The Loisaida Festival 2025 is a community street fair that kicks off summer in “Loisaida,” a Puerto Rican name for Alphabet City in Manhattan’s East Village.
38th Loisaida Festival 2025
The 38th Loisaida Festival, an Alphabet City community street fair, opens with a community parade followed by a fun day of live music plus food, artisanal crafts, and lots of family entertainment. Performers include classical violinist Jessie Montgomery, Latin band Sonido Costeño, bomba artist Alma Moyo, pop singer Ana Macho, and Joe Bataan, the King of Latin Soul. It’s all on Loisaida Ave (Avenue C), from 5th to 12th St, in “Loisaida” Alphabet City, East Village, Manhattan; on Memorial Day Weekend Sunday, May 25, 2025, from 11am-5pm, rain or shine. FREE. 🇺🇸 🇵🇭 🇵🇷
Talent includes:
- Jessie Montgomery, Grammy-winning violinist and Sphinx Virtuosi Composer-in-Residence. @jessiemontgomerymusic 🇺🇸
- Sonido Costeño, Latin music. @sonidocosteno 🇵🇷
- Alma Moyo, bomba Puertorriqueña. @almamoyomusic 🇵🇷
- Ana Macho, Puerto Rican pop. @anamachoalfa 🇵🇷
- Joe Bataan, Latin soul legend. @therealjoebataan 🇵🇭 🇺🇸
The really cool 2025 Loisaida Festival poster is by María Domínguez and Ana Teresa Rodríguez. It captures the funky, homegrown bohemian spirit of Alphabet City.
37th Loisaida Festival 2024
The 37th Loisaida Festival, “A Cultural Mosaic,” opens a community parade, live music, theatre, food, artisanal crafts, and lots of family entertainment, on Loisaida Ave (Avenue C) in “Loisaida” Alphabet City, East Village, Manhattan; on Memorial Day Weekend Sunday, May 26, 2024, from 12-5pm, rain or shine. FREE. 🇧🇷 🇩🇴 🇵🇷
The festival features over 50 artisans, 30 social organizations, 10 food vendors, and 15,000+ people.
Honorees
2024 Viva Loisaida! Award recipients include:
- Congressman Dan Goldman of New York’s 10th Congressional District. @repdangoldman
- Activist, author, and former Young Lord, Felipe Luciano. @felipejluciano 🇵🇷
- Entrepreneur and sister of Nuyorican poet Jesús “Tato” Laviera, Ruth Sanchez.
- Youth sports organizer and founder of Félix Millán Little, Manny Rodriguez.
- Activist Kanielle Hernández.
Community Parade
The Loisaida Festival Community Parade is led by Afro-Brazilian samba marching band Batalá New York. @batalanewyork 🇧🇷
Main Stage
Spoken word legend Caridad “La Bruja” de la Luz and David “Daso” Soto host, and Deejay Lou spins on the Main Stage on Avenue C at 12th St:
- Pinc Louds plays Puerto Rican punk rock at 12pm. @pinclouds 🇵🇷
- NYC Womxn Bomba Collective plays Puerto Rican bomba at 1pm. 🇵🇷
- Taína Asili sings Puerto Rican punk rock at 2pm. @tainaasili 🇵🇷
- Chico Manía plays Dominican merengue and bachata at 3pm. @chicomaniareal 🇩🇴
- Kinto Zonó plays Puerto Rican bomba and plena fusions at 4pm. @kinto_zono_official 🇵🇷
- Enyel C plays Puerto Rican pop at 5pm. 🇵🇷
Theatre Lab
Theater Lab is a mini-festival of short performances at La Plaza Cultural on Avenue C and the west side of 9th St features:
- Batallón Sónico & Bendi La Bendicion playing reggaeton at 12noon.
- Mencius Society for the Arts presenting traditional Chinese music and dance from 1-3pm.
- “In the Heights,” a Grand Street Settlement Children’s Production, is at 2pm. 🇵🇷
- Dorill Initiative youth performances are at 3pm.
- La Bruja hosts a Nuyorican Poets Café Open Mike at 4pm. 🇵🇷
- Control the Sound plays alternative rock at 5pm. @controlthesound
Street Level
This is the Francisco “Pancho” Ramos Community Garden on Avenue C on the east side of 9th St.
- Los Fascinantes play traditional Puerto Rican folk music at 1pm. @losfascinantes 🇵🇷
Salsa Exhibition
La Salsa de Pepe presents a “Salsa con Estilo” exhibition in its space at 73 Avenue C, near 5th St.
Loisaida
“Loisaida,” a Puerto Rican name for the “Lower East Side” was coined by local activists Chino Garcia and Bimbo Rivas. They may have been being poetic in reference to Loíza Aldea, the Puerto Rican town with the strongest African Diaspora culture. Bomba is all over the island, but Loiza Aldea has one of the most important bomba communities and festivals.
The East Village used to be called the Lower East Side. It got rebranded as the East Village, but really is both.
Alphabet City is the neighborhood with Avenues A, B, C, and D to the east of First Avenue. Old timers may remember the neighborhood’s tough reputation, but that was long ago, now it’s cool. Come party with us!
Editor Iroko Kíkokí ~ I used to live up on 14th and A. Loisaida is one of my favorite New York City neighborhoods. It’s has the funky energy of the Lower East Side, but is more Latin. There are lots of unusual little shops and strange people. It may be a barrio to you, but in the barrio, we look out for each other. You can’t say that about all New York neighborhoods. ¡Viva Loisaida!