NEW YORK, NY – May 13, 2015 – (HISPANICIIZE WIRE) – Continuing its commitment to showcase the Lower East Side’s independent and diverse spirit, Loisaida Inc. announced its lineup for the 2015 Loisaida Festival. The programming includes: Chicano Batman, Calma Carmona, Herencia de Plena, and Papote Jimenez y su Orquesta. Latin Soul, plena, salsa, psychedelic beats, from east L.A. to Puerto Rico, will all converge in one spot. Beloved actor, and Loisaida’s own, Luis Guzman will host the Festival, which takes place on Memorial Day Weekend on Sunday May 24th, 2015. The Carnival Procession opens the Festival at 11:00AM and the Festival runs from 12:00PM to 5:00PM on Avenue C from 6th to 12th Street.
Speaking of the long-standing power of the Festival, Libertad Guerra of Loisaida, Inc. said, “The success of Loisaida Inc. and the Loisaida Festival year after year is a testament of what we can accomplish in our communities. We are moving with full force to reactivate awareness of Latino cultural vitality, heritage and contributions to the Lower East Side while maintaining our footprint in the Downtown area. This year’s programming really captures that irreverent, resilient, ethos that made Loisaida a creative hub for NYC’s Latino community.”
Leading up to the festival Loisaida, Inc. will host two days of activities at its new Center on 710 east 9th Street that will highlight the contributions of the LGBTQ Latin@ community on the Lower East Side. The Friday and Saturday expanded programming, a new element introduced last year, integrates the Festival with LES History Month during the month of May. The programs, Performing Queer Latin@ Loisaida: A Cabaret and Reconstructing Queer Latin@ Loisaida in Cinema, Literature, and Art, will celebrate the often-overlooked cultural contributions of LGTB Queer Latino Loisaida.
On Sunday May 24th, these elements merge into the Festival, where a host of culinary, cultural, artistic and musical experiences will come together under the theme of one neighborhood…an entire community. A Carnival Procession, rare these days in the downtown area, will open the event. Parallel to the main stage programming, the festival also includes a Theater Lab initiative, where diverse Latino, Spanish or bilingual theater companies will present original site-specific pieces.
The revamped Loisaida Festival will capture the meaning the event held in its early days back in the 80s. What may have started as an impromptu community gathering for neighborhood children unable to leave the city during Memorial Day weekend soon became an event to share and celebrate community, Puerto Rican and Latino culture, as well as the social and cultural differences that make Loisaida such a vibrant neighborhood.
Today, with the over 15,000 attendants from all walks of life and ages that congregate at the festival each year, #LoisaidaFest2015 is the landmark event for Latino historical and contemporary contributions to the downtown area, bridging cultural and generational divides.
Schedule of events and details:
Friday, May 22, 2015 (8:00PM-10:00PM) – In Performing Queer Latin@ Loisaida: A Cabaret some of New York City’s most legendary Queen Latin@ performance artists pay tribute to Loisaida’s long-standing tradition of LGBTQ Latin@ artistic expression, experimentation, and activism with a one night performance.
Saturday, May 23, 2015 (1:00PM – 5:30PM) – Reconstructing Queer Latin@ Loisaida in Cinema, Literature, and Art: An event to celebrate the often overlooked contribution of Queer Latin@ artists and activists to the Lower East Side’s rich cultural fabric.
Sunday, May 24, 2015 (11:00AM – 5:00PM) – Loisaida Inc. will celebrate the 28th Annual Loisaida Festival, which includes an opening Carnival Procession, Main Stage performances, and a Theater Lab at La Plaza Cultural. Hosted by actor Luis Guzman.
**Additional information available upon request (information, event timeline, interview schedules, etc.)
About Loisaida Inc:
Loisaida, Inc. is a Latino-based non-profit community development organization affiliated to Acacia Network. Located in the Lower East Side, it boasts over 30 years of award-winning innovative programs in education, arts, culture and community development focused on highlighting the contributions of Latinos to the vibrant cultural fabric of downtown Manhattan. One of the events Loisaida, Inc. is best known for is the Loisaida Festival, a Festival that has long celebrated Latino culture in the Lower East Side while also highlighting the community’s rich diversity. This year’s event is presented by Popular Community Bank. Additional major sponsors are the Hispanic Federation, Phipps Houses, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, ConEdison, Well Care, among others.