It’s carnival~ ♫

The Miami Broward Carnival 2015 was a cultural explosion of island tradition and a manifestation of Caribbean heritage. The annual festival was hosted at Miami Dade County Fair Exposition and showcased national identity, coined cuisine, exuberant fashion, and up-tempo music.

“The Miami Broward Carnival is among Miami’s most popular and exciting multicultural events featuring the rich Caribbean culture of our community,” says Greater Miami Convention & Visitor Bureau President & CEO William D. Talbert, III, CDME.  “We are delighted to welcome once again the many visitors who travel to Greater Miami to enjoy this spectacular event along with the extraordinary offerings of our destination.”

50,000 people attend the carnival, which increasingly gets bigger every year

The vibrant costumes from Masqueraders exhibited their respective bands and love for island lifestyle. The 19 bands included a variety of masque players rep’n Jamaica, Trinidad, Grenada, the VI, Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, and many other West Indian participants. A combination of the warm weather, blasting music, and colorful ambiance created the ideal celebration for a melting pot of people across South Florida.

We Read For The Road ~ ♫

My people love to party. The energy was full throttle from the doors opening at 11am until late into the night at 11pm.  The multi-cultural parade was the main attraction, encouraging people from across North America, the UK, Caribbean, and locally in Florida to join together for the festive occasion. Songs like Lucy by Destra Garcia, Duckin’ by Fadda Fox, and Like ah Boss by Machel Montano were must-play party bangers to get revelers rollin’ their bumpers and waving their flags.

More soca to come~♫

Soca makes me fete for hours! Once the sun set the star-studded stage show began. The show was headlined by Trinidad’s own Queen of Bacchanal Destra and the Bakanal Band. Other live performances include: Xplosion Band, Dil-e-Nadan, Fadda Fox, Snakey, Menace, Laurena Davis, Claudette Peters, Rudy, Ricardo Drue, Julian Believe, Lyrikal, MC Wassy, and MC-Da Mighty Pencil with a surprise appearance from Dancehall heavy weight Mr. Vegas.

All of we is one

This year, #MiamiCarnival celebrated 31 years of carnival celebration and Antigua’s 60 years of Carnival. Carnival is a momentous occasion for people of Caribbean heritage that contribute to the arts, music, history and cultural identity of Caribbean-American culture. Miami Broward Carnival is the last major North American event on the carnival circuit leading up to Trinidad and Tobago Carnival in 2016.

I have great expectations for next year’s carnival and plan to attend the Socavivor events the week leading up to the grand carnival in Miami-Dade.  Being present for Miami Broward Carnival 2015exposed me to wide audience of people from across the globe coming together for for heritage, unity, and quality entertainment from the industry’s best island talents. It’s a countdown to next year…Where will you be next October?

#MiamiCarnival is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.