Come Together

The late Celia Cruz said it best: "Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba/Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba/Ee mama, ee mama/Ee Mama, ee Mama." Rough translation: Get ready for Miami's biggest party, Calle Ocho (SW 8th ST between 11-27th Ave, Little Havana). Celebrating its 35th year, Calle Ocho continues to be one of the...

By Victor Gonzalez

March 1, 2012

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The late Celia Cruz said it best: "Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba/Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba/Ee mama, ee mama/Ee Mama, ee Mama." Rough translation: Get ready for Miami's biggest party, Calle Ocho (SW 8th ST between 11-27th Ave, Little Havana).

Celebrating its 35th year, Calle Ocho continues to be one of the city’s most celebrated festivals, a truly international event. Organized, as it is every year, by the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana, Calle Ocho 2012 "honors the spirit of South Florida's diversity" with One World, a symbolic, multinational ceremony that represents unity.

To create One World, 287 flags representing each country will be tied together and stretched over two blocks on Southwest 8th Street. The metaphor? "We, the people, are one world."

The record-breaking event will become one of several in Calle Ocho’s celebrated history. In 1988, over 100,000 people participated in the world’s largest conga line. A few years after that, a 10,000-pound piñata broke records, becoming the largest in its class.

Become a part of history Sunday at 11 a.m. As always, the event is free. Visit www.carnavalmiami.com.
Sun., March 11, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., 2012

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