Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno is promoting a campaign launched on Thursday, November 12, inviting travelers to Puerto Rico to experience what it calls the world’s longest Christmas season, running from Thanksgiving to February through the island’s cultural traditions. The campaign, titled 'Parranda Mode: ON' and announced by Discover Puerto Rico, the private organization that markets the island as a tourist destination, runs until February 9, 2027 and draws on parrandas, the Puerto Rican tradition of surprise musical visits in which dozens of people arrive at homes with instruments and songs.
Before you know it, you're singing, someone is handing you a plate of food and you're part of the celebration.
"The best thing about a parranda is that you don’t stay a spectator for long. Before you know it, you’re singing, someone is handing you a plate of food and you’re part of the celebration. Travel to Puerto Rico and live that spirit for yourself," Moreno said in a statement.
Discover Puerto Rico projects direct visitor spending in Puerto Rico could reach $9.5 billion this year, a 6.5% increase over the $9 billion generated by that segment during 2025. The island’s Christmas traditions extend through Three Kings’ Day, Las Octavitas and the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián in San Juan, while the Ponce Carnival festivities in February offer another chance to experience the island’s music, art and community celebrations.
"Puerto Rico’s traditions are an invitation to take part. Travelers can meet the artisans behind the vejigante masks, discover the stories behind our Christmas dishes and enjoy the music that unites our communities," said Jorge Pérez, the organization’s executive director. The campaign also highlights Puerto Rico’s celebrations through special integrations on Thursday at the Latin Grammy Awards and some of the season’s most emblematic Christmas moments, such as Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from late November and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting in New York, among others.
The YouTube series 'Artisans Hands’ and 'Boricua Friend' will offer another way to discover the island through local perspectives, along with content on craftsmanship and the diaspora to be shared during November and December on Discover Puerto Rico’s social channels.