During our 2025 parade television broadcast, The National Puerto Rican Day Parade paid tribute to La Parranda, one of Puerto Rico’s most cherished holiday traditions. More than just music, a parranda is an explosion of joy and community—a lively nocturnal caravan of family, friends, and neighbors who surprise each household with the sounds of aguinaldos (Puerto Rican holiday carols), played with guitars, cuatros, maracas, and güiros. In return, hosts welcome them with food, drink, and warmth, often joining the troupe as it grows from house to house. What begins as a small gathering blossoms into an extended celebration that can last until dawn. Today, this tradition thrives not only on the island but also in Puerto Rican communities across the United States, where parrandas bring a taste of home, unity, and cultural pride during the holiday season.

Born in Italy and raised in Uruguay, Tony Croatto chose Puerto Rico as his home out of love for its beauty and its people. A prolific singer, musician, and television personality, Croatto became an adoptive son of Puerto Rico and one of its most beloved cultural figures. His passion for the island deeply influenced his music and television work, where he celebrated Puerto Rican traditions, landscapes, and identity.

Affectionately known as “El Alma de Puerto Rico Hecha Canción” (The Soul of Puerto Rico, Embodied in Song), Ruth Fernández was an internationally acclaimed contralto and a trailblazing voice for women and Afro-Puerto Ricans. She broke barriers as the first woman in Puerto Rico to appear on a televised music show and the first Puerto Rican woman to perform at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House. Beyond the stage, Fernández served as a senator in Puerto Rico from 1973 to 1981, championing artists’ rights and the Puerto Rican diaspora. Honored as “Singer of the Century,” she left an enduring legacy of musical excellence, courage, and social activism.

Clemente Soto Vélez (1905-1993) was a prominent Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and political activist whose life and work significantly influenced Puerto Rican literature and the broader Latino cultural landscape in the United States. He co-founded the literary group "El Atalaya de los Dioses," which evolved into the Atalayismo movement. This movement sought to intertwine poetic expression with political activism, particularly advocating for Puerto Rican independence. Soto Vélez's poetry is noted for its passionate social vision and surrealist style. The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center, in Manhattan's Lower East Side, serves as a multidisciplinary arts space dedicated to promoting Puerto Rican and Latinx culture.

Diasporic Collage at Center for Puerto Rican Studies - Hunter College
The Diasporic Collage: Puerto Rico and the Survival of a People is the inaugural exhibition in CENTRO’s gallery space in East Harlem (El Barrio), which launched its New York City premiere in March 2025 and can be seen thru September 25, 2025.. The exhibition reframes the Puerto Rican diaspora as a collage—a layered, dynamic assemblage of intertwined histories of colonialism, resistance, and survival, rather than a one-dimensional "melting pot." It draws inspiration from Frank Espada’s seminal photographic and oral history archives—over 4,000 photos and 130 interviews in The Puerto Rican Diaspora: Themes in the Survival of a People—but extends beyond them to include broader, more diverse diasporic perspectives.

In 2014, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade deepened its commitment to education by expanding its scholarship program. Since then, it has awarded over $1.8 million to outstanding Puerto Rican students, helping them achieve their higher education goals. This feature spotlights three past recipients and how NPRDP’s support helped shape their journeys.

The word zafacón—meaning garbage can—is a uniquely Puerto Rican term whose origin is often clouded by urban legend. A popular but likely misguided theory traces it to the English phrase “safety can,” once used by the U.S. military and factories for hazardous waste containers. Yet its spelling and pronunciation raise doubts. In this feature, 2025 NPRDP Ambassador and Puerto Rican dialect expert Sheila Torres Negrón explores a richer origin story—one rooted in Spain’s Arabic influence—that offers a more compelling explanation.

Like every culture, Puerto Ricans have a rich tapestry of colloquialisms—unique words and phrases that tell our story. Rooted in Castilian Spanish, our dialect is enriched by Taíno and African influences, infused with Anglicisms from U.S. ties, and shaped by centuries of migration and cultural exchange. The result is a Spanish that is both proper and complex, reflecting the archipelago’s layered identity. In this piece, 2025 Parade Ambassador and Dialecto Boricua founder Sheila Torres Negrón shares her expertise on the language that defines us.

