Latin things to do in NYC in August 2026 include the National Dominican Day Parade, Ecuadorian Parade and Festival, Battery Dance Festival, and more.
August is Black August, a time to remember wrongly-incarcerated people of color, and there really are far too many.
There are national days in Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, India, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Uruguay.
COMEDY
Maratón De Comediantes
Natalia de los Santos, Calixto, Ana Laura, Mikey Mendoza, Black Rose, Greyloww, Yasmin Lugo, Manu Valencia
Argentine, Colombian, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Peruvian, and Puerto Rican stand-up comedy
Broadway Comedy Club
Main Room
Hell’s Kitchen
Sun, August 2, 2026 | 8:30pm
$17+
Rogelio Ramos En Vivo En New York
“El Master de la Comedia”
Mexican stand-up comedy
Broadway Comedy Club
Main Room
Hell’s Kitchen
Fri, August 7, 2026 | 9pm
$57+
El Último Chiste: Batalla de Comediantes
Juanchopedia and Renzua host a Spanish-language stand-up comedy battle of Colombian, Mexican, Peruvian, and Venezuelan comics
Broadway Comedy Club
Red Room
Hell’s Kitchen
Fri, August 28, 2026 | 9pm
$17+
CULTURAL FESTIVALS
Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York
36th annual dragon boat racing festival with multicultural performances and international food
Meadow Lake
Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens
Sat-Sun, August 8-9, 2026 | 9am to early evening
FREE with vendor booths
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Ecuadorian Festival NYC
Ecuadorian music, folk dance, food, and artisanal crafts for the family
Flushing Meadow Park, Queens (outside the New York Hall of Science)
Sun, August 9, 2026 | 11am to 6pm
Free
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Afribembé Festival NYC: Under One Sun
Pan-African festival with live music, dance, and an opening procession celebrating African diasporic traditions from Puerto Rico, West Africa, and the Caribbean, presented by CCCADI
Children’s Village
Howard Bennett Park
Sun, August 16, 2026 | 12-5pm
Opening Procession: Los Pleneros de la 21 and Danza Fiesta
Harlem Day Main Stage Performances: Pan Evolution Steel Orchestra, Kofago Dance Ensemble
West 135th St between St. Nicholas and Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd
Sun, August 16, 2026 | 7pm-8pm
Free
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Grenada Day NYC
Celebrate Grenadian, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique heritage with live music, food vendors, and stage performances including: Inspector, Young Image, Mauricia (POSH), Kamil, and Mr. Legz; Alma Boy, King Blake, King Kayak; Spice Generation Dance Company, Carriacou Big Drum Group, and The Greenhouse Drummers
South Shore High School Field
Canarsie, Brooklyn
Sun, August 23, 2026 | 11am to 7pm
$10
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DANCE
Joyce Ballet Festival
Misty Copeland curates world-class choreographers and dancers from major companies with a focus on Black ballet. Includes choreography by Ingrid Silva, José Limón, Alonzo King, John Taras, and new work by Afro-Caribbean street dancer Ilo Elder. Dancers include Elias Re, Renan Cerdeiro, Victor Abreu, Alexandra Hutchinson, and more. There are African American, Brazilian, Dominican, Italian, and Mexican artists.
Joyce Theater
Chelsea, Manhattan
Tue-Sun, August 4-16, 2026 | 7:30pm with 2pm weekend matinees
$17+
Battery Dance Festival
Free international contemporary dance festival with a stunning New York Harbor backdrop
Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park
Battery Park City, Manhattan
Different programs nightly
Mon-Sun, August 10-16, 2026 | 7pm
FREE
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Battery Dance Festival: Cía Elías Aguirre
Contemporary dance company from Madrid, Spain, presenting Flowerheads, a US premiere
Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park
Battery Park City, Manhattan
Tue, August 11 and Wed, August 12, 2026 | 7:00pm
Free
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Battery Dance Festival: Movimento em Foco
Brazilian dance company presenting Voices That Echo Within Us, a US premiere set to MPB (Brazilian Popular Music)
Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park
Battery Park City
Wed, August 12, 2026 | 7:00pm
Free
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Allpayana Ecuadorian Traditional Dance
NYC-based Ecuadorian folkloric company presenting Otavalo Wedding, an NYC premiere rooted in Indigenous Kichwa tradition
Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park
Battery Park City
Fri, August 14, 2026 | 7:00pm
Free
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Battery Dance Festival: Indian Independence Day
Sindhoor Natya, Tanveer Alam, Nava Dance Theatre, Mesma Belsaré, Jeevika Bhat
Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park
Battery Park City
Sat, August 15, 2026 | 7:00pm
Free
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HOLIDAYS
Pachamama
The Indigenous Andean earth goddess is celebrated in Quechua and Aymara communities as a living conscious being in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, plus parts of Argentina and Chile on August 1.
