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Dominican NYC

Dominican NYC is one of the Latin communities defining New York today.

New York City has been Dominican since Juan Rodríguez, NYC’s first immigrant, arrived in 1613.

We have been York City’s biggest Latin community since 2019.

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Latin art, bachata, baseball, carnival, comedy, dance, fashion, festivals, film, food, jazz, merengue, music, parades, rap, salsa, sports, theatre

“Quisqueya” is the Taíno name for the island of Hispaniola, the Taíno heartland. It means “mother of all lands.”

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Dominican NYC Features

Dominican nyc Archive

Dominican NYC News

January 2023

Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Between Riverside and Crazy,” by New York playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis (“The Get Down”), starts Broadway previews at the Hayes Theater in the Times Square Theater District on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at 7pm for a Monday, December 19, 2022 opening. The show will be simulcast live from January 31 – February 12, 2023. From $69. 🇺🇸 🇩🇴 🇮🇪 🇮🇹 🇵🇷

New York Dominican Heritage Month is January 21 – February 27. 🇩🇴

Celebrate Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, patron saint of the Dominican Republic, on January 21. 🇩🇴

Remember Juan Pablo Duarte. The Dominican founding father was born on January 26. 🇩🇴

February 2023

Santo Domingo Carnival 2023 combines the climax of Dominican Carnival with Dominican Independence Day celebrations in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; on Sunday, February 26, 2023. 🇩🇴

Celebrate Dominican Independence Day, February 27, 1844. 🇩🇴

May 2023

Dominican Mother’s Day is the last Sunday in May. 🇩🇴

July 2023

Dominican Father’s Day is the last Sunday in July. 🇩🇴

August 2023

The National Dominican Day Parade is the 2nd Sunday in August. 🇩🇴

Celebrate Dominican Restoration Day on August 16. 🇩🇴

September 2023

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Latinx Month), a celebration of the Americas, September 15 – October 15. 🇦🇷🇧🇴🇧🇷🇨🇱🇨🇴🇨🇷🇨🇺🇩🇴🇪🇨🇸🇻🇬🇶🇬🇹🇭🇳🇲🇽🇳🇮🇵🇦🇵🇾🇵🇪🇵🇷🇪🇸🇺🇾🇻🇪

Celebrate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes on September 24. 🇩🇴

November 2023

Dominican Constitution Day is November 6. 🇩🇴

National Merengue Day is November 26. 🇩🇴

New York Dominican Culture

New York Dominican art, books, comedy, cultural centers, dance, education, fashion, festivals, film, food, government, music, parades, sports, theatre

NY Dominican Art

  • The Juan Pablo Duarte statue is in Duarte Square in Hudson Square, Manhattan.

NY Dominican Books

  • Julia Alvarez (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, In the Time of the Butterflies, In the Name of Salomé)
  • Junot Díaz is a Pulitzer Prize winner and MacArthur Fellow (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, This is How You Lose Her).

NY Dominican Comedy

  • Gastor Almonte (“Immigrant Made”
  • Ian Lara (HBO)

NY Dominican Cultural Centers

  • Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center is in Washington Heights. Facebook
  • Club Deportivo is in Washington Heights.

NY Dominican Dance

Merengue is the national dance of the Dominican Republic. It’s danced in 2/4 time which is very easy to dance to.

Bachata developed later. It’s danced in 4/4 time, so it blends well with rock. What looks like Electric Slide in the Caribbean, is actually bachata. Sensual bachata has become popular around the world.

  • Club Cache is in Greenwich Village.
  • Club Deportivo is in Washington Heights.

NY Dominican Education

NY Dominican Fashion

  • Albania Rosario didn’t speak English when she came to New York, but built Fashion Designers of Latin America (formerly Uptown Fashion Week) into part of Fashion Week. She’s now global.
  • FDLA Fashion Designers of Latin America.
  • Hernan Lander
  • Oscar de la Renta (1932-2014)

NY Dominican Festivals

SPRING

  • Dominican Mother’s Day is the last Sunday in May. 🇩🇴

SUMMER

FALL

  • The Feast of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes is September 24. 🇩🇴
  • Dominican Constitution Day on November 6.
  • National Merengue Day is November 26. 🇩🇴

WINTER

NY Dominican Film

NY Dominican Food

Most Dominican restaurants are casual, just like in the Caribbean.

  • 809 in Washington Heights is popular with the Dominican community.
  • Bocaditos Bistro is an upscale restaurant in Washington Heights.
  • El Castillo de Jagua (Lower East Side) @castillodjaguanyc
  • Malecon is in Washington Heights and the Upper West Side.
  • Mamajuana Cafe is an anchor of Washington Heights.
  • Republica in Washington Heights has a nice rooftop.
  • Santiago’s Beer Garden

NY Dominican Government

  • Adriano Espaillat is U.S. Representative for New York’s 13th Congressional District (2022). He is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. Congress. espaillat.house.gov
  • The Dominican Consulate is in Times Square.
  • Ydanis Rodriguez is Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation (2022). nyc.gov

NY Dominican Music

“Baile el jaleo, compadre Pedro Juan.” Merengue is the national music of the Dominican Republic.

Bachata developed later. Urban bachata developed in New York City. We have great jazz, reggaeton, salsa and Latin trap musicians too.

  • Monchy & Alexandra
  • Natti Natasha reggaeton
  • Romeo Santos bachata

NY Dominican Parades

  • Bronx Dominican Parade

NY Dominican Sports

NY Dominican Theatre

About Dominican NYC

New York City has been Dominican since the first immigrant, Juan Rodríguez, set up our first bodega in 1613.

Little Dominican Republic is in Washington Heights. There are Dominican neighborhoods in Washington Heights/Inwood, Manhattan; around Highbridge in The Bronx; and Corona/Jackson Heights in Queens.

Dyckman St in Inwood is a fun street of Dominican restaurants and bars, especially in summer.

We are strong in government, health care, and retail. Hard-working New York Dominicans have created economic booms in both Washington Heights and the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is on Hispaniola, a Greater Antilles island between Cuba and Puerto Rico. The western side is Haiti. North is the Atlantic. South is the Caribbean. East is Puerto Rico. Tourist season is December to April.

  • El Limón is a picturesque waterfall (northeast).
  • La Romana has exclusive resorts (south).
  • Macao Beach is a wild beach popular with surfers (east).
  • Puerto Plata has calmer beach resorts (north).
  • Punta Cana has popular beach resorts. The airport flies everywhere. Coco Bongo is a giant Ibiza-style nightclub (east).
  • Santo Domingo, the capital, has a colonial center with lots of culture (south).
  • Samaná Bay has winter whale-watching (northeast).

Let’s go!

Latin art, bachata, baseball, carnival, comedy, dance, fashion, festivals, film, food, jazz, merengue, music, parades, rap, salsa, sports, theatre

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