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On Sunday, May 29, 2022, The Loisaida, Inc. Center, partners, friends, family and community members took back the streets to celebrate The 35th Annual Loisaida Festival along Avenue C - Loisaida Ave. between 5th and 12th Streets.
The annual Loisaida Festival came back in full swing to celebrate the diversity, culture, and resilience of the Lower East Side and New York’s immigrant communities, after having moved to the virtual realm during the previous two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 comeback was a huge success, with a turnout of over 16,000 people!
Attendees enjoyed live music that included salsa, bomba, plena, guaracha, and fusion sounds. The parade kick-off was led by Batalá New York, followed by amazing performances at the festival's northernmost point on 12th Street's Main Stage by Kinto Zonó, Amigos de La Cultura, El Hijo de Borikén, Lulada Club, and Son del Monte! Our MC for the day was David "DASO" Soto, accompanied by Andre "DJ Red Star" Cirilo.
The 9C Community Garden featured "jíbaro" music courtesy of the Conjunto Los Fascinantes, while the TheaterLab included performances organized by Dorill Initiative, activations by play:groundNYC, and La Plaza Cultural de Armando Pérez Community Garden featured Circo Café con Gloria, the OASIS LGTBS Wellness Center and Latino Commission on AIDS, Jeannie Sol, BombaYó NY & Mulato PR, Mambembé, and Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir.
The daylong festivities included exciting activations all along Avenue C from the Main Stage through 4th Street, with Casa Adela's Rumba and La Sala De Pepe's Open Seating, as well as local artisans, community groups, food vendors, nonprofit partners, COVID-19 testing and vaccines by Acacia Network and La Casa de Salud, and much more.
The event served as the kickoff for the citywide celebration, Festival of New York, a collaborative partnership across over 200 organizations to promote the vast array of arts and cultural activities taking place around the five boroughs this summer.
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