MUSIC
Divino
“El Más Que Canta”
Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap
Sabor Latino
Elmhurst, Queens
Sat, August 1, 2026 | 10pm doors
$36+
Noche de Fiesta: D’Robins Band, Las Diablitas Taz Taz, JC Patricio y el Pato Ramírez
D’Robins Band “Los Chicos de Lujo” Ecuadorian tropical urban
Las Diablitas Taz Taz Ecuadorian cumbia pop
JC Patricio y el Pato Ramírez: “La Original Hora Loca” Ecuadorian comedy hosts
Sabor Latino
Elmhurst, Queens
Sat, August 1, 2026 | 10pm doors
$46+
Zahili Zamora
Cuban-born jazz pianist, vocalist, and bandleader performing original compositions from her album “Overcoming”
Jazz at Lincoln Center at David Rubenstein Atrium
Lincoln Square, Manhattan
Sun, August 2, 2026 | 6:00pm
FREE
Manuela Sánchez Goubert
Colombian-born, Bronx-raised singer-songwriter blending jazz with Latin American folkloric traditions
David Rubenstein Atrium
Lincoln Square, Manhattan
Thu, August 6, 2026 | 7:30pm
FREE
Brown Rice Family Jamaica Day: The Heartbeat of Jamaica
Brooklyn-based eight-member world roots band blending reggae, dancehall, Latin rhythms, and Afrobeat, in a family-friendly concert
David Rubenstein Atrium
Lincoln Square, Manhattan
Sat, August 8, 2026 | 12:00pm
FREE
Jey One
Dominican dembow
La Casa del Mofongo and Piano Bar 207, Inwood
Sat, August 8, 2026 | Late, 8pm doors
$29+
DJ El Gordito Latino
Venezuelan-born DJ spins Venezuelan salsa baúl and urban Latin
Sabor Latino
Elmhurst, Queens
Sat, August 8, 2026 | 9:45pm doors
$43+
Yasser Tejeda: Mezclansa Live
Dominican Latin Alternative
Afro-Dominican guitarist plays the album that made him famous
Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater
Fri, August 14, 2026 | 9:30pm
$30
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Tito Puente Jr. and His Latin Jazz Ensemble
Puerto Rican Latin jazz and mambo
WBGO Presents Brunch
Blue Note
Greenwich Village
Sat, August 15, 2026 | 12:30pm and 2:30pm
$33+ and $20 minimum per person
Arturo O’Farrill x Vincent Hsu: Spirits from Both Sides
Six-time Grammy winner Arturo O’Farrill teams with Taiwanese bassist and composer Vincent Hsu for a one-night fusion of Afro Cuban and Afro Taiwanese jazz traditions.
Flushing Town Hall
Flushing, Queens
Sat, August 15, 2026 | 8:00pm
$40+
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El Show de Orleans
Venezuelan musical comedy by Orleans Music
Sabor Latino
Elmhurst, Queens
Sat, August 15, 2026 | 8:30pm
$46+
Ecuadorian Independence Celebration
Patty Ray “La Bomba Sexy del Ecuador” tropical
Renato Abad “Yo Me Llamo Américo” cumbia television host
Yadira “La Voz del Ecuador” tropical
Harin “El Indio” Colombian Andean fusion
Sabor Latino
Elmhurst, Queens
Sat, August 15, 2026 | 9pm doors
$52+
Bebel Gilberto Tanto Tempo 25th Anniversary
Brazilian bossa nova
Electronic bossa nova album that launched her international career
City Winery Main Stage
Chelsea
Wed-Thu, August 19-20, 2026 | 7:30pm
$66+
Lulada Club Presents: Summer of Salsa
Harlem’s all-women salsa orchestra plays classic New York salsa dura and salsa caleña from Cali, Colombia.
