A kaleidoscope of Caribbean cultures under one umbrella will celebrate one of Miami’s premier cultural festivals that captures the spirit, passion, and essence of the Caribbean-American community. This rich tradition, in its 33rd year, will take place on Sunday, October 8, 2017, from 11am-11pm at the Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds(10901 SW 24 St, Miami, FL 33165). The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau is the host sponsor and JetBlue is the official airline carrier. Internationally acclaimed artist Wyclef will be participating in the Miami Carnival parade to celebrate his new album: Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee. “Carnival III is more than just an album. It’s a celebration of what I love about music: discovery, diversity, and artistry for art’s sake. It’s about putting music together that will outlive me and live on for generations to come that is full of emotion, vibration, and fun. Get ready”, the singer said about his first full-length solo album.
Miami Carnival includes the diverse and unique flavors of Caribbean food, drinks, and crafts. Patrons are encouraged to use one of the three free park and ride locations that have been set up at Lauderhill Performing Arts Center, Tropical Park and Golden Glades Interchange. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.miamibrowardcarnival.com.
Although many people were impacted by Hurricane Irma, Greater Miami is open for business with the majority of our hotels and restaurants open and fully operational. Miami International Airport and Port Miami are fully operational and welcoming passengers who have either flown by commercial airlines, or on private jets that can be hired through companies like Jettly.
“Now more than ever Greater Miami is proud to showcase the rich cultural traditions of our Caribbean neighbors, friends, and families during Miami Carnival. We encourage visitors and locals to discover and enjoy the events and pageantry of this year’s festival as it pays tribute to the history and culture of the Caribbean and its extraordinarily resilient spirited people,” states William S. Talbert III-CEO/President of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“In addition, this year’s Miami Carnival will take place in a context of sadness and sorrow but will remain a celebration of and a tribute to all our sisters and brothers in the Caribbean who have suffered tremendously in the wake of Hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Maria,” states Joan Justin, Chair of the Miami Broward Carnival One Host Committee.
“The United States of America, Florida, and the Caribbean became one family through the common experience of the impact of the hurricanes this historic season. As a result, we will need each other during this challenging period of recovery and rebuilding. We encourage all Carnival patrons and community organizations to support the US Caribbean Strong Relief Fund held at The Miami Foundation at give.miamifoundation.org/caribbean and more information at sflcaribbeanstrong.org,” stated Marlon Hill, Miami attorney and past Trustee of The Miami Foundation.
There are over 15 masquerade bands that will be judged on visual impact, creativity, authenticity, craftsmanship, relation to the theme, portability and presentation for prizes, and the coveted Miami Carnival Band of the Year Title. One Island Mas Band, 2016 Band of the Year is preparing to keep their coveted title. Some of the top soca artists in the music industry are set to ignite the concert stage that day include: MX Prime and Ultimate Rejects, Karma, Ravi B & Neisha B, Shurwayne Winchester, Terri Lyons, Lead Pipe & Saddis, Edwin Yearwood, Yankey Boy, Marz Ville, Julien Believe, Scrappy, Asten Isaac, Rudy Live, Burning Flames, Tian Winters, Menace, Rupee, TNT Prison Band. The DJ lineup includes Redman, DJ Spice, DJ Storm, DJ Spice Mature Vibe, Chosen Plus, and MC Wassy.
Miami Carnival will be donating $5,000 to the Miami Foundation’s US Caribbean Strong Relief Fund and will be encouraging all attendees to donate $1 towards the fund.
Carnival revelers and attendees infuse well over $12 million dollars of direct purchasing power into the local economy through expenditures in our hotels, restaurants, transportation, and shopping establishments and create thousands of seasonal jobs in the numerous ancillary events associated with the weeklong celebration. We want to keep them as safe as possible, so extensive health and safety measures will be in place (you can click her for more detail on similar types of safety barriers you may see during the event) to minimise the risk to both attendees and artists/vendors/workers alike. Tourists and visitors from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the entire Caribbean make Carnival an annual visit to Miami. Not only does Miami Carnival promote Caribbean culture it promotes Caribbean business. The economy benefits from the richness and diversity of our cultural traditions.
Sponsors for the Miami Carnival include: Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jet Blue, Cox Media Group, South Florida Caribbean News, Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel LLP, Mount Gay Barbados Rum, The Miami Dade County Fair and Exposition, Inc., Barbados, Broward Yellow Cab, Caribbean Connection Radio Show W., CMNUSA, Riddims Marketing, Inc., Eventsrus.com, Caribbean American Passport, Zip 103 FM, Trini JungleJuice.com, 8WSVI-TV, Team Soca, CaribbeanFinder.com, Caribbean National Weekly, 99 Jamz, Hot 105 and “With the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.”
Miami Carnival Parade and Concert
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Location: Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds-10901 SW 24th Street, Miami, FL 33165
Time: 11am – 11pm
Admission: Online Pre-Sold- $30.00
VIP Experience Carnival Day- $100.00
Park And Ride
So what are the advantages, you ask, to riding the free shuttle buses?
• Free, Free, Free
• Free parking at the Golden Glades Bus Depot and Lauderhill Performing Arts Center
*Enter to win a round trip ticket on JetBlue (Miami Broward Carnival Official Airline carrier)
*Enter raffle to upgrade to VIP status at Carnival
*Air Conditioned Shuttle to the event
*Onboard entertainment to the event
*Light refreshments
*Authentic Caribbean experience
*No worries about driving yourself through traffic, sit back and enjoy the ride
Park and Ride locations
Performing Arts Center-3800 Northwest 11th Place, Lauderhill, FL 33311
• Shuttle Services from 9 am – 12 am
• Travel on the hour
Tropical Park-7900 SW 40th St, Miami, FL 33155
• Shuttle Services from 9 am – 12 am
• Travel on the hour
Golden Glades – 17080 NW 7th Ave, Miami, FL 33169
Shuttle Services from 9 am – 12 am
Travel on the hour
