Puerto Rican pride will be celebrated throughout New York City on June 12 as the National Puerto Rican Day Parade returns after a two-year-hiatus due to the pandemic.
The 65th annual event along Fifth Avenue will celebrate the culture, arts, achievement and legacy of Puerto Rican culture.
“This is a milestone year for the Parade, and our return to Fifth Avenue is yet another sign that NYC and the Puerto Rican community are strong, resilient and as vibrant as ever,” National Puerto Rican Day Parade Board Chair Louis Maldonado said. “The NPRDP Board of Directors invites all Boricuas in the New York City area, Puerto Rico and across the patria extendida (diaspora) to join us on June 12 to exclaim ¡WEPA! and sing ‘Qué bonita bandera,’ just as we have for the last 64 years.”
This year's parade will be dedicated to the municipality of Cidra, Puerto Rico, which is also referred to as the Town of Eternal Spring, or el Pueblo de la Eterna Primavera. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia metro area was chosen as this year's Honored Stateside Community given that it is home to more than 250,000 Puerto Ricans living across Philadelphia, Berks and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania, as well as Camden, Atlantic and Cumberland counties in New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware.
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However, prior to the parade, the celebration will start this weekend with the NPRDP's 152nd Street Cultural Festival this upcoming Saturday on 152nd Street between Jackson and Tinton Avenues in the Bronx, which will feature artisans, cultural activities, food, music and entertainment.
