St. Patricks Day Parade & Elements of Culture Celebration
03/17/2012, 10 am to 7 pm
El Portal Village
Horace Mann Middle School Field
8950 Northwest 2nd Avenue
El Portal Village 33138
communityartsandculture.org

Celebrate Cultural Diversity On St. Patrick’s Day With El Portal Community Festival
Miami is all about cultural diversity. So it is fitting that on St. Patrick’s Day, a day to celebrate cultural heritage, the Village of El Portal will celebrate multiculturalism with a free community festival. On March 17, 2012, the Village welcomes St. Patrick’s Day with an all-ages, free community festival featuring music, food and entertainment, including Japanese Taiko drumming, Afro-Cuban, gospel and Irish music, local talent in marching bands, and learning about native flora and fauna, taking a buggy or canoe ride among many other activities. To keep in the spirit of community, it will be free for patrons, vendors, and exhibitors.

Presented by Community Arts and Culture (‘CAC”) the festival “Elements of Culture: Inheritants” is focused on the cultural, historical and artistic legacy of El Portal residents and surrounding community, as well as creating an appreciation and care for the stunning surrounding natural environment. “We chose a variety of professional artists of different cultural backgrounds to celebrate the diverse community that resides in El Portal,” said Renee Chavez, CAC project coordinator. “We chose this Village for the native history and heritage, and to honor this special urban location.”

The festival kicks off March 17, 2012 with the debut of the Miami Collective Marching Ensemble, featuring a parade with the kids from Horace Mann middle school and the Barnyard Afterschool program. The parade will commence at N.E. 86th Street and NE 2nd Avenue and will include a Japanese Lion Dancer, a New Orleans Mardi Gras style Second Line, and dancers from Horace Mann Middle School. The fun continues at the Horace Middle School Athletic Field (8950 NW 2nd Avenue) where performances will include traditional Japanese Taiko drumming by Fushu Daiko, a collaborative performance between adults and children led by Afro Cuban Dancer Marisol Blanco with the support of Cuban Son Duo Cortadito, Hoops So Fly performers, Steven English Gospel, McLanzon Fiddlers and the Breffni Academy of Irish Dance.

The festival is made possible by the generous support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, the Office of Commissioner Audrey Edmonson, the Urban Paradise Guild, the Village of El Portal and the El Portal Architecture Landscape and Environment Committee.