Three Kings Day 2026
El Museo’s cherished Three Kings Day Parade returns to the streets of El Barrio on Tuesday, January 6. This year’s theme, ¡Pa’lante, Siempre Pa’lante! (“Forward, Always Forward!”), is inspired by the legacy of the Young Lords and the enduring traditions of cultural resistance and mutual care in East Harlem.
The vibrant procession will begin at 106th Street and Park Avenue, ending at 115th Street and Park Avenue, and will feature lively music, colorful floats, majestic camels, and the joyful participation of thousands of schoolchildren and community members. Performers and honored guests to be announced.
Sponsors
Thank you to the Harlem Community Development Corporation for their generous support for this event.
Thank you to our media sponsor, Univision, for partnering with us for this event.
Community Sponsors
El Museo’s public programs are made possible by the generous support of New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Council, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.
schedule day-of
8:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Kick-off Breakfast in El Café at El Museo del Barrio
Kick-off breakfast with Honorary Kings, Madrinas and Padrinos, and Elected Officials.
- 8:30 AM – Doors Open
- 9:00 AM – Program starts
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | The Parade
The parade begins at 106th Street and Park Avenue and moves East towards Third Avenue. Marchers make a left on Third Avenue until 116th Street, ending at 115th Street and Park Avenue. Check in for groups begins at 10 AM on 106th Street. Come celebrate from start to finish—spectators welcome all along the route.
schedule day-of
Three Kings Day Parade
Be part of the excitement!
From December 4, 2025 through January 30, 2026, schools and community groups are invited to request a guided visit. Participants will explore the Taíno, African, and European influences behind this beloved celebration, discover the stories, music, and art that inspire the parade, and create their own artwork in a hands-on workshop. Space is limited. Book your visit today!
Want to march in the parade?
Want to participate in our Banner Contest?
K-12 school groups can join our annual Banner Contest. The winning class will march in the top spot reserved for schools, showcasing their creativity and artwork to the entire community. Full guidelines here.
Want to volunteer at the parade or learn more?
We’d love to hear from you at [email protected].
Kings & Honorees
Kings
Diana Ayala
Diana Ayala has represented New York City’s 8th Council District from 2022 to 2025, serving East Harlem and the South Bronx. Prior to that, Ayala came into office in 2018. With nearly two decades of experience in social services and government, she is a leading advocate for affordable housing, gun violence prevention, mental health, and senior services. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in NYC, Ayala’s lived experiences fuel her commitment to equity and community-centered policymaking. A former Senior Center Director and Deputy Chief of Staff to Speaker of the New York City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Ayala is known for compassionate and effective leadership. Diana lives in East Harlem wth her partner, is a mother of four, grandmother of three, and rescuer of multiple pets.
Eddie Palmieri
His daughter, Gabby Palmieri will represent him in in his honor
Eddie Palmieri, one of the most influential pianists and composers of the past decades, was a pioneering force in salsa and Latin jazz. He grew up on 112th Street, a few blocks from El Museo del Barrio, to become one of the most groundbreaking musicians and performers of the late 20th century, translating his Puerto Ricaness, NuYorkness, and barrio-ness into the global language of music. Born to Puerto Rican parents and raised in the Bronx, Palmieri fused the rhythms of his heritage with the complexity of jazz influences like Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock. In 1961, he formed La Perfecta, whose innovative trombone-heavy sound transformed Latin music. A ten-time Grammy winner and NEA Jazz Master, Palmieri’s groundbreaking works—such as “Azucar Pa’ Ti” and Harlem River Drive—bridged genres from salsa to funk and jazz. He continues to inspire generations through performance, recording, and mentorship. Eddie Palmieri, one of the most precious gifts El Barrio has ever given the rest of the world
Jonathan Inoa
Jonathan Inoa is a veteran broadcaster with over 30 years of experience in radio and television, known for his strong voice, credibility, and commitment to excellence. He began his career as a teenager at Radio Oasis in the Dominican Republic and later earned a Communications degree from the City College of New York. Inoa has worked with WHCR 90.3 FM, Radio Cumbre, and CIMA TV, producing acclaimed documentaries such as Así es la República Dominicana and Así es Nueva York. From 2004 to 2021, he was a leading reporter at NY1 Noticias. He now anchors at Univision 41 New York, serving the Latino community with integrity and passion.
MADRINAS
Leenda Bonilla
Leenda Bonilla is a DiaspoRican artist, community organizer, and civic engagement leader blending creative social practice with community preservation and resilience. Her work resists displacement in El Bronx and El Barrio, nurturing sustainable connections that celebrate culture and civic participation. She’s a board member of The Bronx Council on the Arts and a NYC Civic Engagement Commission representative. A longtime advisor and Three Kings Committee member at El Museo del Barrio, she uplifts community-driven cultural programming. Showcasing May 20, 2026 (Opening), at El Barrio Artspace, Leenda’s passion venture, ‘The Bata Project’ (started in 2023-Present) explores Boricua women’s connection to the traditional bata dress, celebrating visual arts and community events, elevating the urban/island folklore, bridging worlds in New York, Puerto Rico, and beyond.
