After working with county medical and park department officials in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, the producers of Miami Carnival have finally been given the green light to advance planning for the 2021 Miami Carnival celebrations.
The Miami Broward Carnival One Host Committee (MBOCHC) and the South Florida Carnival Bandleaders Association, who both operate as the official organizers of the annual event, will promote and implement an event plan of reduced capacity in adherence with recommended U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 guidelines for the celebrations slated for Columbus Day later this year.
This will be the annual cultural festival’s 37th staging after a hiatus last year due to restrictions put in place to curb the spread of novel coronavirus during the global pandemic.
Joan Hinkson-Justin, Chair of the MBOCHC, said, “We are excited to once again be able to showcase the Miami Carnival in person. 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.”
As local COVID-19 positivity rates continue to decline with the increased percentage of vaccinated persons, the event may be permitted to increase attendance capacity and relax specific protocols closer to the carnival date. Until then, with patron safety as the highest priority, the 2021 Miami Carnival Showcase band launch will debut and display the new costumes on June 5.
Connie W. Kinnard, Vice President of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Multicultural Tourism & Development, said, “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.”
