Though the 2015 holiday season may be coming to a close, there is still one more chance to celebrate.
The second annual Three Kings Day Parranda will begin in Jackson Heights on Jan. 3 at 12:30 p.m. The event is celebrated in Latin America and Spain to commemorate the 12th day of Christmas and the three wise men who traveled to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus.
Hosted by the 82nd Street Partnership, R. Evolucion Latina and bookstore Centro Cultural Barco de Papel, the festivities will begin at Manuel de Dios Unanue Triangle, located at 83rd Street and Roosevelt Avenue. Luis Salgado, Puerto Rican performer, director and choreographer will lead the crowd ― who will be singing traditional Christmas songs from Latin America and Puerto Rico ― along Baxter Avenue to 82nd Street and then Roosevelt Avenue.
Joining Salgado will be Bombayo, a Bronx-based group that aims to preserve the Afro-Puerto Rican tradition of bomba. A 300-year-old music genre, bomba melds Congolese and West African roots with aboriginal and European music.
Centro Cultural Barco de Papel in Elmhurst will be the last stop of the journey and children will receive free books and participate in art and dance workshops, according to the 82nd Street Partnership. The event is free and will end at 3 p.m.
