The 34th Annual [Virtual] Loisaida Festival – Sunday, May 23rd & Sunday, May 30th at 2:00 pm – will feature a solid roster of musicians and performers, artistry, and overall family entertainment, comparable to only the best Latinx Heritage Festivals in the world.
The musical lineup includes: world-renowned Mexican singer & actor Fernando Allende; Afro-Caribbean/electronic music project ÌFÉ; Puerto Rican folk singer Chabela Rodríguez; Afro-Brazilian Samba Reggae All-Female Band Batalá, and acclaimed local contemporary R&B Soul-Jazz artist Duendita as well as Linda Díaz, the winner of NPR’s 2020 Tiny Desk Contest. Also featuring a short film by the Puerto Rican theater troupe Y No Había Luz, a Cuchifritos cooking demonstration by María Bido part of La Cocina de Loisaida, a monologue by Loisaida Artistic Residency recipient Haus of Dust, and much more…
This year’s theme, ¡Viva Loisaida!, celebrates the Lower East Side’s roots, the elements that characterize the neighborhood, and its residents’ resiliency, creativity, growth, and unity.
The official artwork for the 34th Annual [Virtual] Loisaida Festival was created by João Salomão, a local Brazilian artist also known as PIXOTE, whose distinctive style is heavily influenced by the Brazilian Pixação graffiti tradition. The commemorative poster for this year’s festival was inspired by the LES punk and hip hop’s NYC graffiti scene of the late eighties and nineties that helped form João’s artistic practice. With this year’s design, the artist also pays homage to Loisaida’s documentary photographer Marlis Momber, also well known as the co-producer of “Viva Loisaida”, a 1978 film documenting life in the late 70’s Loisaida neighborhood.
Since 1987, the Loisaida Festival has honored its history by providing a platform to celebrate arts & culture through music, dance, arts, cuisine, and other cultural manifestations representative of the diverse ethnic groups and nationalities that make up the fabric of the neighborhood. It also serves as a vehicle to share information and spread awareness about local community and city-wide initiatives and resources as well as year-round community programming by Loisaida, Inc. Finally, we are inviting Community Partners to submit a short video message to include during the live programming, please visit this link for more information.
The 34th Annual Loisaida Festival will stream live on Sunday, May 23rd & Sunday, May 30th at 2:00 pm via Facebook and YouTube and right here on this page!
