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When is Calle Ocho? |  |
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What is Calle Ocho? | |
Calle Ocho is a Latin street festival and all-around party scene that takes over SW 8th Street in the Little Havana area of Miami for one week in March every year. Carnaval Miami, a festival that stretches from mid-February through mid-March, reaches a frenzied peak during the week of Calle Ocho. The street is blocked off for a 24 block stretch to provide space for dancing, feasting, and live entertainment. Famous and emerging Latin bands grace 30 stages along the street, and Carnaval Kings and Queens are selected to represent the spirit of the occasion. Hundreds of street vendors sell their wares along the street, and crowds gather to watch events such as parades and the annual domino tournament.
The Calle Ocho festival is sponsored by Kiwanis Club of Little Havana and entry is free. The Kiwanis originally began the festival in 1977 to help defuse tensions between various ethnic groups in the neighborhood. Today, people from many communities gather to celebrate the diverse heritage of the lands of their ancestors.
