Closures and parade routes: What to know for Philly’s Carnaval de Puebla

Philly’s annual El Carnaval de Puebla is coming back to town—this time with an estimated 15,000 revelers in tow.

The event is one of the biggest Latin American festivals in the city and features paraders walking up 16th Street and down Washington Avenue before meeting at a South Philly park. There, they’re holding the festival itself, complete with food and music from four live bands—two of which are from Mexico.

The event was canceled last year due to concerns over deportations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), NBC reported.

When is the Carnaval de Puebla?

The festival begins Sunday morning, first with a welcome celebration at 1417 Moore street at 8 a.m., according to UWishunu Philadelphia. The parade itself starts at 12:30 p.m. and runs until about 2 p.m., according to the city’s office of special events (OSE).

Where will marchers travel?

Revelers will line up for the parade at South 16th and Moore streets around noon. From there, they’ll travel up to Washington Street before turning right and traveling all the way down to 4th Street, according to the OSE. They’ll convene at Sacks Playground after the parade for a festival.

How will transit be affected?

The route of travel—meaning a stretch of 16th Street and a stretch of Washington Avenue—will undergo a “rolling closure” during the parade, according to Bob Allen of the OSE. That means police will ride with the paraders, closing streets only as the parade goes by. However, there’s no set closure in place.

Via googlemaps

The takeaway? You can drive behind the parade, but it might just be faster to choose another route.

How to get there?

If you’re in another part of the city and want to make it to the parade, SEPTA’s Broad Street Line is your best bet. Get off at the Tasker-Morris stop and walk a mere three blocks to find the start of the parade, or hop off at Ellsworth-Federal and walk to Washington to catch a seat in the middle of the parade. If you want to make it to the festival in the park, take the bus. The 57 and 64 both stop in the area.

If you’re driving in from outside of the city—people are rumored to be coming from as far away as New England for the fest—taking I-95 to Columbus Boulevard is likely the best option.

What else to know

The festival honors Mexico’s victory at the Battle of Puebla in the mid 1800’s. Also, the weather is supposed to reach a high of 53 degrees Sunday and, while that’s a little chilly, the sun should be out and shining.

If you need more information, check out the festival’s website.

• Carnaval de Puebla is back after last year’s cancellation [NBC10]
• Carnaval de Puebla celebrates Mexican heritage [UWishunu Philadelphia]
• The battalions of the Carnival of Philadelphia [Carnavaldepuebla.com]