Miami Carnival 2023 – a mesmerizing colorful splendor
Caribbean Life
Miami Carnival 2023 was nothing short of a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of exciting revelry, riveting music, and a barrage of titillating costumes, that left little to the imagination of spectators.
The masquerade parade of bands was held on Sunday, Oct.8. The moment you entered the zone, you felt the Miami heat, and the exhilarating Caribbean energy that is felt in any carnival atmosphere, whether New York, Miami, or Atlanta.
Miami Carnival celebrates 39 years of Caribbean culture in South Florida
CBS News
Miami Carnival celebrated 39 years of Caribbean culture in South Florida. It’s the largest Carnival celebration in the United States.
The celebration events are a culmination of music, costume, cuisine, and customs from several Caribbean countries bringing thousands of people to both Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Those who attend call the festivities unifying.
Testimonial to Miami Carnival
Conceived as a love letter to the people of Miami, Germane Barnes’ multi-scale installation draws on the vibrant visual language of *Miami Carnival*to honor the BIPOC communities who shape this incredibly dynamic city.
Listen to an audio clip of an interview with artist/architect Germane Barnes on WLRN’S Sundial.
Miami Carnival
When is Miami Carnival?
What is the Date of Miami Carnival 2023? Miami Carnival does not occur before the onset of Lent but is actually held in early October one week before Columbus Day. After a year of hiatus, the 39th annual Miami Carnival will take place on the 2023 Columbus Day weekend. In 2023, Columbus Day will take place on Monday, 9 October, 2023.
The official Miami Carnival events will take place between Friday and Sunday prior to Columbus Day which this year is from the October 6 – 9, 2023. The peak of Miami Carnival is Parade Day which always takes place the Sunday prior to Columbus Day the October 8, 2023.
Where is the Miami Carnival?
Where is Miami carnival held? The majority of carnival events will take place at the Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale. However, The Miami Carnival Parade of the Bands and Concert will take place in the Miami Dade County Fairgrounds.
15 Amazing Photos from Miami Carnival 2022
It was bacchanal time in Miami over Columbus Day weekend! The Miami Carnival 2022 extravaganza was nothing short of a cultural spectacle—which capped off the annual Caribbean Carnival season with an ostentatious display of West Indian music, fashion and culture.
Aside from the many masquerade bands that strutted their stuff in competition for prizes, pageantry, bragging rights and lifelong memories, this year’s Carnival goers were also able to catch live concert performances from the likes of Machel Montano, Burner Boy, Teejay, Patrice Roberts, Kes The Band, A-Team Band, Farmer Nappy, Teddyson John, Nadia Batson, Skinny Fabulous, Raymond & Dil E Nadan and many, many more of the diaspora’s premier soca acts.
What’s more, the week leading up to the Carnival parade finale was filled with nightly fetes all around Miami—often colloquially referred to as the ‘Magic City’. The photos below seek to bring life to the Miami Carnival 2022 happenings. Against this backdrop, check out 15 amazing photos from Miami Carnival 2022. Which shot is your favorite?
Pageantry Returns to South Florida With Miami Carnival Parade and Concert
For more than three decades, revelers have flocked to South Florida to experience Miami Carnival and that didn’t change in 2022 as thousands gathered to celebrate the Caribbean culture.
Held for the 38th time, the event – which began last weekend and concluded Sunday – included the annual J’ouvert on Saturday and the Carnival parade and concert at the Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds in southwest Miami-Dade.
Organizers said each year the event gets bigger and better.
“In Caribbean culture, Carnival was started when slaves wanted to express themselves and plantation owners did not want them to express themselves, so they started their own carnival,” said Miami Carnival legal advisor Marlon Hill.
Over 21 masquerade bands paraded throughout the Carnival in bold costumes expressing different themes of their ancestry and heritage.
“It’s all about your individual self-expression, through the costume, the food that you eat, through the music. Whether you love soca or calypso, punta, punta rock, salsa all those music reflected here,” Hill said.
Miami mas in full swing
Pageantry Returns to South Florida With Miami Carnival Parade and Concert
The 38th annual Miami Carnival goes in full swing this weekend with the official J’Ouvert on October 8 complemented with an all-new Jam Zone. Live performances will come from Neil “Iwer” George, Skinny Banton, and Tallpree, and attendee will be given paint and powder and a complimentary drink.
Over 30,000 Miami Carnival masqueraders are set to take part in the parade of bands and compete for prizes and the Band of the Year title. The Parade of Bands and Concert take place October 9, from 11 am-11 pm, at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition. Bands will be judged on creativity, craftsmanship, and presentation.
FILE: The Miami carnival Panorama event was held at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition, Inc., Miami, FL on October 7. – Courtesy Berment Photography
The all-star, mega soca concert will highlight the rich Caribbean tradition of culture, pageantry, and diversity, a media release said. The concert will showcase over 20 international artists from Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua, Haiti, St Lucia, and South Africa.
