Carnaval del Barrio is a fun family street fair in El Barrio, East Harlem.
Carnaval del Barrio 2019
The 2019 Carnaval del Barrio street fair is on 116th Street between 2nd Ave and Lexington in El Barrio, East Harlem from Friday to Sunday, August 2-4, 2019 from 12pm to 8pm. FREE.
On Friday rides are free from 4pm to 6pm.
MC’s Roberto Claudio and Rafael Vidal welcome performers including the Palladium Mambo All-Stars, Grupo los Primos, Conjunto Yambu, and Kevin Tapia.
Carnival del Barrio used to be Carnaval Aguadillano
The Fair used to be called Carnaval Aguadillano, for the people of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Aguadilla on Puerto Rico’s west coast is famous for Crash Boat beach, a kite festival, surfing and sunsets.
New York street fairs are a bit like the Fiestas Patronales (patron saint festivals) that take place in small towns all over Puerto Rico every single weekend.
The entire town hangs out on the street for food, live music carnival rides and games. It’s really fun to see everyone having a good time. You can sing and dance on the street and nobody thinks you are crazy.
116th Street
116th Street is one of the main streets in El Barrio, East Harlem.
The name “Spanish Harlem” is from the days when the neighborhood was Spanish Cuban. El Barrio has long been a Puerto Rican neighborhood. Nowadays, it is becoming Mexican.