Santa’s Enchanted Forest is the world’s largest Christmas theme park

with over 100 rides, shows, games and attractions. Hundreds of thousands
of visitors come every year to experience the magic of South Florida’s tallest Christmas tree, millions of dazzling lights, hundreds of themed displays,
festive Christmas music, delicious foods from around the world, live show entertainment and carnival rides suited for the entire family.

Miami Carnival has been yearly celebration since 1984. It had grown from a small neighborhood celebration to an international event within 2 years of it being started. Now Miami Carnival brings live bands, calypsonians from the islands and thousands of visitors from New York and other U.S. cities. It has now become the top revenue producing event for South Florida and is the most popular carnival in North America.

The Carnival Circuit officially starts in February with the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival and finishes up with the Miami Carnival in October.

In 1990 the first Junior Carnival Parade was held in downtown Miami one day before the Miami Carnival. It grows larger each year with new competitions being added yearly.

In 2002 Miami Carnival, Inc. partnered with the Broward County Library to present the first annual Broward County Library Kiddies Carnival. Because of its huge popularity, the city of Fort Lauderdale included it as part of their “Sun Trust Jazz Brunch” one week before Miami Carnival in October.

Miami Carnival is continually growing and now fun and exciting more than ever. Miami Carnival 2011 will be celebrated from October 6th to the 10th.

The legendary “Smooth Operator” Sade will perform live with very special guest John Legend at American Airlines Arena on Saturday, July 16th at 8pm. Sade will perform songs from their collection of timeless hits including songs from their critically acclaimed album, SOLDIER OF LOVE which secured the # 1 album spot upon its release. Selling over a million copies to-date, SOLDIER OF LOVE spent three weeks in the number one spot taking its rightful place among the collection of iconic Sade albums.

Beautiful sunsets and clean, sandy beaches make Miami, Florida a great place to have a beach wedding. Many people dream of beach weddings, and it’s becoming easier to make that dream a reality. Weddings on the beach are natural and romantic. There are few natural settings that are as beautiful and simple as the beach and it doesn’t take a lot of planning to have an elegant and memorable beach wedding. Beach weddings in Miami are intimate and often informal and almost all beaches in Florida are public, so you have many options to choose from.

Bal Harbor beach is a beautiful, semi private setting for a beach wedding. It is so beautiful that it’s often called “Florida’s Paradise”. No permit is required to get married at this location, and no chairs are allowed. Bal Harbor hosts a weekly cultural night on Thursdays with concerts and other performances scheduled. This could be a great addition to your Miami beach wedding experience. Bal Harbor beach is a mile long and is located to the north of Miami and south of Ft. Lauderdale.

South Pointe Park is at the southern tip of Miami Beach. They have amazing sunsets and a fantastic view of the port and all the cruise ships. A permit is needed to get married at South Pointe Park and there are twenty foot wide walkways with limestone linings that would make a fantastic natural aisle for a wedding. There are even light towers that illuminate the walkway after dark. This park is open until 10pm every day.

Spanish Monastery is a perfect site for weddings. This Miami Spanish Monastery is the oldest building in the western hemisphere. Many brides every year celebrate their special wedding day at the Ancient Spanish Monastery in Miami. The Spanish Monastery serves as a tourist attraction, a historical landmark, a place for weddings and other events, and an active Episcopal church. Couples may choose from seven different wedding venues and four reception areas at the Miami Spanish Monastery. The French Altar, the most intimate of the Spanish Monastery’s wedding locations, is designed for fewer than 10 people, while the Prayer Well can accommodate a wedding list with 150 to 200 people.

Beach weddings in Miami are rarely canceled due to weather conditions. There is almost always sun, which makes for beautiful sunsets over the water. Another great reason to choose a beach wedding in Miami is the proximity to tourist destinations such as Disney World and Sea World. It is also a convenient place to board a cruise ship for the perfect honeymoon. There are no waiting periods required to get married in Florida and the weddings are legal for couples from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and many other countries. Check with your country if you are unsure about legalities.

