National Carnival Parade 2026 Announced, Dedicated to Puerto Plata

The ministers of the Presidency, José Ignacio Paliza, and of Culture, Roberto Ángel Salcedo, announced the celebration of the 2026 National Carnival Parade, which will take place on Sunday, March 15, on the Santo Domingo boardwalk and will be dedicated to Puerto Plata, in recognition of its cultural identity and its contributions to the country’s carnival tradition.

“The National Carnival Parade is a living expression of our identity and a platform to project Dominican culture inside and outside the country. This dedication to Puerto Plata recognizes a tradition with its own characteristics and an unquestionable cultural value,” expressed Paliza.

During the meeting with the media, it was announced that photographer Mariano Hernández will be the king of the 2026 National Carnival Parade, in recognition of his outstanding career as a documentarian of Dominican folklore, while communicator Zoila Luna will assume the title of queen, in merit of her extensive and sustained career in national radio and television. It was also detailed that the parade will feature the participation of international guests, including the Carnival of Blacks and Whites of Pasto, Colombia, declared an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO, and representatives of the Independent League of Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro.

You can also read:

The organizers project the participation of some 170 comparsas and around 9,000 members, including artists, musicians, dancers and artisans, in an assembly that will bring together traditional expressions, fantasy proposals and popular creativity. The dedication to Puerto Plata seeks to highlight one of the most distinctive carnival manifestations in the country, characterized by its maritime identity and by the taimáscaro, an emblematic character of the province, created in 1991 as an identifying seal of its carnival.