BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- A sea of Puerto Rican flags covered Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn, as the sixth annual Knickerbocker Avenue Puerto Rican Day Parade took place.
“The music, the food, the atmosphere, it’s amazing,“ Tais Lopez told PIX11 News.
The neighborhood came alive with thousands of people supporting the dancers, the parade floats, and the kids playing the drums. It’s a day that many look forward to.
“You see the Abuelita doing bomba, you see the little kids with their flag, you see so many generations come in out, the viejitos on his bike, the piragua, it’s just so incredible,” Ricardo Castaneda said.
Tommy Rodriguez makes it a point to attend annually.
“Every year gets bigger and bigger, and just to be here and feel the joy and happiness from everybody,“ Rodriguez said.
This parade is bittersweet for him. His mom lost the battle to cancer earlier this year. Coming to celebrate the culture she instilled in him was at the top of his list.
“We came a lot to the parades and watched it on tv but just lost her a couple of months ago, so i know i had to be here, and i feel here she’s here,” he said.
According to Djali Cepeda, the day also honored Puerto Rican trailblazers.
“A lot of Latino culture in New York City is Boricua culture; they fought for so much, Boricua activists, Boricua pioneers, we have so much; every Latino owes it to the Boricuas and what they’ve instilled in this community,” she said.
Bushwick is home to many Puerto Rican families that have laid down roots in the last few decades. Still, they have never forgotten about la Isla del Encanto, Puerto Rico; like Maria Perez, she attended the parade to “keep Puerto Rican culture alive here in the States. It’s easy to forget your background and culture.”
“It’s okay to love everybody, but don’t forget who you are and where you come from," Nilda Correa said.
English (US) ·