THE NATIONAL PUERTO RICAN PARADE CELEBRATES FIFTY YEARS HONORING RICKY MARTIN AS THE “KING OF THE PARADE”

The National Puerto Rican Parade is the largest parade and one of the biggest cultural events in the nation. As it celebrates its 50th Anniversary it will recognize Puerto Rico’s top-selling recording artist of all-time with a newly created honor. This year Ricky Martin has been named “El Rey Del Desfile” (“The King of the Parade.” This special first-time title serves to acknowledge both Martin’s groundbreaking musical accomplishments and his extensive work to protect children across the globe. The Parade will be held on Sunday June 10th along Fifth Avenue in New York City and broadcast live.

Madelyn Lugo, President of the National Puerto Rican Parade Committee says, “Throughout its history, the Parade has awarded many personalities the titles of Grand Marshall and Padrino. As we move beyond our fiftieth year of existence, it’s fitting to create a new title to recognize Ricky Martin, an individual who is not only one of the world’s greatest entertainers, but, more importantly, a true humanitarian. Through it all he has always expressed his pride as a Puerto Rican and a Latino. He has served as one of our greatest ambassadors and we can’t think of a better role model to honor as the ‘King of the Parade.”

Flattered by the news, Martin has responded, "I am honored and very humbly accept the invitation to participate in the 50th Anniversary of the National Puerto Rican Parade. With its rendering tribute to our roots and culture, the parade is an outstanding tradition that strengthens our Boricua pride. I look forward to being there and celebrating with all of you."

The designation as “El Rey Del Desfile” is the latest chapter in an extraordinary year for Martin, filled with continued chart-topping success, concert attendance records, charitable work born of deep personal conviction and special career recognition, such as his recent selection as the “Person of the Year” at the LATIN GRAMMY Awards.

Unquestionably the leading Latin Music figure of his generation, Martin’s instinctive understanding of rhythm, passion for performing, willingness to take creative risks and natural charisma has led him down a musical path of both artistry and superstardom. Having spearheaded Latin music’s current global surge, Martin’s most recent release Ricky Martin: MTV Unplugged, sees the multiple-GRAMMY winner performing in a lush acoustic environment in which his famed performance energy is directed into a compelling vocal showcase of both favorite Spanish language songs from throughout his career and three new songs specifically created for the record. Having debuted at #1 in the United States and numerous other countries, the critically acclaimed album finds Martin embracing indigenous Puerto Rican instrumentation on both the long-running #1 single “Tu Recuerdo” and recently released second single “Pegate.”

To the delight of his fans, Martin has also returned to the concert stage this year with his recently begun worldwide Black & White Tour. After naturally launching in Puerto Rico with a record setting, four consecutive sold-out nights at The Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum (performing for over 60,000 fans), the tour has been greeted by constantly sold-out stadiums & arenas across Latin America, including a sweep of all four-top prizes at the world’s largest Latin Music festival in Viña del Mar, Chile, and a performance to well over 50,000 fans in a single night in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Black & White Tour will appear across the United States in April & May, where partial proceeds from each ticket will be donated to support the work of The Ricky Martin Foundation (www.rickymartinfoundation.org), which advocates for the well being of children around the globe in critical areas such as social justice, education and health.

The National Puerto Rican Day Parade was established to create a national awareness and appreciation of Puerto Rican culture and its contributions to society. The Parade emphasizes the achievements of Puerto Ricans in all areas; including business, government, entertainment, and community affairs. It aims to encourage our youth to achieve their dreams and ambitions through education and hard work. The Parade’s mission is to enhance the self-esteem of Latinos and use their pride to promote economic development, education and cultural recognition, and advancement.

The Parade accomplishes its goals by coordinating and producing various cultural events and parades throughout the United States. It began as a local event fifty years ago and has now become a national juggernaut of enormous proportions that brings together major entertainers, political figures, cultural organizations, community groups and corporate sponsors with millions of attendees and television viewers. The National Puerto Rican Parade is broadcast live and featured as a major story in all print, radio and television media.

Press Contacts:
For The National Puerto Rican Parade
Sandy Jerez
GALOS Corp.
212-243-9855
galoscorp@aol.com

For Ricky Martin
John Reilly (U.S. English Media)
Rogers & Cowan
jreilly@rogersandcowan.com
212-445-8440

Róndine Alcalá (Spanish Tour Press)
Rondene PR
rondinealcala@rondenepr.com
(310) 462-1208

Helga Garcia (Puerto Rico)
Perfect Partners
helga@perfectpartnerspr.com
787-273-4240

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