From 167th to 169th: The Bronx Dominican Parade in Two Blocks

Photography by Mack Minaya

It didn’t take long for the Bronx Dominican Parade to completely pack out the streets. What was somewhat of a teen takeover also filled each block with inter-generational Dominican culture: Chuchero speakers blasting dembow and bachata, hookah smoke filling the air, flag capes flying off people’s backs, and Dominican street food and drink vendors selling out by the hour.

While we saw thousands of unique faces within a span of four hours, the NYPD closed the blocks between 167th and 169th Streets, trapping people and forcing them to walk back and forth for two blocks until it got too crowded to hold that many people. Soon enough, the streets flooded, ending the parade and causing large block parties within every block behind Grand Concourse.

Photography by Mack Minaya

Every block, regardless of whether we could barely walk through the large crowds, found a way to dance and find joy in the streets. Cars may have been destroyed in the process, but the community came together to embrace Dominican culture nonetheless. It almost seemed as though those car owners cared more about people having fun than people jumping on their cars, damaging their hoods, windshields, and roofs.

Inside and outside of the parade, we also ran into some notable faces, like Biggie, Papera, Bigoblin, Fanum, and many more. We can’t forget to mention the unique animals we saw throughout the parade as well, including a social snake. Check out the photos shot by Mack Minaya.