The Puerto Rican Day Parade is in NYC today. See the list of street closures and more.
NEW YORK -- New York City's National Puerto Rican Day Parade is marching in Manhattan today.
The parade route runs along Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 79th Street. It started at 11 a.m.
The celebration of Puerto Rican culture has been taking place in Manhattan for more than 60 years.
Iconic salsa singer Tito Nieves named Puerto Rican Day Parade grand marshal
This year's grand marshal is iconic salsa singer Tito Nieves.
"What makes this parade special, all Latinos for that given day support the Puerto Rican community," Nieves told CBS New York.
Nieves was born in Puerto Rico but raised in Brooklyn, where he found his passion for salsa, becoming one of the leading salsa singers of the 1980s and '90s.
"If you go into a neighborhood where they're blasting that salsa music, where you feel like a sense of comfort," Nieves said.
Nieves has performed in the parade for years, but calls being the grand marshal this time around an honor.
"I said, wow, why would they-- grand marshal? That's like a big responsibility, but then again, why not? I'm a New Yorker," he said.
This year's theme is "Boricua de Corazon," meaning you don't have to live or be born on the island to be Puertorriqueno.
"Puerto Rican, it's within me. Puerto Rican's in my blood," Nieves said.
New Yorkers on the Lower East Side, known for its thriving hub of Latin culture, agree.
"Puerto Ricans can live in any state in the U.S. or anywhere in the world, and they still strongly identify as Puerto Rican," Jasmine Maldonado said.
"Puerto Ricans is a very beautiful race that basically wherever they do go, they bring the culture," Luis Rivera said.
Puerto Rican Day Parade street closures in NYC
The following streets are closed Sunday for the parade:
- West/East 44th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- West/East 45th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- West/East 46th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- West/East 47th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- West/East 48th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- 5th Avenue between 42nd Street and 79th Street
- 5th Avenue between 79th Street and 86th Street
- East 79th Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- East 80th Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- East 81st Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- East 82nd Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- East 83rd Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- East 84th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- East 85th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- Madison Avenue between East 42nd Street and East 86th Street
- 6th Avenue between West 42nd Street and West 49th Street
- West/East 43rd Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- West/East 42nd Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- West 51st Street between Rockefeller Plaza and 5th Avenue
- West 58th Street between Grand Army Plaza and 5th Avenue
- East 60th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- East 63rd Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- East 64th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- East 66th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- East 69th Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- East 70th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- East 72nd Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- East 74th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue