The 39th Annual LOISAIDA FESTIVAL Kicks Off Summer in the City on Sunday, May 24

Loisaida Festival mainstage (Courtesy of Melvin Audaz)

The seven block extravaganza celebrates the Lower East Side with live music, food, theater, and more!

The 39th Annual Loisaida Festival returns on Sunday, May 24 and will take place throughout the afternoon from 12PM to 5PM, rain or shine, along Avenue C between E. 5^th Street and E. 12^th Street. This year’s theme, “Our AmeRícan Thing,” is inspired by the poetry and spirit of the late Jesús “Tato” Laviera, and reflects the festival’s commitment to celebrating the shared community experience of Loisaida.

Drawing a crowd of thousands every year, this beloved Memorial Day weekend tradition is presented by Loisaida Inc.. The historic neighborhood institution is a multidisciplinary arts and community center, Puerto Rican-led and founded, and housed at The Loisaida Center on E. 9th Street, where it provides space, mentorship, resources, and opportunities to emerging community leaders, artists, and activists working in diverse disciplines. The vibrant block party offers live music, art, performances, food vendors, and over twenty local artisans. 

FESTIVAL LINEUP:

• The Loisaida Festival begins with an 11AM Community Parade headlined by the all-female Batalá NY batucada ensemble. The parade starts on E 5th Street and marches up Avenue C to the Festival’s mainstage on E. 12th Street. This year, the parade will have contingents made up of cultural icons: Loisaida Cabezudos, Las Dinamicas, La MAMA, Bond Street Theater, Pleneros Callejeros, and Artisferio Circus.
• Also at the Festival’s southernmost point, between E. 5th and E. 6th Streets on Avenue C, attendees can experience the Artisan Block, a notable success at last year’s Festival, presented in partnership with PRIDA (the Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts).
• This year’s mainstage will be co-hosted by  Caridad “La Bruja” de la Luz, one of America’s leading spoken-word poets, an Emmy-award winning writer, renowned stage actor and trailblazing Executive Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café, and Giraldo Luis Alvaré, cultural advocate and host of the podcast “Siempre Pa’Lante! Always Forward and Cultura Live!,” who brings 25+ years in entertainment, storytelling, and community building.
• Live music on the mainstage throughout the afternoon will include performances from local alternative rock ensemble Daso y el Grupo Cemí feat. urbano artists; Daydrian and Bebé Bambú, salsa and merengue with Grupo K’ndela, afro-carribbean heritage music by Legacy Women, cumbia- rock from Philadelphia based powerhouse Las Mariposas Galácticas, and latin-jazz and flamenco by Grammy-award winning basist; John Benítez & Revolution Latin Jazz
• Elsewhere along Avenue C, attendees can visit the Festival’s TheaterLab in La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden on E. 9th Street, featuring artists such as Fernandito Ferrer and the Loisaida Conjunto de Plena, visiting urbano artist Guada from Puerto Rico, among community partners like Dorill Initiative, El Bohío, Inc., and Third Street Music School. Across the street, attendees can visit the Francisco “Pancho” Ramos Community Garden for live música típica puertorriqueña performed by old timers conjunto Los Fascinantes y Yotoco throughout the afternoon.
• There will also be a street-level collaboration between the Nuyorican Poets Café and BombaYo. Partner organization BioBus will also park along Avenue C. and E. 9th Street. Its mobile pop-up lab offers children and families a chance to engage with scientific equipment and experiments. 

For nearly four decades, the Loisaida Festival has stood as one of the Lower East Side’s most cherished public traditions, celebrating the neighborhood’s enduring cultural life. This year’s festival honors the impact of Nuyoricans who have created art to connect with their Caribbean roots, define their individual American identity, and resist social challenges like displacement and discrimination.

“‘Our AmeRícan Thing’ is our way of saying that Loisaida is more than a place on a map. It is a language, a rhythm, and a way of belonging carried by Puerto Rican, Nuyorican, Caribbean, and immigrant communities who continue to shape the Lower East Side every day,” says Alejandro Epifanio Torres, Executive & Artistic Director, Loisaida, Inc.

“What makes the Loisaida Festival truly unique is its history and the spirit behind it — it was born out of the reality that not everyone has the means to get away for the holiday weekend. For families in the community who couldn’t make it to the Poconos or Upstate, the block party became their celebration, their family time, their escape. It has always been, and continues to be, a living part of this community’s culture — a tribute to the people who migrated here and made this neighborhood their home. I want to congratulate our staff and board for keeping that history alive and honoring it with the pride it deserves,” said Raul Russi, President of Acacia Network. 

The Loisaida Festival presents its Viva Loisaida! Awards to a new slate of honorees each year, recognizing individuals for their community leadership and cultural contributions. This year’s Award recipients will be celebrated at a private ceremony taking place earlier in the month on Monday, May 11 at Essex Market, and they include Council Member Christopher Marte, Co-founder of Literacy Academy Collective; Naomi Peña; artist David Sanders; Chanel Elliott, Deputy Chief of Staff for Harvey Epstein in the New York City Council Member; photographer and filmmaker Destiny Mata.

The Loisaida Festival is produced in partnership with Acacia Network, New York’s largest Latino-led nonprofit, providing  150,000 individuals annually throughout New York State and Puerto Rico with  integrated programs in the areas of health, housing, social services, and cultural revitalization. 

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, WellCare Medicare, and MetroPlus Health. Additional support for the Loisaida Festival and Loisaida Inc. cultural programs is provided by the 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, and the New York State Council on the Arts. Loisaida, Inc. would like to express its gratitude to our community partners, Piragua Art Space, La Sala de Pepe y Foto Espacio, Dorill initiative, Diaspora Pa’lante Collective, Cultura Pa’Lante, Bloque World, Palante Always Forward Podcast, Loisa Products, BioBus, PRIDA, and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.

About The Loisaida Center (Loisaida, Inc.):

Loisaida, Inc. is a Puerto Rican multidisciplinary arts and culture community development organization founded in 1978. Its home, The Loisaida Center, provides space, mentorship, resources, and opportunities to emerging community leaders, artists, and creators working in diverse disciplines, promoting a vibrant social and community life. It serves as a community development incubator for self-sustainable projects and entrepreneurial initiatives at the intersections of culture, art, media, and technology. Loisaida Inc. became an affiliate of Acacia Network in 2012.

About Acacia Network:

Acacia Network is a leading human services organization in New York City and one of the largest Hispanic-led nonprofits in the State, providing integrated, culturally competent, and trauma-informed programs in the areas of health, housing, social services, economic development, and cultural revitalization to more than 150,000 individuals annually. Our Network comprises 100+ affiliates and related entities, with over 2,700 employees across four boroughs in New York City, Buffalo, Albany, Dunkirk, Rochester, and Syracuse in New York State, as well as Maryland, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Connecticut, and Puerto Rico.