Brooklyn Bowl | Main Stage
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Thu, August 20, 2026 | 8pm
$30+
Tributo Hombres G & Enanitos Verdes
Spanish and Argentine rock
Sabor Latino
Elmhurst, Queens
Fri, August 21, 2026 | 9pm doors
$30+
Mon Laferte: Femme Fatale Tour
Chilean Mexican Latin Alternative
Radio City Music Hall
Midtown
Sat, August 22, 2026 | 8pm
$52+
Banda MS: Somos MS Tour
Regional Mexican banda sinaloense
Prudential Center
Newark, New JerseySat, August 22, 2026 | 8pm
Rescheduled to June 25, 2027 | 8pm
$142+
Luis Mateus
Colombian “El Rey del Vallenato Romántico”
Sabor Latino
Elmhurst, Queens
Sat, August 22, 2026 | 10pm doors
$46+
Charlie Parker Jazz Festival: Xiomara Laugart featuring Reverse Audio
An ancillary festival show featuring the great Cuban trova singer Xiomara Laugart and her son, pianist Axel Tosca
El Sol Brillante community garden
East Village, Manhattan
Wed, August 26, 2026 | 5:30-6:30pm
FREE
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Asake: In God We Trust Tour
Nigerian Afrobeats
Barclays Center
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Wed, August 26, 2026 | 8:30pm
$52+
Charlie Parker Jazz Festival: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Opening night headliner, NYC’s leading African American jazz big band, is joined by trumpeter Marquis Hill and Cameroonian American vocalist Ekep Nkwelle, with the Bill Saxton Harlem All-Stars opening
Marcus Garvey Park
Harlem, Manhattan
Fri, August 28, 2026 | 7-9:30pm
FREE
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Grupo Frontera: Triste pero bien c*bron
American Música Mexicana
Prudential Center
Newark, New Jersey
Fri, August 28, 2026 | 8pm
$97+
Charlie Parker Jazz Festival: Joshua Redman
Saturday’s headliner, joined by Nat Adderley Jr, Catherine Russell, Nicole Glover, and DJ Kultured Child
Marcus Garvey Park
Harlem, Manhattan
Sat, August 29, 2026 | 2-7pm
FREE
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Beres Hammond and Beenie Man
Jamaican reggae and dancehall legends
Prudential Center
Newark, New Jersey
Sat, August 29, 2026 | 8pm
$95+
Charlie Parker Jazz Festival: Ravi Coltrane
Sunday’s headliner, joined by the Billy Hart Quartet, Kassa Overall, and Vanisha Gould
Tompkins Square Park
East Village
Sun, August 30, 2026 | 3-7pm
FREE
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Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra at The Pocket
O’Farrill leads the 18-piece Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra through a weekly Tuesday night residency, continuing a weekly tradition that his father Chico started nearly three decades ago. The Orchestra plays alone when Arturo is touring.
The Pocket
Times Square Theater District, Manhattan
Tuesdays | 7:00pm and 9:00pm
$25+
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NATIONAL DAYS
Emancipation Day
Some families originally from Barbados, Canada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago celebrate the legal end of slavery on August 1, 1834, and complete freedom on August 1, 1838. Celebrations start on the night before.
Beninese Independence Day
Benin (French Dahomey) became independent from France on August 1, 1960.
Nigerien Independence Day
Niger became independent from France on August 3, 1960.
Burkinabè Independence Day
Burkina Faso (Republic of Upper Volta) became independent from France on August 5, 1960.
Bolivian Independence Day
Bolivia declared independence from Spain on August 6, 1825.
Jamaican Independence Day
Jamaica became the first English-speaking Caribbean island to win independence on August 6, 1962.
Ivorian Independence Day
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) became independent from France on August 7, 1960.
Ecuadorian Independence Day
Ecuador’s El Primer Grito de Independencia (The First Call for Independence) from Spain, was made on August 10, 1809.
Central African Independence Day
Central African Republic declared independence from France on August 13, 1960.
Haitian Bwa Kayiman
Dutty Boukman and Cécile Fatiman led the meeting in Bois Caïman (Alligator Woods) on August 14, 1791 to finalize plans for the uprising that launched the Haitian Revolution.
Congo-Brazzaville Independence Day
The Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) celebrates full sovereignty from France on August 15, 1960.
Indian Independence Day
India gained full independence from the UK on August 15, 1947. Guyana, Trinidad, Suriname, Jamaica, Guadeloupe and Martinique have historic Indian communities. The US and Canada also have large Indian communities. NYC’s Indian community is gaining power.
Dominican Restoration Day
The Dominican Republic launched the war that restored Dominican sovereignty from Spain on August 16, 1863. It’s a major holiday in the RD, and the reason NYC’s National Dominican Day Parade is the second weekend in August.
Gabonese Independence Day
Gabon celebrates its full independence from France on August 17, 1960.
Indonesian Independence Day
Indonesia celebrates its declaration of independence from The Netherlands on August 17, 1945. Suriname and French Guiana in South America have historic Indonesian communities.
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was launched on August 21, 1791. It was the only time in history when an enslaved people freed themselves and founded a republic (1804). The beginning of the end of human slavery changed the world.
