Neighborhood celebrates Puerto Rican culture

¡Wepa!

The sun was out as a large crowd showed up to celebrate at Sunset Park’s Puerto Rican Parade and Festival June 9.

Once again, community group El Grito hosted the event.

The parade started at 5 p.m. on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street and included music, food, dancing, floats, vintage cars and more.

Musician Juan “Juango” Gutierrez was the parade’s padrino and P.S. 1 Principal Wanda Lopez Ramirez was the madrina. Organizations Rescate Playas Borinquen and El Maestro were also honored during the event.

“We were super thrilled with how it all went,” El Grito wrote. “The community really came through!”

At 6 p.m., parade-goers made their way to Fifth Avenue and 44th Street for the festival, hosted by poet and musician Bonafide Rojas.

During the event, architectural designer Vanessa Gonzalez presented a pop-up installation called “Parada: la fiesta no termina aquí,” which El Grito said was a central meeting point as the parade transitioned into a festival in the park.

NYPD Brooklyn South wrote that it was “a beautiful day for all to celebrate their culture & heritage. Thank you to the organizers for putting together a beautiful event, and thank you to the @NYPD72Pct for ensuring the safety of all participating!”