Dear Participant,

The Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. is excited to announce the 2010 Parade and Concert!  Always celebrated the last Sunday in June, the annual parade and concert are scheduled for SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2010.  Everyone is welcome to participate!

Enclosed you will find the Rules of Participation, Award Categories, Criteria and the Participation Form to be completed and returned, along with the $25 registration fee. We encourage you to submit the Participation Form and registration fee as soon as possible.  The deadline is Friday, June 18, 2010. Each participant must submit a completed Participation Form.

NEW PARADE ROUTE! The parade will begin at 4th & Elm Street, turn left on Third Street and travel straight down Third Street. The judges’ stage will be located at Third & Washington Streets. An estimated 30,000 spectators attend every year.  If you are interested in participating, contact Juan J. Gonzalez, Parade Coordinator at (856) 757-9600. 

Each Puerto Rican town celebrates fiestas patronales, which are Patron Saint Festivals, and many towns have additional festivals, which honor cultural icons like Bomba y Plena, Danza, Salsa, hamacas and popular crops such as plantains and coffee. This country puts a premium on celebration.

Since John the Baptist is the patron saint of the Island and the namesake of the capital city (San Juan), his day is widely celebrated by big parties on the beaches. One tradition is to walk backward into the ocean and fall in at the end of the party.

Sincerely,

Juan J. Gonzalez, Esq.

President and Parade Coordinator