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June is Puerto Rican party time in NYC
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You may have noticed more cars and windows with the red, white and blue Puerto Rican flags lately. Well, it's June. It's Puerto Rican parade time in New York City, and the party has already started, especially in the barrios.
The Bronx kicked off the celebrations with its annual Puerto Rican parade and festival last month.
But there are plenty more coming up just before the city’s famed National Puerto Rican Day Parade, and the best part is that they are free and open to the public:
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc. is hosting its 152nd. Street Cultural Festival (between Jackson and Union Avenues) in the Bronx on Saturday, June 6 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, go to the parade site at www.nationalpuertoricandayparade.org.
In Brooklyn, The Puerto Rican State Parade and Festival of New York, will celebrate its 5th Annual Parade and Festival on Sunday, June 7, 2009. The parade’s grand marshal is former Bronx Borough President and former mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer. The parade will begin at 1 p.m. corner of Metropolitan and Graham avenues. From Graham Ave, the parade will continue to Graham Ave and Broadway, continuing with the festival ending at 8 p.m. For more information, www.puertoricandayparadeofny.com
One of the most popular activities in the city every year, however, is The 116th Street Festival. It's on Saturday, June 13th, Third Avenue, East Harlem. It is always held the day before the parade. According to its website, the 116th Street Festival is celebrating its 24 anniversary this year and it is one of the largest Latino festivals in New York. The 116th draws a diverse Latino audience. The East Harlem festival is more than 28 blocks, has three main stages and over 200 exhibits and vendors. For more information, visit www.116thstfestival.com.
The biggest and most anticipated boricua festival of all is The National Puerto Rican Day Parade along Fifth Avenue (from 44th to 86th streets). The parade is Sunday, June 14, and it is one of the largest cultural parades in the country. It kicks off at 11 a.m. More than two million are expected to line Fifth Avenue.
Salsa singer Victor Manuelle will lead the parade since he has been crowned as the parade king. This year the parade is dedicated to the celebration of music. Organizers have called the parade the "biggest Latin concert in the city" actually and expect a host of musicians to play along the parade route. The parade’s godfather is New York Spanish radio personality Polito Vega.
Every year the parade is dedicated to a Puerto Rican town and this year the honor goes to Mayagüez. For more information, go to www.nationalpuertoricandayparade.org.
Meanwhile, just north of New York City, the 30th Annual Yonkers Puerto Rican/Hispanic Parade and Festival will be held June 7. Since the Bronx is Yonkers’ neighbor, organizers say the parade usually also draws Puerto Rican/Hispanic families from the Bronx to cross the border to Westchester County for the day. For more information, visit www.yonkersprhparade.com.
These are just some of the festivals with a boricua flavor coming up in Latino New York.
Make sure to try to go to at least one of these events and cheer, “Que viva Puerto Rico.”
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