Now going into its 10th year, the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine began as a one-day festival known as the Florida Extravaganza held at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus. For five years, from 1997-2001, the Florida Extravaganza showcased wines from national and international wineries paired with food from local restaurants and chefs working with students of FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. In 2002, Lee Brian Schrager, director of Special Events and Media Relations at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, took the reigns of the one-day festival and brought his vision for the festival to life by relocating it to South Beach. The renamed South Beach Wine & Food Festival attracted close to 7,000 guests to a series of dinners, seminars, a Grand Tasting Village and live Auction in its first year. The following year, the festival grew, attracting close to 10,000 people and garnered extensive national media coverage. In 2004, with the addition of a number of events and a revamping of the program, the festival doubled in size and attracted more than 20,000 guests to the three-day event.

In 2006, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival celebrated its fifth anniversary and became one of the largest and most well-known festivals of its kind in the country. During the planning of the 2007 festival, Food Network entered into a partnership with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival to become its title sponsor. The resulting Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine combined the international appeal of top-quality libations from around the world, the national appeal of the Food Network and its celebrity chefs and hosts, and the appeal of Latin and Caribbean-inspired regional cuisine.

The 2008 and 2009 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festivals each attracted close to 50,000 guests over four days and garnered an unprecedented amount of media coverage. The Festival earned more than 1 billion media impressions in both years through its integrated marketing and public relations plan.

The 2010 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine welcomed over 50,000 wine and food lovers. 2010 was another banner year as the Festival raised more than $2.2 million for beneficiary, FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and garnered more than two billion media impressions.

Article taken from: http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/sbwire-64349.htm

Miami, FL — (SBWIRE) — 11/12/2010 — As engaged couples envision their perfect destination wedding, the beautiful Sunny Isles Beach provides the ideal combination of luxury, beauty and affordability with an array of wedding and honeymoon packages at their numerous beachside resorts.

Perfectly situated between Miami’s glittering skylines, Fort Lauderdale’s sleek, palm-lined boulevards and South Beach’s legendary Ocean Drive, Sunny Isles Beach is an oceanfront gem of South Florida with a two-mile long stretch of white sandy beach along the beautiful Atlantic coast. Recently named one of the top honeymoon destinations in Florida and the Caribbean by the Orlando Sentinel, Sunny Isles Beach has gained the reputation of being a romantic getaway. As the portrait of romance, Sunny Isles Beach is the ideal location for a truly memorable destination wedding, where the Bride can walk barefoot down the stunning, golden sand aisle and the affianced couple can exchange vows against the backdrop of the dazzling, blue Sunny Isles Beach shoreline. Then the couple and their invited guests can stroll back into the hotel for a magnificent wedding reception.

From small and intimate weddings to large and spectacular weddings, event specialists from the stunning oceanfront resorts that line Sunny Isles Beach help bring each couple’s dream wedding to reality. Special event facilities range from intimate rooms to ocean view ballrooms with sweeping glass windows, to outdoor, picturesque lawns. Along with the breathtaking view of the shoreline, extravagant floral displays and gorgeous reception settings will make your oceanfront wedding one that will be remembered for a lifetime.

There’s no better place to relax under the sun with your new spouse than Sunny Isles Beach, Florida’s Riviera. Sunny Isles Beach boasts one of Miami’s most stunning oceanfront vistas, with miles of gorgeous white sand beachfront, pristine public parks and plenty of places to play. Museums, concerts and plays, shopping malls, spas, movies, sport stadiums, golf, tennis, boating and diving are all easily accessible.

This luxury destination of South Florida is lined with numerous resorts, shops, and attractions that are reminiscent of island beach communities. Visitors can catch rays on the sand or take a stroll down the stunning Sunny Isles Beach coastline while listening to soft waves echo through the docks. The atmosphere is still casual but its funky ‘50s deco motels and small beachfront hotels mix effortlessly with luxury apartment towers and hotels. Gleaming skyscrapers with cutting-edge architecture offer endless ocean views and world-class amenities such as European spas and fine dining. A truly culturally diverse selection of restaurants to fit any budget, lines the Collins Avenue thoroughfare. Dining choices range from vintage delicatessens to family friendly restaurants, to gourmet eateries offering spectacular world cuisine from top local chefs.

Tennis enthusiasts will enjoy the comforts of playing in the world class tennis facility located at the Trump International Beach Resort. Furthermore, golf lovers can relish in an afternoon of relaxation in South Florida’s legendary golf destination at the the Fairmont Turnberry Island Resort. Eco tourism abounds at Oleta River State Park, which offers more nature-inspired fun, with mountain bike trails, kayak, canoe and rustic cabin rentals as well as picnic pavilions.

Posted in January 2010 | No Comments »