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| MIAMI-BROWARD 'ONE' CARNIVAL ACTION
Miami Carnival Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and represented the merging of two separate Miami Carnival Organizations – Caribbean American Carnival (incorporated in 1991) and Carnival Association of South Florida (incorporated in 1996), who had previously held competing Carnivals on the same date. Also included in the merger were representatives of the original West Indian American Day Carnival Association (incorporated in 1984). Miami Carnival has been an Annual Event since 1984. Within two years of its inception, it had grown from a small neighborhood festival to an international event bringing live bands and calypsonians from the islands. Inquiries came from New York and other major cities. The present Carnival, the Caribbean Mardi Gras, has become the foremost revenue-producing festival for South Florida and is the most popular Carnival in North America, with airline and hotel bookings being confirmed as early as November of each year for the following October’s Carnival. The “Caribbean Carnival Circuit” starts in February with Trinidad & Tobago and ends in October with Miami. In 1993 the International Caribbean Carnival Association was incorporated and this organization is still headquartered in Miami. The President, Treasurer and Trustee of ICCA are all Board Members of Miami Carnival Inc. The first Junior (Kiddies) Carnival Parade was held in 1990 at Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami on the day before the Miami Carnival. The Junior Carnival grew by leaps and bounds each year, with categories of competition being added each year. In its ongoing outreach program and acknowledging the thousands of Caribbean residents in Broward County, Miami Carnival Inc. partnered with the Broward County Library in 2002 to present the First Annual Miami Carnival • Broward County Library Kiddies Carnival and the City of Fort Lauderdale agreed to include it as a part of their Sun Trust Jazz Brunch on October 6th, one week prior to the Miami Carnival Parade. The Carnival was a huge success and it was again held in Broward County in 2004. In 2004, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Miami Carnival, this huge event was brought back to its home in Miami-Dade County. In 2005 it was celebrated at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove, one week before Columbus Day. Downtown Miami - NE 1st Avenue @ NE 17th Street, Miami was home for the 2006 Parade & Festival featuring over 25 Mas Bands and Steelbands, Live Entertainment - Soca Stars Performing live. For 2007, the parade will be held on Sunday Oct. 7th, 2007 at Bicentennial Park featuring entertainment by Alison Hinds and many more. Call our Hotline for more info 305-653-1877. Broward Caribbean Carnival is a Caribbean cultural event which was held in Broward County for the first time in 2003, on the Sunday before Columbus Day, the event culminates in a costumed street parade and carnival extravaganza. By the year 2008 this event is anticipated to be the largest of it’s kind in North America, thus becoming an integral part of the Caribbean American calendar. This style of carnival originated in the mecca of carnival itself, Trinidad and Tobago, and has been exported to every island in the Caribbean, many major cities in the US and Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Sweden. In fact, one of the top Carnival designers from Trinidad, Peter Minshall, was responsible for the opening and closing shows at the Summer Olympic Games held in Atlanta in 1996. Broward Caribbean Carnival features dozens of bands (groups) of masqueraders, which make up in total some 2,000 performers with the potential to grow. Each band comprises approximately 100 masqueraders, wearing exotic and often extravagant costumes. The parade also includes steel bands, large individual costumes, the Kings and Queens of each band, and a variety of Caribbean music. On the Sunday of the carnival, these bands parade on the route accompanied by live music, DJ.’s on large trucks and steelbands. The street parade, which is approximately two (2) miles long, culminates in the park where a competition is held for the title of “Band of the Year” in various categories. The competition and other activities in the park attract over 50,000 patrons, and there are thousands more who view the parade on the street. |
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