With the U.S. economy dangling from a dangerous precipice, there may be no time like the present to indulge in some beat-thumping Caribbean Carnival revelry.

With that in mind, Carnival organizers are preparing a sequin-studded respite Sunday at two South Florida festivals -- in Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami and Central Broward Park in Lauderhill.

This year's Miami Carnival will briefly take on a somber tone, honoring Selman Lewis, the sometimes controversial mastermind behind the annual celebration. Lewis, the main organizer for 18 of the 24 years that Miami Carnival has existed, died last month at age 60.

In keeping with the politically charged and socially conscious times, the all-day event in downtown Miami will offer an election-related booth and a relief effort to help Haiti, where hundreds died and which suffered severe devastation in four consecutive storms last month.

''It's definitely a political year,'' Miami Carnival spokeswoman Yvette Harris said. ``We need to understand we've become part of the solution.''

Banners of Lewis will decorate the stage and several locations at Bicentennial Park. A tribute to the Carnival architect is slated for about 4:30 p.m. A surprise celebrity do-gooder is scheduled to make an appearance, but organizers would only offer hints about the mystery guest.

''He's a huge musician that's going out for voter-registration purposes,'' said Harris. ``He's very instrumental in a lot of causes for his country.''

The Miami Carnival will begin with a parade of bands at noon at Northeast 20th Street and Second Avenue, head south and then east on Northeast 13th Street, then south on Bayshore Drive to Bicentennial Park.

After almost two decades of joint Caribbean carnivals, Broward broke away and started to hold its own party in 2003 -- a response to the growth of the county's Caribbean population.

This year's ''Carnival on the Greens'' in Lauderhill will mark a first for the newly opened Central Broward Park, on the northeast corner of Sunrise Boulevard and U.S. 441, in the heart of Broward's many West Indian communities.

''Because of the new venue, we look forward to a new attractive event,'' said Andy Ansola, president and CEO of the Broward Caribbean Carnival.

A maximum of 20,000 tickets for the Broward Caribbean Carnival will be sold only online at caribbeancarnival.org. Tickets for the Miami Carnival can be purchased online and at the ticket booth at Bicentennial Park. For more information about the Miami Carnival, visit miamicarnival.net.

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@