The National Puerto Rican Day Parade descended on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Sunday in what organizers said was the “largest demonstration of cultural pride” in the United States.
The raucous event — now in its 67th year — started near 44th Street and continued uptown along the Manhattan thoroughfare until it hit East 79th Street on the Upper East Side.
Marchers and revelers were there for one reason: to celebrate the 3.5 million people who live in Puerto Rico and the 5 million people of Puerto Rican descent who live in the United States, according to National Puerto Rican Day Parade Inc.
The gathering — which is New York City’s largest and longest-running Latino parade — included 170 different groups with 70 floats, according to Gothamist.
“It’s loud, it’s boisterous, it’s colorful, you’re going to see a ton of flags here, a ton of music, see a ton of people,” said Miguel Guadalupe, vice chair of the board of directors for the nonprofit that runs the parade, to the outlet before its kick-off.
The motto this year was “Boricua de Corazon,” or “Puerto Rican in your heart,” Gothmamist said.
Michael Nagle
“The theme tries to reflect the fact that Puerto Ricans consider themselves Puerto Ricans no matter where they are, where they live or where they were born,” Guadalupe said.