Open Mic Wednesdays at Loisaida Center hosted by: Brian Acosta Arya
2025-12-17 18:00 - 20:00, 2025-12-24 18:00 - 20:00, 2025-12-31 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-01-07 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-01-14 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-01-21 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-01-28 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-04 18:00 - 20:00 UTC and 8 more dates | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Join Loisaida Inc. and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe for our WEDNESDAYS OPEN MIC hosted by Brian Acosta Arya – at the Loisaida Center, 710 East 9th Street, NY, NY 10009. Ticket(s) available at the door or in advance by following this link: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35133 – the signup sheet to perform in the open mic is at the tickets/welcome table (near the stage) after you enter.
More details:
** Held on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays of each month. **
** (Note: except during the summer months in July & August 2025) ***
** Doors open at 6 P.M. **
** Open Mic is from 6:30 to 8:00 P.M. **

All art forms are welcome:
Spoken Word/Poetry, Short Stories/Scripts, Stand-Up Comedy, Short Monologues/Excerpts, 3-4 Minute Original Songs or Performances (Note: ORIGINAL songs only).
Four minutes max. for each performer. If you’d like to add an original audio track to your performance, the digital signup sheet at the stage will provide an online form to upload your audio files. ** Note: all performances will be recorded and live-streamed on Loisaida’s and our Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s YouTube channel. Participation in this event is with this understanding and giving consent to be filmed. If you missed attending and/or would like to re-watch your own performance, find the recorded videos on our YouTube channel. **
** NOTICE: By attending and/or participating in events by the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, you acknowledge that your voice and/or likeness may be recorded and/or photographed. **
Ticket info here: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35133
* $10 (plus online fee) in advance here on this ticket page (for either audience/viewing or performances, same price)
* $10 (at the door at the Loisaida Center, via credit card or Zelle or ApplePay only, no cash)

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Gifts Of the Magi - Community Toy and Pantry Giveaway
2026-01-06 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
“Gifts of the Magi” Play, is a family friendly play currently produced and directed by David “DASO” Soto. DASO is a community leader with years of experience working in community development and is continuing his mother, Angie Hernandez’ tradition of producing this annual production to neighborhood children exposing them to the story of Jesus’ birth through Puerto Rican influenced artistry and in the end, offering gifts to the children and food to the families.

The production will be at Loisaida Center and due to our limited capacity in our theater, it will be shown to two groups of children from the local afterschool, Campos Plaza Community Center.

After the two showings the the Gifts of the Magi Play, we will be holding a community Toy and Food Drive at Loisaida Center, where all community members are welcomed to stop by and receive toys and bags of pantry food while supplies last.

Time:6:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Loisaida Center

W.O.W. Open Mic @ The Loisaida Center
2026-01-07 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-04 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-04 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-04-01 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Join Loisaida, Inc. and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe for the off-site edition of our monthly WOMXN ORATOR WEDNESDAY (“W.O.W.”) Open Mic, hosted by Sumbodies Mama – at the Loisaida Center, 710 East 9th Street, NY, NY 10009. Ticket(s) available at the door or in advance by following this link: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35133 – the signup sheet to perform in the open mic is at the tickets/welcome table (near the stage) after you enter.

More details:
** Held on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays of each month. **
** (Note: except during the summer months in July & August 2025) ***
** Doors open at 6 P.M. **
** Open Mic is from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. **

All art forms are welcome:
Spoken Word/Poetry, Short Stories/Scripts, Stand-Up Comedy, Short Monologues/Excerpts, 3-4 Minute Original Songs or Performances (Note: ORIGINAL songs only).
Four minutes max. for each performer. If you’d like to add an original audio track to your performance, the digital signup sheet at the stage will provide an online form to upload your audio files. ** Note: all performances will be recorded and live-streamed on Loisaida’s and our Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s YouTube channel. Participation in this event is with this understanding and giving consent to be filmed. If you missed attending and/or would like to re-watch your own performance, find the recorded videos on our YouTube channel. **
** NOTICE: By attending and/or participating in events by the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, you acknowledge that your voice and/or likeness may be recorded and/or photographed. **
Ticket info here.
* $10 (plus online fee) in advance here on this ticket page (for either audience/viewing or performances, same price)
* $10 (at the door at the Loisaida Center, via credit card or Zelle or ApplePay only, no cash)

Our events are made possible in part through the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, the New York City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Mid-Atlantic Folk and Traditional Arts.