Ramajay Mas, Skinny Fabulous and Problem Child Win Big In Miami
All eyes are now on Trinidad and Tobago carnival 2023- this as Miami Carnival has ended and the results of major competitions have been tabulated.
The Miami Broward Host committee have eagerly shared news that Ramajay Mas International has secured the Band of the Year title with their presentation, “Wings of Desire.” The Carnival Road March title, which goes to the artist(s) whose song is played the most at judging points, went to St. Vincent and The Grenadines’ Problem Child and Skinny Fabulous. The track, “Danger,” has proven to be a forerunner ahead of the 2023 carnival season. Problem Child also took the second place title for his ‘wildness’ anthem, “ Nasty Up.”
Miami Carnival Returns in Full Swing
Miami Carnival, the highly anticipated and lively Caribbean festival that’s drawn locals and out-of-towners alike to Miami for almost four decades returns this weekend.
Event organizers, who were determined to keep the festive tradition alive in the face of the pandemic last year, say the two weekendlong celebrations will still go on despite Hurricane Ian, which is expected to make landfall in Florida by midday Thursday and is already dumping rain over Miami.
“If you know Caribbean folks, they [tend] to say ‘rain only stops crickets,’” John Beckford, chief marketing officer for Miami Carnival, told The Miami Times. “Miami Carnival will still take place. We pray for good weather and will go to our toolbox for weather contingencies, but if there is an order canceling all outside events, we’re prepared to pivot.”
Missed out on Miami Carnival weekend? Here’s a recap of the festivities
Miami Carnival was a movie. A true celebration of Caribbean culture, Carnival is expression at its finest. The costumes were popping, the waists were wining and of course the drinks were flowing. If you missed out, don’t worry: the Miami Herald was there at three of the weekend’s seminal events. On Friday, we were at the Tipsy Music Festival in Bayfront Park to watch soca legend Machel Montano and Afrofusion superstar Burna Boy shut down the stage. On Saturday, we were at the Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds for J’Ouvert. On Sunday, we were back at the fairgrounds for the official Miami Broward Carnival.
Miami Carnival Recap
Miami Carnival is the ultimate cultural experience that combines the excitement of Carnival with the beauty of Miami and its well-known glorious weather. But not this Columbus Day weekend. The sun played hide and seek all weekend long. Each signature event, Junior Carnival, Panorama, J’ouvert and the main event on Sunday, a costumed parade & concert, brought visitors and participants from across the globe, and South Florida became a kaleidoscope of Caribbean fusion of color, rhythm, and enjoyment. But nothing could rain on these fêters parade.
Friday, October 7, was Panorama at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill. Participating bands were Elite Pan Stars, Lauderhill Steel Ensemble, Melo Groove Steel Orchestra, and New Generation Branches with guest international bands Waiwai Steel Orchestra from Japan and Roadblock Steel and Newtown Playboys Steel Symphony from Trinidad and Tobago, plus DJ Cleve and other guest DJs. Of course, there is no carnival without stilt dancers and Broward Stilt Dancers did an impressive job gyrating way above everyone’s heads.
On Saturday, October 8, the masses attended J’ouvert, and nothing could prevent them from fully enjoying the paint, bubbles, powder, and rain showers as they paraded in their respective carnival band logo-ed shirts. With everyone covered in rainbows of paint, the music blared, and people danced, gyrated, and sang. J’ouvert revelers could be seen flaunting their country flags with pride. In the pouring rain, to the normal eye, this day may have been deemed as pandemonium, but to the revelers it was pure carnival joy. Live performances were by Iwer George, Tallpree and Skinny Banton.
On Sunday, the sun no longer played hide and seek. Torrential rains came down for at least three hours causing a halt to the carnival procession. However, carnival faithfuls did not let the rain stop their lime. Thousands came out to Miami-Dade County Fair Expo to participate as the parade-revelers in their festive costumes of brightly colored feathers and beads jumped to the beat of the Soca music coming from the semi-trucks that carried the bands and DJs. As the spirit of carnival hit the large crowd, legs, hips, and arms moved to the sound of the titillating rhythm. The entertainment line-up was exceptional, and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed themselves until the end. As the spirit of carnival hit the large crowd, legends such as Iwer George, Nadia Batson, Farmer Nappy, Shurwayne Winchester, The A Team Band, Skinny Fabulous, Teddyson John, Nomcebo “Jerusalema,” Menace, Claudette Peters, Julien Believe, J. Perry, and Sizwe had legs, hips and arms gyrating to the sounds of their titillating rhythm, controversial and seductive lyrics.
It was certainly a fun filled weekend with so much great memories that revelers can’t wait for Carnival 2023.
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