Carnival in Miami 2021
October is not just for Spooky Season in Miami, it’s also a time to break out your steel drum, your feathered head dresses, and your most brightly colored, glitter costume - because it’s also Carnival Season!
This year Carnival in Miami starts Saturday, October 2nd and ends on Sunday, October 10th. And Miami is one of the premier places to celebrate Carnival. There are numerous festivals, parades, concerts, and parties to celebrate the event.
For one whole week people come from all over to recreate the epic event put on by many, many countries all over the world.
What is Carnival?
Right around Easter time there is a party that fills the streets of several different countries all over the world. This giant party is called Carnival and it is one of the biggest celebrations of the year!
Carnival is a festivity that is celebrated by about 50 different countries every year around Febuary and March. While each country has their own different flare, the liveliness and energy is still the same.
Some of the countries that have been the most famous for their parties are Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Trinidad and Tribago, Jamaica, Miami, and New Orleans.
Carnival originated as a pre-Lent celebration in Italy as a Catholic tradition, which then later spread to the French and the Spanish colonies - who brought it with them when they settled in the Caribbean.
This pre-Lent party, soon turned into a cultural celebration of the ages.
It’s believed that the modern Caribbean Carnival that we celebrate today was first celebrated in Trinidad and Tabago in the 18th century because of the ending of slavery. And over time the festivities of Carnival have been influenced by all the different ethnic groups such as recently freed African Americans, French immigrants, Spanish settlers, and the British to bring us the Carnival that we have today.
Carnival in the Fall
While originally Carnival is celebrated usually celebrated in the early months following the New Year, but there are some exceptions when it comes to the States.
For Miami, October is the time that Carnival is celebrated. The streets are lined with the traditional feathery costumes and headdresses, the air is filled with the scent of Caribbean food, and you can hear the sounds of Soca music with beautiful women dancing to the beats.
Some have described this experience as a “cultural Super Bowl of Miami’s Caribbean community.” Back in the 70’s and 80’s a large amount of Caribbean people moved to Miami and it seemed like not much longer after that, Carnival began.
Get in the Spirit
Carnival is made up of a handful of concerts, parades, and parties that fill the streets of Miami. Some people go all out with the rhinestone covered two pieces, feathered head dresses, and glitter everywhere. But if you are looking to celebrate but want something a little more low key, checkout Cooyah. This reggae and Jamaican inspired clothing brand has been feelin’ and spreading the love of the islands since 1987 and they are the perfect shop to get you decked out in island attire!
Celebrating the love that they have for the Caribbean is a 24/7 gig for them. Making them the perfect place to dress yourself to the nines with Rasta and Jamaican inspired shirts, bodysuits, bathing suits perfect for the Carnival party scene!