It’s been heralded as the Tournament of Roses Parade’s outrageously inappropriate Cuban-American cousin, a frighteningly satirical afternoon peppered with conch-shell headgear and semiprofessional kazoo ensembles.
Backed by a bipartisan committee of disorganizers, the King Mango Strut parade has prided itself on putting the nut back in Coconut Grove since 1982. And at 2 p.m. this Saturday, the last day of 2011, the quirkiest street parade in the nation will celebrate its diamond anniversary, the big 3-0.
To commemorate the glorious occasion, legendary wildlife expert and longtime mustached Zoo Miami communications director Ron Magill will lead an army of MangoHeads through the streets of Coconut Grove as the parade’s grand marshal. But the star power doesn’t end there. Former county Commissioner Katy Sorenson has been named this year’s Strut Celebrity.
In the true spirit of a recession, King Mango Strut is free and open to the public. Billed as “a model of civic engagement and civil uprising with enough material for a pickapeppa spray and sauce combination,” the event encourages MangoHeads to pitch tents and bring lawn chairs. So think of King Mango Strut as a lighthearted Occupy Coconut Grove protest.
Sat., Dec. 31, 2 p.m., 2011