When : Sunday, June 11, 2023 - 11AM to 5PM
Parade Route : Fifth Avenue from 44th to 79th Streets Directions : IRT subway to Grand Central 42nd St. TV Broadcast: ABC7 starting 12PM.
This year, watch for the 66th annual Puerto Rican Day Parade to kick off on Fifth Avenue on Sunday, June 11 as the 2023 celebration of all things Puerto Rican returns to NYC!
Leading the procession as Grand Marshal will be television personality, actor and author Giselle Blondet.
This year's theme? "Música, Cultura y Alegría" or Music, Culture and Joy.
All about the Puerto Rican Day Parade
It's traditionally one of New York's most colorful and festive parades
as New Yoricans celebrate at the annual Puerto Rican
Day Parade.
Every year you can expect to see more than 80,000 people
marching, and close to 3 million revelers lining the parade
route for a major Puerto Rican love-fest.
Although
celebrations of Puerto Rican heritage take place in cities
across the U.S, (from Chicago to Buffalo and Boston!) New York's very own Puerto Rican Day Parade
is THE biggest.
The Puerto Rican Day Parade is, in fact, the city's largest parade and the second biggest
public celebration after the Labor
Day West Indian American Day Carnival in Brooklyn.
The first
NYC Puerto Rican Day Parade was held in Spanish Harlem
in Manhattan in 1958, and from its humble beginnings the parade grew
to reflect not only a growing number of New Yorkers
of Puerto Rican descent, but an increased pride in the culture and tradition of Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rican Day parade - best viewing
The parade marches along Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to
79th Street and includes delegates from various towns of Puerto
Rico and U.S. states across the country.
Come early! The crowds at this annual street party are enormous as Puerto Ricans come out to celebrate their heritage -- along with New Yorkers of every stripe happily joining in the fun at Manhattan's most festive street party.
Arriving from Grand Central, simply make your way several blocks to Fifth Avenue to find a spot along "parade central" in the 40's to 50's block area.
Bring a bottle of water, snacks, and a small tote chair if you're going to be standing for several hours in one spot. Wear your Puerto Rican flag button or T-shirt with pride, wave at the parade marchers and performers ...and have fun!
For couch potatoes who prefer to stay home, the spectacle annually receives the highest
local Nielsen ratings for stations in the New York area when
it is traditionally televised on local channel ABC7.
The parade and related events can also be followed on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube.
Puerto Rican Day Parade - Good overview from Wikipedia with a complete history of the New York parade, list of famous performers, information on this year's celebration, related resources & news stories.