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"A Loisaida Lullaby- On the Night You Were Born" Book Release Event
2026-01-24 15:00 - 18:00 UTC | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
“A Loisaida Lullaby- On the Night you Were Born” is a children’s lullaby book written by Kanielle Hernandez, a born and raised resident of the Lower East Side. She has not only witnessed the many community developments in her neighborhood but has inspired her to give back to her community through outreach and advocacy.
In the book, Kanielle highlights the contributions of various Loisaida community leaders, and community organizations in the neighborhood in hopes to share the impactful history and inspiring stories to young children.
Please join us for an intimate afternoon celebrating the release of “A Loisaida Lullaby” honoring community stories, elders and the magic of where we come from!
Location: Loisaida Center
Date: January 24th 2026
Time: 3:00pm- 6:00pm

La Bomba Crece en Loisaida - Monthly Bombazo
2026-02-03 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | NY
Join us for live drumming, dance, and community connection in the heart of Loisaida, as we discuss how Bomba ties to our legacy of resistance!
Feel free to bring your instruments, although not required.
Sancocho will be served while supplies last, curtesy of La Sala de Pepe.
For any questions, please contact, info@loisaida.org

Date: February 3rd
Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm
Location: Loisaida Center (710 E 9th Street New York, NY 10009)

SENIOR DAY at Loisaida Center
2026-02-06 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-03-06 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
SENIOR DAY at the LOISAIDA CENTER
Activities include art workshops, educational panels, live music, snacks, coffee, and more!
Senior Day always takes place on the first Friday of the month (except for the month of June), from 10AM to 1PM.
Location: Loisaida, Inc. Center
710 E 9th Street, New York, NY 10009
Questions? Contact Loisaida, Inc. at
(646) 726-4715
or
info@loisaida.org

American Boricua Artist Talk with Omar Eaton-Martinez
2026-02-16 17:00 - 20:00 UTC | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Center welcomes you to a special Artist Talk with Wanda Benvenutti, photojournalist of the current photography exhibition, American Boricua, and Omar Eaton-Martinez. In celebration of Black History Month, this conversation centers on Afro-Puerto Rican voices, lived experience, and the power of curating the everyday to challenge erasure and rewrite the narrative.
Black History is Puerto Rican History. From confronting anti-Blackness within our own communities to imagining a just cultural future, this dialogue honors the past while shaping what comes next.
Omar Eaton-Martinez is the Senior Vice President for Historic Sites at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and will join Wanda to discuss culture and the importance of accuracy and nuance in the experience of shared physical spaces. As American Boricua celebrates the Puerto Rican Diaspora throughout North America through a photojournalistic lens, Eaton-Martinez leads the preservation, interpretation, and overall stewardship of 28 historical sites across the country to tell the full American story.
This is an invitation to listen deeply, ask hard questions, and collectively build a more truthful and expansive understanding of who we are. Wanda Benvenutti ✕ Omar Eaton-Martinez in conversation at the Loisaida Center. This intimate gallery talk takes the form of a mutual interview, where Wanda and Omar speak with—and challenge—each other around the idea of “curating the everyday” as a way to disrupt the master narrative of Puerto Rican identity.
Monday, February 16, 2026 (Presidents Day Weekend)
Loisaida Center Theater (limited seating)
5:00 PM Doors & exhibition viewing
6:00 PM Conversation begins
Topics include:
• Puerto Rican identity beyond stereotype
• Afro-Latinidad and internal anti-Blackness
• Building a positive cultural future for the next 50–200 years
Introduced by: Pepe Flores, Loisaida community elder, co-founder of @lasaladepepe
Recorded live (YouTube + podcast format) #LoisaidaTV
Extended Q&A with artists, cultural workers, and the public. Space is limited (45–50 seats)
Registration required | Link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/8qusv5r
#BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistoryIsPuertoRicanHistory #AfroBoricua #AfroLatinidad #PuertoRicanHistory #DiasporaStories #AmericanBoricua #CuratingTheEveryday #DisruptTheNarrative #CounterNarratives #LivingArchives #PublicHistory #Loisaida #LowerEastSide #NYCCulture #CommunityVoices #CulturalWorkers #LatinxArts #CulturalEquity #RepresentationMatters #DecolonizeHistory #FutureAncestral

