The Carnival Miami Parade & Festival is one of the most popular events in Miami. Carnival celebrates Caribbean culture with music, food, arts & crafts, and an outrageously colorful mardi gras-style parade.
The event will take place on Sunday, October 9, 2011. The location will be Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Miami Broward One Carnival Host Committee has put together this play-by-play guide to making the most of your Carnival experience. This family event has many different types of entertainment, and we want to ensure that you don’t miss out on anything in 2011.
The 2011 parade will feature over 20 masquerade bands over a 6-mile route.
Each band has a theme “portrayal” which they bring to life on Carnival day. You can expect to see lots of beads and feathers in a kaleidoscope of colors on Carnival Day.
Be sure to walk with a folding chair, sunblock and water as you enjoy the parade on the streets of Miami Gardens.
As an integral part of the Carnival, the Steelband performances should not be missed. The steel bands compete for a coveted title of “Panorama” champions and practice all year round to prepare for this big day in Miami.
In years prior, the Panorama event was held on Carnival Saturday. In 2011 there are plans to host the event on Carnival Friday and will include the Kings & Queens competition. This is a time to relax and enjoy the sweet music of the steel pan as the groups perform some of your favorite songs. With Steelbands traveling from across the globe, this year’s event promises to deliver an authentic platform for those looking for that true Caribbean experience on steel.
The music trucks carry the music and entertainment. A typical music truck is assembled using a trailer bed truck and racks of large speakers and music equipment. The deejays and entertainers perform from the truck while the bands are on the road.
After the bands parade on the streets and enter the SunLife Stadium the fun doesn’t end. It actually intensifies and energy, doubled. On the inside of the event, the bands act out their portrayal on the main stage before the judges in an attempt to secure the title, “Band of the Year”.
Experts are flown in from across the globe to judge the bands in various categories. The bands wait in the wings for their opportunity to cross the main stage and to “let loose”, unleashing the story behind their portrayal.
In 2011, the Miami Broward Carnival promises to deliver an exceptional line up of acts, which would include performances by well-known Hispanic and Haitian acts in an attempt to attract those who share similarities in culture and in the Carnival tradition.