Puerto Rican Day Parade Returns To NYC This Weekend: What To Know

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Red, white and blue flags will be flying high along Fifth Avenue on Sunday as crowds gather for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.

The 69th annual parade will start 11 a.m. Sunday, when marchers will gather on Fifth Avenue and East 44th Street. They will proceed along Fifth Avenue up to East 79th Street with floats, dancers, music, and more.

Aiming to unite the roughly 8 million Puerto Ricans who live on the island and across the mainland U.S., the parade celebrates "the best of Puerto Rican culture, achievement and legacy with music, dance and colorful displays of cultural pride," organizers said.

Every year, the parade unites around a different theme, and this year's is "Somos Más Que 100x35," meaning "We Are More Than 100x35," to highlight the global influence of the Puerto Rican community.

This year, the festive parade will honor Vega Baja in Puerto Rico, with Reggaeton icon Daddy Yankee as the grand marshal, with Anthony Ramos and Dayanara Torres as the king and queen of the parade.

Anywhere along the Fifth Avenue parade route is fair game for onlookers. Anyone who can't attend in person can watch live on WABC-TV and Channel 7.

Road closures

In addition to the main parade route, which runs along Fifth Avenue between 42nd Street and 79th Street, the NYPD will be closing roadways surrounding the parade for crowd mitigation and parade formation and dispersal purposes.

• 5th Avenue between 51st Street and 52nd Street
• West/East 44th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 45th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 46th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 47th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 48th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• 5th Avenue between 79th Street and 86th Street

• East 79th Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
• East 80th Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
• East 81st Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
• East 82nd Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
• East 83rd Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
• East 84th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• East 85th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue

• Madison Avenue between East 42nd Street and East 86th Street
• 6th Avenue between West 42nd Street and West 49th Street
• West/East 43rd Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 42nd Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West 51st Street between Rockefeller Plaza and 5th Avenue
• West 58th Street between Grand Army Plaza and 5th Avenue
• East 60th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• East 62nd Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• East 63rd Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• East 64th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• East 66th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• East 68th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• East 69th Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
• East 70th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• East 72nd Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
• East 74th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue

Learn more about the 2026 National Puerto Rican Day Parade on its website.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.