A bilingual Santa Claus, face painting and a Christmas-themed bounce house joined artists and vendors in December at Domino Plaza for Viernes Culturales, Little Havana’s premier arts and culture festival.
The non-profit Viernes Culturales organization held the family-focused Christmas Village event on Dec. 21, the third Friday of the month. Going forward, the Viernes Culturales event, which has operated in the heart of Miami for 18 years on each month’s last Friday, will continue attracting thousands of locals and tourists to Little Havana every third Friday, permanently.
“As we approach our 19th year, we are very excited for this new phase of Viernes Culturales. We will focus on a family-friendly festival while continuing being a platform for our local artists and artisans,” explained Bill Fuller, chair of the board of directors for Viernes Culturales. “We look forward to another 19 years.”
The end of the year Viernes Culturales took place on Calle Ocho, between 13th and 17th avenues, from 7 to 11 p.m. The north side of 15th Avenue, across from Domino Plaza, was turned into the Holiday Village, complete with a Pottery Barn Kids arts and craft station, the bounce house, a face painter and a photo opportunity with Santa Claus.
As is customary, the south side of the street was home to artists and artisans selling their work to the public. Viernes Culturales’ performances included the Miami Senior High Choir singing their best Christmas selections and cultural association Ameyal, ushering everyone into the holiday spirit with a traditional Mexican Christmas celebration.
Miami Marlines players and the team’s mermaids also joined the festive gathering. The programming closed with the amazing Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami offering highlights from The Nutcracker.
The idea for Viernes Culturales, also known as Cultural Fridays, came from collaborative effort between the City of Miami Planning Department, with the support of the City of Miami Commission, Latin Chamber of Commerce, and the Little Havana Development Authority, as well as the participation of merchants, residents, design professionals and community leaders.
Both a 1984 City of Miami Planning Department Latin Quarter Study and a 1994-96 Little Havana Neighborhood Planning Program recommended that a series of cultural activities and events, including art exhibits, dance, music, poetry, theater, film, and neighborhood historic tours, should be promoted all year in order to preserve and enhance the rich culture of Little Havana.
The first Viernes Culturales/Cultural Friday event took place on May 26, 2000, with approximately 2,000 people in attendance. Since then, internationally known artists have participated and supported Viernes Culturales/Cultural Fridays, attracting tens of thousands of people to the beloved Little Havana neighborhood.
Viernes Culturales is made possible with the support of many sponsors including The James L. Knight Foundation, The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, The Cultural Affairs Council, The Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
