History of the Puerto Rican Day Parade

The National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP) takes place annually along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, on the second Sunday in June, in honor of the nearly 4 million inhabitants of Puerto Rico and nearly 4 million people of Puerto Rican birth or heritage residing in the United States. More info after the jump…

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Originally, the Desfile Puertorriqueño, Inc., was born of the imperative necessity of translating Puerto Rican achievements into a visible demonstration of the dynamism of the Puerto Rican community, in order to achieve Puerto Rican unification and support all the other Spanish-speaking people.  The first parade was held on Sunday, April 13, 1958, in Spanish Harlem “El Barrio”.  The second parade was held for the first time along Fifth Avenue in New York City. (In 1980 was incorporated the New York Puerto Rican Parade, Inc. , a successor of the Desfile Puertorriqueño, Inc.)  The National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization, is  a successor of the New York Puerto Rican Parade, Inc.  it was incorporated and founded by Dr. Ramón S. Vélez and others members in 1995. Founding members still active in the organization are Madelyn Lugo and Maria Román Dumén.  This new organizational structure not only expanded the scale of the parade itself but enhanced its ability to promote cultural awareness, education, leadership and community engagement among Puerto Ricans.

Annually, the NPRDP hosts over fifteen major events throughout the city including, but not limited to, educational banquets, scholarship receptions, music festivals, health walkathons, Miss Puerto Rico – cultural pageant, Boricua Games “Juegos Boricuas”, and our “Golden Age Fiesta” for seniors.

In 2007, for the 50th Anniversary, more than 100,000 participants marched and nearly three million spectators lined the parade route.  The parade continues to attract prominent leaders in the Puerto Rican community from celebrities like Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez to Geraldo Rivera and Rosie Perez just to name a few.
The parade marches along Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 79th Street and has grown to become the largest demonstration of ethnic pride in the nation.  The parade is a cultural icon and a permanent fixture of the Puerto Rican diaspora.