Maritza Carmona
Maritza Carmona is a government affairs, cultural strategist, and non-profit leader working at the intersection of culture, civic participation, and public media. She has dedicated her career to serving New Yorkers through cultural and civic programming, and supporting artists and institutions committed to equity and access. Her work includes securing major public investment for city-wide initiatives, advocating for policies that strengthen the cultural sector and community media, and developing strategies that broaden civic engagement and center the voices of every-day New Yorkers. Maritza is guided by the belief that art and culture are engines for civic participation, creating spaces where people connect, collaborate, and shape public life.
Johanna Fernández
Johanna Fernández is an Associate Professor of 20th-Century U.S. History at Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center, and the acclaimed author of The Young Lords: A Radical History. Her book has received the American Book Award, the New York City Book Award, and top honors from the Organization of American Historians. Through a landmark FOIL lawsuit, she successfully recovered more than one million NYPD surveillance files, significantly expanding public accountability. She is also co-director of the Latinx Freedom Movement Archive and Exhibition Project and is currently completing a new book examining the historical roots of U.S. fascism.
Lillian Jimenez
For more than four decades, Lillian Jiménez has been a pioneering force in independent media as a producer, educator, curator, and national organizer. She has been at the forefront of advancing media literacy about power and race, creating spaces for critical dialogue and representation. Her leadership includes work with Third World Newsreel, the Funding Exchange, and as curator of the National Latino Film and Video Festival at El Museo del Barrio. Jiménez also developed Seeing Through AIDS, an interactive media training used by hundreds of healthcare workers to explore social and racial dynamics in public health. A co-founder of NALIP and the Paul Robeson Fund for Film and Video, she has championed equitable access to public media. In 2024, she co-chaired the Antonia Pantoja Centennial, honoring one of the most influential Latina leaders in U.S. history.
Rev. Dorlimar Lebrón Malavé
Rev. Dorlimar Lebrón Malavé emerges from East Harlem’s living history, where struggle, spirituality, and community converge. A Puerto Rican pastor shaped by liberation theology and global people’s movements, she has ministered on the frontlines of justice. As lead pastor of the First Spanish United Methodist Church, The People’s Church, from 2018–2024, she transformed a historic sanctuary into a hub for mutual aid, cultural affirmation, and political consciousness. Her leadership bridges local struggles—from Puerto Rico and New York to Palestine—advancing leadership and reimagining spaces as engines of community power. She calls Church to accountability, faith to action, and love as liberation.
PADRINOS
vagabond Alexander Beaumont
vagabond is an artist, writer, award-winning filmmaker, and cultural theorist whose work fuses radical imagination with political resistance. He is the co-founder of the RICANSTRUCTION Network and the writer-director of the internationally acclaimed film MACHETERO, which has received six major awards. His voice also appears in the groundbreaking speculative fiction anthology Octavia’s Brood. He recently completed the documentary All Roads Lead to the Fire Escape on Jesús Papoleto Meléndez, and his forthcoming art book The Art of Resistance will be published in 2026 following his landmark solo exhibition at Taller Boricua.
Michael Paul Britto
Michael Paul Britto is a multidisciplinary contemporary artist whose work spans video, photography, sculpture, collage, and performance. A graduate of the City College of New York, he has held prestigious residencies at The Bronx Museum and Smack Mellon, with exhibitions at El Museo del Barrio, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and internationally at the Victoria and Albert Museum. His work has been featured in the New York Times and other leading publications. Deeply committed to arts education, Britto is also a teaching artist and co-founder of the Young Men of Color film and video training program at Downtown Community Television, mentoring the next generation of visual storytellers.
Wallace Edgecombe
Wallace Edgecombe is the Founding Executive Director (Retired) of the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture and one of the Bronx’s most influential cultural institution builders. Over a decades-long career, he transformed the Center into a nationally respected performing arts venue dedicated to Caribbean, Latin American, and African diasporic culture. Under his leadership, Hostos became a cultural anchor for the borough, expanding access to world-class performances, youth education, and community-based programming. His legacy reflects visionary leadership, deep community investment, and an unwavering commitment to cultural excellence and accessibility.
Nelson Matthew Gonzalez
Bronx-born Nelson Matthew Gonzalez is a master percussionist, dancer, and culture bearer of Afro-Puerto Rican musical traditions. Raised in a family of musicians and folklorists, including his grandfather Benny Ayala, he began formal training at the Harbor Conservatory at age eleven. He has performed with Los Pleneros de la 21, the Latin Heart Orchestra, and Grammy-nominated artist Bobby Sanabria, among many others. A longtime member of Danza Fiesta, he co-founded the 11-piece bomba and plena orchestra Kinto Zonó in 2017, bringing New York–rooted Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms to stages across the diaspora.
Tony Martinez
Tony Martinez is a trailblazing cultural entrepreneur with over three decades of leadership in media, branding, and community-centered business development. He co-founded Stress magazine in 1995 and later launched latinflava.com, a pioneering online platform for Latino lifestyle and entertainment. He went on to lead Latino marketing for the New York Post’s Tempo and founded Kinetix, an award-winning experiential marketing agency. In 2020, he opened BarrioBX as a restaurant and cultural hub celebrating Bronx and Puerto Rican identity. In 2024, BarrioBX earned a historic Michelin nomination.
EVENT HOST
