemble includes some of the best musicians from New York and delivers a hard-hitting brand of dance music called “salsa dura,” which is composed of lyrics and driving rhythms reminiscent of the time and place in which they were written. “This is New York salsa in the tradition of the Fania All-Stars, Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Willie Colon, Machito, Richie Ray and Pacheco,” said Hernandez. “It doesn’t come from Puerto Rico. They have their own sound.” Hernandez is regarded by many as the bearer of the torch when it comes to salsa music. Having been a part of the genre for over 40 years, he’s recorded and shared the stage with just about every major act in Latin music, like Ruben Blades, Ray Barreto, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente and others. For those unfamiliar with the Bronx-born pianist’s discography, his fancy finger work can be heard on numerous commercial projects including the introduction to the hit show “Sex and the City.” “It’s special to able to mobilize people to get together to acknowledge the many experiences that we share in common,” Hernandez said. “There are lots of things that we can be nostalgic about and it’s always great to play for people that you can relate to on that level.” Local bandleader Manny Cepeda, a descendant of Rafael Cepeda Atiles, known as the patriarch of a percussion-driven style of African folk music, called “bomba y plena,” said salsa music is made for dancing. He called the music an amalgamation made up of many different cultures with the African drum as its central influence. “It’s like being in the womb and hearing the sound of your mother’s heart beating,” said Cepeda. “There’s a primal response that’s unlike anything else. It’s a great workout that’s better than Jenny Craig.” Also performing will be Conjunto Costazul from Los Angeles, the J.D. All-Stars from San Diego and Arieto Borincano, a San Diego-based folkloric music and dance group. A drum circle will be arranged away from the stage and festival goers are encouraged to bring their drums and other percussive instruments to participate. A family fun zone will be set up for kids. Coolers with food and drinks will be permitted although no bottles or alcoholic beverages will be allowed. A beer-and-wine garden concession will be run by Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing Company. Vendor booths with traditional foods, drinks and souvenirs will be on hand. Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the gate. Children under 12 will be admitted free. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketweb.com. More information about the Dia de San Juan Salsa Festival, call (619) 889-7348.