The first Puerto Rican Day Parade went down April 13, 1958.
A couple of hundred people showed up to that one but today is the 56th rendition of the parade and over two million people will be in attendance.
The Puerto Rican Parade, which goes from 44th street to 86th street down Fifth Avenue, is the biggest public display of ethnic support in New York City.
That’s saying something, considering that NYC hosts over a dozen parades from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to the West Indian Labor Day Parade.
So the question remains: have you been to the Puerto Rican Parade? If no, then why not? It’s great.
The Puerto Rican parade is a scene out of this old Frankie Cutlass video:
OK, so maybe the parade is nothing like the “Puerto Rico Ho” video. (Still watch the video; just cause.)
Truth is there is no quick video out there to tell people what the parade is like.
That’s why we’re here folks.
Here are the various sights you’ll see at the Puerto Rican Day Parade today.
There’s confused white people, whether it’s the white people too into an “ethnic experience:..”
… or the white people who took a wrong turn…
… or the pissed off white folk that live on fifth ave. When finally it hits him or her that this weekend is the parade...
...uh, yeah, they can be a tad bit insensitive.
So what else will you see?
Well, you’ll see some of Puerto Rico’s brightest young stars out and about:
You’ll catch Ricky Martin lurkin’ around…
…lookin’ lurky:
You might even hear “Livin’ la Vid Loco” if you’re lucky:
(But we’re not worthy!)
You might wanna be careful when roaming, the goons will be out...
...and their razor work is serious.
Naaah, we’re just joking. This is a peaceful event with peaceful people, unlike those thugs that like to hang out at the Easter Parade:
There’s not a lot of fights; however, the crowd is usually pretty sexed up...
...which we can understand because there’s a lot of this at the parade:
But, then, we’re also kinda confused, because there’s MORE of this at the parade:
(And that’s just not good for anyone.)
And, fellas, if you’re going there looking to bag, please ask for IDs...
...cause, nowadays, you U.O.E.N.O:
And you don’t want to have this guy pull a chair out in front of you:
Expect to see politicians pandering to their Latin fanbase...
...including our mayor, Bloomberg, who can see be entering the parade at around 11:07am and then exiting the parade at around 11:14am.
You’ll catch Puerto Rican super heroes...
...looking to rid the parade of evildoers in attendance.
Beware: they’ll be some D-list rappers out there trying to sell their free-on-Datpiff mixtape to you:
You’ll also find C-list rappers, who are now D-list, reminding people they still rap:
But mainly, you’ll see people who are passionate about their culture:
And, at times, it can be a bit much…
… you still got to respect the passion…
…the fashion…
(OK, maybe not so much the fashion)
…but it’s the dedication you have to admire…
So head outside, find yourself a stuffed Coqui and join in the fun
