Hispanic Heritage Month 2013 NYC Parade Schedule and Performers: Oct. 13 Event Features Bachata Heightz
Hispanic Heritage Month comes to an end on Oct. 15, and New York City will celebrate its culmination with the Hispanic Day Parade, starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13.
Given past parade attendance, this year is expected to have a big turnout as well.
The parade will draw more than 1 million people to Manhattan's Fifth Avenue -- from 44th to 77th Streets to cheer the more than 10,000 parade participants, reports the New York Daily News, which is also a sponsor of the parade.
For the ninth straight year, the New York Daily News will present the Cultural Appreciation Award, along with Macy's.
The Cultural Appreciation Award is given to the country whose music, dances and costumes are best represented at the event. In the past, Bolivia, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Guatemala have been recipients of the award.
According to the NY Daily News, its float will be bursting with urban bachata thanks to the presence of Washington Heights' own Bachata Heightz. The family-based quartet (they are cousins and brothers) will perform the hit songs "Me Puedo Matar" from their 2009 debut "The First, and their recent single "Astronauta."
"It makes us proud to represent not only the city, but the Latino community, but the people of Latin America and the whole Latino race, said the band's vocalist Jerry (Jay) Garcia.
"Bachata is getting bigger and bigger," bassist Diego (Dee Major) Capellan told the NY Daily News, in light of their international success that next month will have them headlining the Bachata Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia.
"I think it's becoming the new pop," Capellan added. "Artists like Enrique Iglesias and Thalia are doing bachata. And even people in Russia can relate to it, because it's a rhythm that captivates you and makes you want to dance when you're happy, but if you're sad, you listen to the lyrics. That's the beauty of bachata."