The 39th Annual Loisaida Festival
2026-05-24 | Avenue C / Loisaida Ave, New York, NY, 10009, United States
For nearly four decades, the Loisaida Festival has stood as one of the Lower East Side’s most cherished public traditions, bringing together residents, artists, families, merchants, community organizations, and visitors in a joyful celebration of the neighborhood’s enduring cultural life. In a community shaped by Nuyorican and immigrant histories, and one that continues to confront the pressures of displacement and cultural erasure, the Loisaida Festival remains a powerful affirmation of presence, memory, and collective pride.
This year’s theme, “Our AmeRícan Thing,” reflects our commitment to celebrating Loisaida not only as a geographic place, but as a language, a rhythm, and a way of belonging carried through music, poetry, theater, food, and shared community experience. Inspired by the spirit of Jesús “Tato” Laviera, the theme seeks to honor the neighborhood not through nostalgia alone, but through renewed energy, hope, imagination, and the living future we continue to shape together.
The 39th Annual Loisaida Festival, historically celebrated on the Sunday before Memorial Day, will take place on Sunday, May 24, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, spanning Avenue C / Loisaida Avenue from East 12th Street to East 5th Street. As the Lower East Side’s largest Puerto Rican-heritage and Latinx neighborhood block party, the Festival will once again feature a rich, multidisciplinary program across several activations throughout its footprint.
This year’s Main Stage, co-hosted by Giraldo Alvare and Caridad “La Bruja” de la Luz, will feature artists, including local alternative rock ensemble Daso y el Grupo Cemí feat. urbano artists; Daydrian and Bebé Bambú, salsa and merengue with Grupo K’ndela, afro-caribbean heritage music by Legacy Women, cumbia-rock from Philadelphia-based powerhouse Las Mariposas Galácticas, and Latin-jazz and flamenco by Grammy-award winning bassist, John Benítez & Revolution Latin Jazz. Featured street-level activations will also include Ecolibrium and BioBus Mobile Laboratory for children to explore community science and technology as well as cultural programs by BombaYo, the Nuyorican Poets Café, and an opening parade led by afro-brazilian samba reggae group Batalá NY; performances at Francisco Pancho Ramos Community Garden of Puerto Rican jíbaro music from YoToco and Grupo Fascinantes; and a dynamic TheaterLab at La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden featuring artists such as Fernandito Ferrer, and visiting us from Puerto Rico, urbano artists Guada and producer/deejay El S, alongside community partners like Dorill Initiative, El Bohío, Inc., and Third Street Music School. We are also especially excited that this year’s Festival will include the 40th Anniversary celebration of Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts (PRIDA) along Avenue C between East 5th and 6th Streets, as well as Somos Arte’s La Borinqueña Superhéroe Workshop and a Vejigante mask-making pop-up at Piragüa Art Space on 10th Street. Other street-level partners include: LES Yearbook, Fourth Arts Block, El Bohío, Lower Eastside Girls Club, Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, and many more. The 39th annual commemorative poster art is by Mateo Nazario. Born in Guatemala and growing up both there and in Puerto Rico, Nazario is currently a resident artist at the Loisaida Center.
As part of this year’s celebration, Loisaida, Inc. will also honor a distinguished group of community leaders, cultural workers, and neighborhood champions through the Viva Loisaida! Awards, presented at the Essex Market. This year’s honorees are Council Member Chris Marte, recognized for his public service and steadfast advocacy for Lower Manhattan; Naomi Peña, for her leadership in education justice, family advocacy, and community empowerment; David Sanders, for his longstanding grassroots commitment to community building and neighborhood care; Chanel Elliott, for her trusted and tireless service to Lower East Side residents through constituent advocacy; and Destiny Mata, for her important photographic and archival work documenting the lived memory, culture, and resilience of the Lower East Side. Together, these awardees embody the spirit of Loisaida through service, creativity, advocacy, and deep commitment to community building.
The day’s offerings will include live music, poetry, theater, street performance, artisan vendors, and community-based programming reflective of the Puerto Rican, Nuyorican, Caribbean, and immigrant traditions that define Loisaida. Rooted in history and alive with contemporary energy, the Loisaida Festival continues to serve as a vital public platform where culture, memory, and community are not only celebrated but actively carried forward.
This year’s celebration is made possible thanks to the support of the Acacia Network, Popular Bank, Grand Street Settlement, Lower Manhattan Presbyterian Hospital, and Trinity Church Wall Street. Additional support is provided by Green Mountain Energy Company, Wellcare Medicare, and MetroPlus Health. Additional support for the Loisaida Festival and Loisaida Inc. cultural programs is provided by he New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, in partnership with the New York City Council, former Councilmember Carlina Rivera, and the current Council Member Harvey Epstein of Manhattan District 2, Community Board 3, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
As the Lower East Side’s largest Puerto Rican-heritage and Latinx neighborhood block party, the Festival will once again feature a rich, multidisciplinary program across several activations throughout its footprint.
Loisaida, Inc. continues to celebrate our Puerto Rican roots, Lower East Side immigrant contributions, Latiné and Caribbean heritage, through food, music, theater, art, and culture. The 39th annual commemorative poster art is by Mateo Nazario. Born in Guatemala and raised between their native Country and Puerto Rico. Nazario is currently a resident artist at the Loisaida Artist in Residence (L.A.I.R.) program.
Join us in this one-of-a-kind community celebration in the Lower East Side’s Loisaida neighborhood.
-Alejandro Epifanio Torres, Executive & Artistic Director, Loisaida, Inc.
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Sponsorship Opportunities • Vendor Registration Form
Volunteer Registration Form • Parade Registration Form
