The National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP) has announced its first honorees for the 66th annual celebration of Puerto Rican culture. The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture headquarters, where the Board of Directors unveiled the honorees for the June 11 parade, which will take place in New York City. The theme for the 2023 celebration is "Música, Cultura y Alegría" (Music, Culture, and Joy).
The NPRDP will honor iconic figures in Puerto Rican music, including legendary artists who have helped shape the global music scene, as well as contemporary artists who continue to make significant contributions to the world of music. The honorees will be recognized for their contributions to genres such as salsa, boogaloo, hip-hop, freestyle, house music, and others.
The parade has always been about preserving and promoting Puerto Rican culture and heritage. This year's celebration will feature distinguished honorees whose work has showcased Puerto Rican culture and contributed to its ongoing evolution across various artistic fields. In addition, the parade will pay tribute to the Indigenous peoples of Puerto Rico, including the native Taínos, one of the three cultural pillars that comprise Puerto Rican heritage and identity.
Puerto Ricans are known for being joyful, warm, upbeat, and colorful, and these characteristics will be on full display during the parade. Honorees will include accomplished and award-winning Boricuas across a wide variety of entertainment platforms, including theater, comedy, television, and sports.
Louis Maldonado Pérez, NPRDP Board member and former Board Chair, explained that the theme was chosen because it embodies the essence of the 2023 celebration, and it encapsulates the tributes and honorees that will be recognized during the parade and related events. He encouraged everyone in the community to join them on Fifth Avenue on June 11 and expressed the hope that this theme would inspire all participants as they plan their float designs and presentations for a festive demonstration of Boricua pride and achievement.
The NPRDP also announced a collective of accomplished, luminary figures as Lifetime Achievement Honorees. This group includes Chucho Avellanet, a singer, comedian, actor, and television personality who has played a critical role in Puerto Rico's musical scene and is considered to be one of Puerto Rico's most important and iconic voices; Josie de Guzmán, a Tony-nominated musical theater actor and singer who has participated in several national TV shows and is known for her philanthropic work; María Teresa "Tere" Marichal, an actor, writer, ventriloquist, playwright, and television personality whose TV show "La Casa de María Chuzema" educated and positively impacted an entire generation of children through the art of cultural storytelling; Jacobo Morales, a pioneer of Puerto Rican cinematography and the first filmmaker from Puerto Rico to be nominated for an Academy Award; Antonio Martorell, an accomplished painter, graphic artist, and writer who recently received the National Medal of Arts from President Biden and was instrumental in the creation of the Hurricane Maria Memorial in New York City's Battery Park; Angel "Cucco" Peña, a multiple Grammy- and Emmy-Award-winning composer, arranger, conductor, music director, trumpeter, and singer who has collaborated with numerous musical icons; and Silverio Pérez, a musician, comedian, motivational speaker, and television personality known for his quick wit and infectious humor.
The NPRDP's 66th annual celebration of Puerto Rican culture promises to be an unforgettable event that showcases the best in Puerto Rican heritage and achievement. Everyone is invited to join the festivities and celebrate the contributions that Puerto Ricans have made to our global society.
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