MIAMI – The sights and sounds of Carnaval Miami were on hiatus because of COVID-19, but after two years, the event is making a triumphant return in 2022.
It includes a week of festivities, kicking off with Carnaval on the Mile in Coral Gables the weekend of March 5 and culminating with the Calle Ocho street festival in Little Havana on March 13.
Alexander Perez, president of the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana, says Carnaval Miami is the main way they fundraise to be able to give back to the community through the year.
“We basically live off these events,” he said. “These are our main funding sources.
“It’s exciting,” Perez added. “We all enjoy what we do, we obviously volunteered and most of us have been members for a really long time and we enjoy the events. We enjoy helping and giving back. But individually we don’t have the same power that we do as a community. That’s why we all do it. When we get the community together, it does have the impact that we desire.”
At a news conference Wednesday, the official Carnaval Miami poster artist was revealed, a work entitled “Gallo Fino,” painted by Cuba-born painter Laura Chirino.
Cuban Grammy winner Yotuel Romero was named Carnaval Miami’s king for 2022. He’s the man behind this past summer’s Cuban freedom anthem “Patria y Vida.”
For more information, go to carnavalmiami.com.