Puerto Rican celebration returns this weekend

Sunset Park will hold its eighth annual Puerto Rican Parade and Festival June 9.

Community group El Grito will host the celebration, which will include music, food, dancing, floats, vintage cars and Puerto Rican pride.

The parade starts at 5 p.m. on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street. The festival will follow at 6:30 p.m. on Fifth Avenue and 44th Street and will be hosted by poet and musician Bonafide Rojas.

For the eighth year, El Grito will host Sunset Park’s Puerto Rican Parade and Festival. Eagle Urban Media/file photos

This year’s theme is “Las Calles y Las Playas son del Pueblo,” which means, “The Streets and the Beaches are of the People.”

“At a time when displacement is occurring for Puerto Ricans in the archipelago and within the diaspora, we use this year’s parade to celebrate our global presence and culture by saying, ‘We’re still here,’” said El Grito.

Musician Juan “Juango” Gutierrez is the parade’s padrino and organizations Rescate Playas Borinquen and El Maestro will be honored during the event.

For the eighth year, El Grito will host Sunset Park’s Puerto Rican Parade and Festival. Eagle Urban Media/file photos

The celebration receives support from City Parks Foundation and Partnerships for Parks through the NYC Green Fund.

For more information, visit instagram.com/sunsetparkprparade.

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