Artistic Noise's Inaugural Alumni Artist in Residence Opening Reception
2026-02-27 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | NY
Loisaida Center invites you to this vibrant exhibition open reception showcasing artwork by young adult Alumni Resident Artists of Artist Noise.
In collaboration with Artist Noise, we are excited to celebrate the creativity, vision, and artistic growth of emerging artists who continue to shape their communities through art.
The evening will feature a collection of works that reflect Artist Noise’s theme of “putting the noise in artistic.”
Join us as we uplift the voices of these talented young artists.
Date: Thursday, February 27th
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Loisaida Center

"Putting the Noise in Artistic: Artist Talk
2026-02-28 12:00 - 16:00 UTC | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Center invites you to join the first Artistic Noise Artist Meet and Greet: Putting the Noise in Artistic.
In collaboration with the organization, Artistic Noise, Loisaida Center will be displaying the work of young resident artist alumni representing Artistic Noise.
On this day, visitors will also have the opportunity to meet the young artists and engage in a panel focusing on the inspirations and processes of each artist.
Come show your support and enjoy an afternoon surrounded by art, expression and community.
Location: Loisaida Inc. Center
Date: February 28th
Time: 12:00pm- 4:00pm (Artist Talk will begin 2:00pm-3:00pm)

Monthly Loisaida Bombazo - March 3rd 2026
2026-03-03 18:00 - 21:00 UTC | NY
Join us for live drumming, dance, and community connection in the heart of Loisaida, as we discuss how Bomba ties to our legacy of resistance!
Feel free to bring your instruments, although not required.
Sancocho will be served while supplies last, curtesy of La Sala de Pepe.
For any questions, please contact, info@loisaida.org

Date: Marchy 3rd
Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm
Location: Loisaida Center (710 E 9th Street New York, NY 10009)

American Boricua Artist Talk with Maximo Colon (Exhibition Closing)
2026-03-30 17:00 - 20:00 UTC | The Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th Street, New York, NY, 10009, United States
Loisaida Center welcomes you to a special Artist Talk with Wanda Benvenutti, photojournalist of the current photography exhibition, American Boricua, and Máximo Colón.
Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Máximo Rafael Colón is a New York-based photographer who studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Colón’s photography speaks to his concerns of social justice, activism, and cultural expression, which encapsulate a wide range of interests in music, the human condition, and making visible the people of our society who are often marginalized through discrimination and inequality. His primary medium is analogue photography; Colón also creates assemblages in the found object tradition. His works have been exhibited in several venues throughout New York City and Puerto Rico, and a number of his photographs form part of the Centro De Estudios Puertorriqueños archives at CUNY Hunter College and of the permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Monday, March 30, 2026
Loisaida Center Studio (limited seating)
5:00 PM Doors & exhibition viewing
6:00 PM Conversation begins
Introduced by: Pepe Flores, Loisaida community elder, co-founder of @lasaladepepe
Recorded live (YouTube + podcast format) #LoisaidaTV
Extended Q&A with artists, cultural workers, and the public. Space is limited (45–50 seats)
Registration required.