Uruguayan Independence Day
Uruguay declared independence from Brazil on August 25, 1825.
Trinidadian Independence Day
Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence from Britain on August 31, 1962.
PARADES
Ecuadorian Parade: Business Presentation
Meet mayors and business representatives from Ecuador
Ecuadorian Civic Committee of New York
Corona, Queens
Sat, August 1, 2026 | 7-9pm
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Ecuadorian Parade
Northern Boulevard, from 69th Street to 86th Street
Jackson Heights, Queens
Sun, August 2, 2026 | 11am to 4pm
Free
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Ecuadorian Parade: Queen Presentation
Meet the Parade Queens and Queens from Ecuador
Ecuadorian Civic Committee of New York
Corona, Queens
Sun, August 2, 2026 | 6:30-8:30pm
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National Dominican Day Parade Gala
Scholarship fundraiser
Community, cocktails, dinner, dancing
Greentree Country Club
New Rochelle, Westchester
Fri, August 8, 2026 | 8pm
South Asian Parade
37th Avenue
69th to 89th St
Jackson Heights, Queens
Sat, August 9, 2026 | 12-3pm
FREE
National Dominican Day Parade
World’s largest celebration of Dominican culture and heritage, outside the Dominican Republic
Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas)
35th St to 56th St
Sun, August 10, 2026 | 11am
FREE
44th India Day Parade NYC 2026
Indian independence celebration of Harmony in Heritage theme with more than 40 floats, cultural performances, and Bollywood
Madison Avenue at East 38th Street
Murray Hill, Manhattan
Sun, August 16, 2026 | 12:00pm
Free
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Indians are Latin through the Caribbean, especially Trinidad. That’s why we have good curry at the West Indian Day Parade.
Bolivian Day Parade
37th Avenue from 69th to 89th St
Jackson Heights, Queens
Sun, August 16, 2026 | 12-3pm
FREE
SPORTS
Leagues Cup: MLS vs Liga MX
Annual tournament of the top US and Mexican soccer leagues
August 4 – September 6, 2026
Leagues Cup: NYCFC vs Santos Laguna
Leagues Cup is an annual tournament of the top US and Mexican leagues
Santos Laguna of Torreón, Coahuila is a strong regional team
Sports Illustrated Stadium
Harrison, New Jersey (45 minutes from Penn Station)
August 6, 2026 | 7:30pm
$25+
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Leagues Cup: NYCFC vs Cruz Azul
Leagues Cup is an annual tournament of the top US and Mexican leagues
Cruz Azul of Mexico City is one of Mexico’s “Big Four” clubs, and a favorite to win the Liga MX title
Sports Illustrated Stadium
Harrison, New Jersey (45 minutes from Penn Station)
August 9, 2026 | 7:30pm
$25+
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Leagues Cup: NYCFC vs Necaxa
Leagues Cup is an annual tournament of the top US and Mexican leagues
Necaxa of Aguascalientes, is one of Mexico’s oldest teams
Sports Illustrated Stadium
Harrison, New Jersey (45 minutes from Penn Station)
August 13, 2026 | 7:30pm
$25+
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Mets: Dominican Heritage Night
Mets vs Washington Nationals
Citi Field
Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens
Fri, August 14, 2026 | 7:10pm
$17+
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NYCFC: Black Excellence Night
New York City FC vs Philadelphia Union
Last year’s Supporters’ Shield champion match is also an elite vs working-class rivalry
Major League Soccer
Yankee Stadium
Concourse, The Bronx
Sun, August 16, 2026 | 6:30pm
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Leagues Cup Quarterfinals: Toluca FC vs Austin FC
Liga MX vs MLS chance to see Mexican teams locally
Sports Illustrated Stadium
Harrison, New Jersey
Wed, August 26, 2026 | 8:30pm
$51+
THEATER
International Puppet Fringe Festival
Global puppetry festival with more than 100 performances, films, exhibitions, and workshops with artists and stories from 10 countries including: Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and USA
The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center
Lower East Side
Wed-Sun, August 12-16, 2026
Free and ticketed events
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Elliot, fuga de un soldado
A poetic memory play following wounded Marine Elliot Ortiz as he weighs a second tour of duty while three generations of his Puerto Rican families’ military service echo around him.
By Quiara Alegría Hudes, Directed by Geo Rivera
In Spanish with English supertitles
Repertorio Español
Kips Bay, Manhattan
August 15-16 and 21-23, 2026
NYC Broadway Week Summer
2-for-1 Tickets to Popular Broadway Shows
Times Square Theater District
On Sale: Tue, August 18, 2026
Shows: September 8-20, 2026
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