Honorees announced for 67th annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The National Puerto Rican Day Parade will return to Manhattan this June and preparations are already underway.
At least one million people are expected to turn out for the cultural celebration as it takes over a stretch of Fifth Avenue.
This year's theme is Boricua de Corazón, or Puerto Rican at Heart.
ABC7 is your home for the 67th National Puerto Rican Day Parade. Special coverage begins at noon on Sunday, June 9.
This year's Parade celebration is dedicated to the municipality of San Germán, Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican communities of Hawaii.
"The tributes to the people of San German and the Puerto Rican community in Hawaii include the eastern and western-most parts of the Puerto Rican communities across the United States," said NPRDP Board Chair Lillian Rodríguez Lopez, in a statement. "Our 2024 theme, Boricua de Corazón, captures our collective sentiment that being Puerto Rican is central to our identity and lives in our hearts no matter where we find ourselves in the world."
Parade organizers have also revealed this year's initial roster of honorees, which includes performers, journalists, filmmakers and athletes.
The 2024 Madrina (Godmother) is Lisa Velez, aka Lisa Lisa, formally of the 80's platinum selling group Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam. Recognized as an iconic singer/songwriter and pioneer in the genres of Latin Hip-Hop, Freestyle and Pop music, Lisa Lisa's hit songs have made people sing and dance to her unique Latino-inspired sound.
The NPRDP recognizes two distinguished veteran journalists with Lifetime Achievement honors: Carmen Jovet and Jorge Rivera Nieves. Jovet is recognized for being Puerto Rico's first female TV presenter, in 1968. Nieves, a TV news anchor in Puerto Rico, is recognized for his award-winning career spanning almost half a century.
Honored with the title of Orgullo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Pride) is the virtuoso cellist, conductor and composer Emilio Colón and multimedia artists and cultural curators Pedro Adorno and Cathy Vigo.
The parade will also pay tribute to several folkloric dance groups that preserve, perform, and give energy to traditional Puerto Rican dance. They include:
- Areyto Ballet Folklórico Nacional de Puerto Rico, San Juan
- BombaYo, New York City
- Bombazo Dance Company, New York City
- Danza Fiesta, New York City
- Escuela de Bomba Tata Cepeda, Kissimmee, Florida
- Pleneros de la 21, New York City
- Segunda Quimbamba Folkloric Center, Jersey City, NJ
- Bombazo Dance Company, New York City
Other 2024 honorees include:
- Lifetime Achievement: Stacey López - Acclaimed salsa dancer and professor
- Lifetime Achievement: Jorge Rivera Nieves - Veteran television news anchor
- Trailblazer: Wanda Díaz-Merced - Sonic astrophysicist and advocate for the visually impaired
- Trailblazer: David Antonio Santiago - Fashion designer, art collector and philanthropist
- Sports Legend: José "Piculín" Ortiz - Former professional basketball player, FIBA Hall-of-Famer, and
member of the 2004 Puerto Rico Olympic team, from San Germán
- Ambassador: Bianca Graulau - Independent journalist and activist
- Ambassador: Glorimar Marrero - Award-winning film writer and director, "La Pecera"
- Ambassador: Ana Teresa Toro - Accomplished author
- Ambassador: Rafi Mercado - Award-winning cinematographer and documentarian
- Ambassador: Asianna Saragosa Torres - Miss Latina Hawaii, mental health advocate and social media
innovator
- Hijo de Borinquen: Andrés González - An original founder of NPRDP
- Rising Star: Zayra Pola - Musician and timbal player
Additional honorees will be announced in early May.
WABC-TV is proud to be a broadcast partner of the parade.
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