National Puerto Rican Day Parade to Take Place in June

On Sunday, June 12, the NPRDP will celebrate 65 years of showcasing the best of Puerto Rican culture, achievement and legacy with music, dance and colorful displays of cultural pride before an estimated 1.5 million spectators. After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP) Board of Directors announces details for its big return to New York City's Fifth Avenue. The NPRDP serves to unite approximately 8 million Puerto Ricans living across the 50 states and Puerto Rico in cultural pride and tradition.

"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," said NPRDP Board Chair, Louis Maldonado. "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."

Over the past two years, the NPRDP Board of Directors continued the annual tradition by pivoting to smaller processions on Fifth Avenue and 2-hour TV specials airing on ABC7 in New York City and Telecinco in Puerto Rico, which helped the Puerto Rican community celebrate virtually.

Groups interested in participating in the 2022 Parade should visit the "Floats & Contingents" page on the Parade's website, NPRDPinc.org/floats, for additional details and instructions for completing an online application. All contingents and floats must have cultural elements as part of their presentation.

The 2022 Parade will be dedicated to the municipality of Cidra, Puerto Rico. Known as the Pueblo de la Eterna Primavera (Town of Eternal Spring), Cidra is located in the central, mountainous region of the island and is home to approximately 40,000 cidreños. The Honored Stateside Community will be the Greater Philadelphia Area, which is home to more than 250,000 Puerto Ricans living in communities across Philadelphia, Berks and Lancaster Counties in Pennsylvania; as well as Camden, Atlantic and Cumberland counties in New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware. Other themes, tributes and individual honorees for the 2022 celebration will be announced over the coming weeks.

The NPRDP Board of Directors thanks for following sponsors and media partners for their support in making the 65th Annual celebration possible: Manhattan Beer Distributors, the Walt Disney Company and ABC7 New York, Verizon Wireless, SEIU 1199, the Miranda Family Foundation, the Mets Foundation, the Coca-Cola Company, Acacia Network, City University of New York, HBO Max, Pepsico, Popular Bank, Pfizer, Liberty Coca-Cola, NBC4 and Telemundo New York, Univision, Door Dash, Montefiore, Rainbow Apparel and MetroPlus Health.

152nd Street Festival

Kicking off the 2022 celebration will be the NPRDP's 152nd Street Cultural Festival, on May 28th on 152nd Street between Jackson and Tinton Avenues in the Bronx. The festival is a family-friendly event makes the celebration more accessible to local communities by showcasing artisans, cultural activities, food, music, entertainment for adults and children.

Applications for the 152nd Street Cultural Festival are being accepted for artisans, community groups, vendors and sponsors wanting to participate. Additional event details and instructions for completing an online vendor application can be found at NPRDPinc.org/152nd-street-festival.

Gala Fundraiser to Benefit NPRDP Scholarship Program

On Saturday, June 11th, the NPRDP will host a Gala Fundraiser at the Central Park Zoo to support the NPRDP Scholarship Program. Since 2014, the NPRDP has awarded over $1.2 million to Puerto Rican students going to college. The Gala Fundraiser convenes honorees, community leaders, elected officials and corporate sponsors to celebrate Puerto Rican achievement while supporting students in pursuit of higher education.

For tickets, visit NPRDPinc.org/gala. Proceeds from the gala ticket sales will benefit the NPRDP Scholarship Program.

In addition to the Gala, NPRDP is utilizing technology to raise funds for its scholarship program through a collaboration with Mowsse, one of the first independent digital marketplaces for crypto collectibles and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Mowsse has selected the National Puerto Rican Day Parade Scholarship Fund as its first philanthropic investment.

June 12 Parade and TV Broadcast

The 65th Annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade will take place on New York City's Fifth Avenue from 43rd Street to 79th St, Sunday June 12, beginning at 11am.The celebration will be broadcast live on WABC-TV, Channel 7, starting at noon EDT.

The Parade will also be broadcast on the ABC affiliated station in Puerto Rico, Telecinco (Channel 5) and streamed on the station's website, abc7NY.com, and on the station's free news and connected TV apps on Amazon FireTV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. For more information about the Parade and the NPRDP Scholarship Program, visit www.nprdpinc.org.