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Thousands gather to party at North Miami Mardi Gras despite rain and cold weather

By Lance Dixon

ldixon@miamiherald.com
Paulo Wilevns, far right, dances to the Rara Band during North Miami's day-long Mardi Gras themed festival on Sun., Jan. 29. The festival included food vendors, marching bands, colorful outfits and dancers from various Caribbean and Latin American countries.
Paulo Wilevns, far right, dances to the Rara Band during North Miami's day-long Mardi Gras themed festival on Sun., Jan. 29. The festival included food vendors, marching bands, colorful outfits and dancers from various Caribbean and Latin American countries. MATIAS J. OCNER For The Miami Herald

Thousands of people gathered in the streets of downtown North Miami to party during the city’s first Mardi Gras festival.

The event came with a $250,000 price tag and a long history but the carnival still had plenty of support from city residents and people from neighboring communities. City officials estimate a crowd of more than 12,000 people attended the event, which lasted more than 10 hours.

The festival has been discussed since 2013 and featured food, music, marching bands, floats and colorful costumes. The party also included performances from reggae artist Shaggy and former Haitian President Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly.

Note: This post was updated to reflect the city’s attendance estimate for the event.

Lance Dixon: 305-376-3708, @LDixon_3

This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Thousands gather to party at North Miami Mardi Gras despite rain and cold weather."

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