Revelers can officially rejoice! The return of Carnival season is finally on the horizon.
The Miami Broward One Carnival Host Committee and the South Florida Carnival Bandleaders Association have announced that they will host the 37th annual Miami Carnival Cultural Festival this upcoming Columbus Day weekend.
“We are excited to once again be able to showcase the Miami Carnival in person,” says Joan Hinkson-Justin, Chair, Miami Broward One Carnival Host Committee.. “We have missed being able to present our pageantry, music, and Caribbean Culture with everyone. Our committee has been diligently working with both Miami -Dade, and Broward Counties to ensure that we can plan our cultural event, with the health and safety of our stakeholders and patrons as a key part of that plan.”
Every October, thousands of Carnival lovers descend upon the city of Miami to partake in fetes, glittery costumes, mas, and j’ouvert, all while Soca music is in the background reverberating from the speakers. The city, known for its diverse Caribbean heritage — due to its central adjacency to the region — will return to host one of the most popular Caribbean celebrations in the carnival circuit, with COVID safety measures, of course.
Last year’s carnival went virtual but given the increase in vaccinations distributed nationwide, producers of the event stated capacity could increase and other protocols could be relaxed if local COVID-19 positivity rates continue to decline.
“We are excited to again partner with Miami Carnival as they plan to navigate bringing the cultural event back to an in-person platform. With the generations of persons of Caribbean descent who have made Miami their home and the tourists coming in from other regions, Miami Carnival is an important part of our cultural tourism economy,” states Connie W. Kinnard, GMCVB Vice President, Multicultural Tourism & Development.
For more information and to keep up with official updates of 2021 Miami Carnival events and programming, please visit: https://miamicarnival.org.