The Puerto Rican community in Atlanta was honored as the 2025 NPRDP Stateside Community. Estimated at 45,000 individuals, Atlanta’s Puerto Rican community has grown significantly since the 1990s and now ranks among the top 20 U.S. cities in terms of Puerto Rican population. This community has contributed to Atlanta's economic development and cultural diversity.

Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico was honored as the 2025 National Puerto Rican Day Parade's Honored Municipality.. Known as “La Ciudad de las Aguas Claras” (The City of Clear Waters) due to the purity of its fresh water springs, Aguas Buenas was established in 1838 and is situated south of San Juan, within Puerto Rico’s Central Mountain Range.

Take a look back at some of the unforgettable moments from the 2025 National Puerto Rican Day Parade! From dazzling floats and incredible dancers to our inspiring honorees—and of course, the thousands who came out to celebrate—we’re grateful to everyone who made 2025 one of our biggest and best yet!

The National Puerto Rican Day Parade held its annual press conference...

This feature honors the 2024 Honored Stateside Community, Hawaii...

One of the ways New Yorkers know the Parade is approaching is by...

Today, we posthumously pay tribute to four legendary Puerto Ricans...

NPRDP 2024 Posthumous honoree Raul Julia...

The National Puerto Rican Day Parade Orchestra, under the musical direction...

A posthumous tribute to honorees Rafael Cepeda Atiles and Caridad...

The coqui is a national symbol of Puerto Rico...

Traditional Puerto Rican dance comes in a variety of styles...

This features looks at at the inspiring life and legacy of...

This performance from the NPRDP Orchestra features a boogalú...

2023 marked 50 years of Puerto Rican Studies at CUNY and...

The 2023 National Puerto Rican Day Parade paid tribute to the...

The National Puerto Rican Day Parade broadcast has featured...

One of Puerto Rico’s national treasures is the...

2022 marked a milestone anniversary in the legacy of legendary...

Being Boricua is something that is carried in the hearts...

This is a musical tribute to the 500th Anniversary of San Juan...

This opening dance number, by Danza Fiesta, features the...

In 2022, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade paid tribute to...

Poetry has long been a mode of expression for Puerto Ricans...

According to the Afro-Puerto Rican composer, Rafael Hernández Marín...

Junte Loiceño is a musical group that was created for...

This mini-documentary is an account of how Puerto Ricans have...

This music video was created as the grand finale of the...

In 2019, the honored municipality was Loíza, which organizes a...

This opening number, by Danza Fiesta, is a traditional Plena dance...

This feature piece recognizes and pays tribute to the people and...

In 2014 the National Puerto Rican Day Parade awarded...

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Sylvia Del Villard was an actress, a dancer, and an Afro-Puerto Rican activist...

2015 National Puerto Rican Day Parade Posthumous Recognition...

In 2015 National Puerto Rican Day Parade awarded 30 scholarships...

Set in The Bronx, “El Condado de la Salsa,” The National Puerto Rican...

El desfile unió fuerzas para apoyar el movimiento yo no me quito...

Set in The Bronx, “El Condado de la Salsa,” The National Puerto Rican...

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In 2016 National Puerto Rican Day Parade granted 60 scholarships...

2016 National Puerto Rican Day Parade Posthumous Recognition...

2016 National Puerto Rican Day Parade Posthumous Recognition...

2016 National Puerto Rican Day Parade Posthumous recognition...

Lin Manuel Miranda talks us through Puerto Rico's Humanitarian...

Human Rights Activists Pedro Julio Serrano was honored...

Chess Champion Danitza Vázquez & International Mathematical Olympiad...

In 2014 poet Caridad de La Luz "La Bruja" joined the...

In 2014 the National Puerto Rican Day Parade dedicated...

In 2015 Cucco Peña composed the theme song for the...

In 2015 the National Puerto Rican Day Parade joined Proyecto...

Every 2nd Sunday of June millions of people gather...

On June 8, 2014 The National Puerto Rican Day Parade dedicated...

This feature piece highlights the origins and history of...

Video of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade played during...

New York City Press Conference for the National Puerto Rican...

A thank from our 2023 Honoree Class to everyone who...

Here's a visual recap of this year's AMAZING...