Loisaida Festival Celebrates 30 Years of New York's Puerto Rican and Latino Roots

Loisaida, Inc. is proud to announce the 30th Annual Loisaida Festival, Sunday, May 28th, from 11am to 5pm along Loisaida Avenue (Avenue C) from 6th to 12th Street. This year the Festival celebrates three decades as the largest public open-air event in Lower Manhattan dedicated to preserving Puerto Rican and Latinx culture, deeply rooted in Loisaida - Spanglish for the Lower East Side.

The 30th Anniversary Festival, which will attract well over 15,000 visitors, is dedicated to The Spirit of the Immigrant and Migrant community and their unique contributions to the Lower East Side, New York City, and beyond. Marine-combat-vet-turned actor, singer, and activist, J.W. Cortes, will return this year as the Festival's Host and Community Ambassador.

Salsa, Samba, Charanga, Mambo, and Rock and Roll will rule the Festival's mainstage with a lineup that brings together a magic mix of established and rising Puerto Rican and Latin American artists. This year's bombastic musical program will feature the Legendary Puerto Rican musician, composer, and producer Fran' Ferrer, founder of Puerto Rico 2010 and Descarga Boricua. The lineup also includes, Rock and Roll Neoyorquino by Rubí, A Vibes Tribute to Tito Puente! and Cheo Feliciano courtesy of Supermambo - created by Grammy nominated Felipe Fournier; performances by Batalá, an all women Afro Brazilian Samba Reggae Percussion Band, and 70's Charanga music and dancing by Son del Monte.

The Fourth Annual Festival Theatre Lab featuring the performance troupe Mezcolanza will take place at the Plaza Cultural on 9th Street and Avenue C. It will be jammed packed with activities fun for whole family, and an impressive line-up of first-rate performance artists visiting from Puerto Rico including:

flamenco performance by Jeanne D Arc, the distinct Caribbean bohemian meets street jargon musical style of Lizbeth Román and the interactive sculptures of Poncili Creation, recipients of Loisaida Center's artistic residency. All free and ¡para la comunidad!

"This year is historic as it marks the Festival's 30th year of promoting the Puerto Rican and Latino culture that helped shape the international legacy of this iconic neighborhood, and the rebirth of the new Loisaida Community Center," said Libertad Guerra, Director/ Curator at Loisaida Inc.

The Festival will open at 11:00 AM with a Carnival Parade, the result of a month-long intensive collaborative atelier on parade-making & Cabezudo techniques that Loisaida, Inc. commissioned engaging three masters in the arts of street theater - Pablo Varona, Daniel Polnau, and Adam Ende - to kick-off the annual celebration. As always the street level experience will feature an array of vendors with delicious homemade ethnic cuisine, community organizations distributing critical health and wellness information. The Festival spotlights Healthy Living, Artisan and Eco Zones plus a fun roster of Kid Friendly activities and workshops by El Museo Del Barrio, Friends of the High Line, and the Bio Bus, among others.

The Loisaida Festival has become a go-to citywide destination attracting thousands of local New Yorkers, tourists as well as consumers to shop, dance and celebrate Loisaida and its unique position as a Latinx heritage staple within the larger context of the Lower East Side's legacy as New York's multicultural, multiracial/ethnic, Gateway to America.

Festival roots go back to the Loisaida Inc. mission and strong social commitment to its community, which it still holds today. In 2012, Loisaida Inc. became an affiliate of Acacia Network, which helped to save and reinvigorate the Festival, as well as secure and establish the new Loisaida Community Center.

About the Loisaida Festival: Produced and hosted by Loisaida Inc., the Loisaida Festival is the biggest Carnival in downtown Manhattan, bringing more than 15,000 neighbors, guests artists, community organizations, companies, NYC leaders and restaurants together to celebrate their Latino contributions to NYC. The event has been featured in the New York Times, TimeOut New York, El Diario La Prensa, DNA Info, New York Magazine, Manhattan Times, among many others.

Founded in 1978, Loisaida Inc. is on a mission to address the serious economic and social disenfranchisement of Latinx residents while offering multi-generational programming that appeals to the social and cultural sensibilities of the Lower East Side. At the Loisaida Center's new home in 710 East 9th Street, we build a connection between community, learners, artists and scholars through original productions and exhibits, idea activation space for creative cross-training, community collaboration, artistic residency program, and the historic Loisaida Festival. Our approach celebrates the urban surroundings, grassroots invention and immigrant spirit of the Loisaida neighborhood in its dedication to celebrate Latinx cultural vitality and their contributions to NYC.

About Acacia Network: The Acacia Network, the parent company of Loisaida Inc., is an integrated care organization with offices in New York City, Buffalo and Albany, Orlando and Puerto Rico, the 2nd largest Hispanic nonprofit organization in the country. The mission is realized through three main service delivery systems; Primary Health Care, Behavioral Health Care, and Housing.