Haitian Compas Festival makes its big return during Haitian Heritage Month in Miami
May is Haitian Heritage Month. In South Florida that means the return of non-stop konpa music, celebrity chef cook offs and introductions to Haitian culture. All are returning to the in-person scene this year after a two-year hiatus and virtual gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the biggest events this month is the Haitian Compas Festival reintroducing South Florida to the celebration of Haitian Flag Day weekend with one dance party and live band performance after another with some of the hottest names on the Haitian music scene.
This year’s festival is taking place over two days with nearly 40 acts, and for the first time after 24 years, the festival will head north to Broward County. This year’s festival is Saturday and Sunday, May 14-15, beginning at 4 p.m. and will take place at the Miramar Regional Park Amphitheater, 16801 Miramar Parkway, Miramar. Tickets are $70 per day or $120 for a two-day pass; VIP tickets are $150 per day and $250 for a two-day pass. Of course no Compas Festival is complete without the bals, dances featuring live bands, that take place before and after the festival. For a complete list of event or ticket locations go to the website www.Haitiancompasfestival.com.
“People have been thirsting for Compas Fest and now we have an opportunity to make a come back,” said Rodney Noel, the co-founder and CEO of the Haitian Compas Festival. “The fans are hungry and can’t wait.”
If large crowds are still not your cup of tea with COVID-19, no worries. The Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212 NE 59th Terr., Miami, and its adjacent Caribbean Marketplace are hosting a number of virtual and in-person activities throughout the month of May to introduce South Florida audiences to the many facets of Haitian culture. (A list is below.)
One special note: In addition to celebrating the seventh year since the community was officially named Little Haiti, the city of Miami will also honor one of its founding pioneers Viter Juste, who with a little help from the editorial writers of the Miami Herald, named the area Little Haiti. Juste died in 2012 at the age of 87. But in life, he was a force to be reckoned with; always among the first to arrive at protests that included a boycott of a local Winn-Dixie supermarket that discriminated against Haitians and against the Miami-Dade School Board’s refusal to enroll undocumented Haitian students.
In his frustration, he wrote an article to the Miami Herald calling the area settled by Haitians, “Little Port-au-Prince.” The Miami Herald found it too long and headlined his piece, “Little Haiti.”
He will be honored later this month on Saturday, May 14, with the renaming of Northwest 59th Street in honor of him.
This year’s Haitian Heritage Month celebrations kicked off Sunday by Miami-Dade County’s only Haitian-American Commissioner, Jean Monestime, and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava with an invitation-only reception of local Haitian leaders featuring regional cuisine of the Caribbean nation, Kola Champagne and music at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Coconut Grove. The reception was preceded by the Little Haiti Book Festival, which will continue to present virtual discussions and authors throughout the month in collaboration with the Miami Book Fair and Miami Dade College.
Here is a list of upcoming events:
Caribbean Market Days: Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in May vendors from the Haitian diaspora will be in the market selling their products accompanied by live music, food and all day activities. The Caribbean Market Days will be from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 to 6 p.m. Sunday in the Caribbean Marketplace/ Mache Ayisyen.
Creole lessons: In an effort to help neighbors learn Haitian Creole, the Little Haiti Cultural Center is offering free virtual creole classes every Thursday in May on its website from 6 to 7 p.m. The event is being sponsored by the City of Miami and Tradisyon Lakou Lakay.
Taste of Haiti 2022: Hosted by the city of North Miami Beach 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, May 7, 16501 NE 16th Ave.
Mother’s Day Concert: Gospel concert at the park, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 8 at Cagni Park, 13498 NE Eighth Ave., North Miami. Event is free
Art Exhibition Opening: Curated by Marie Vickles and Romuald Blanchard, Bèl Fanm: The Beauty of Strength celebrates Haitian Heritage month in Little Haiti with an exhibition that features women as the central figure in Haitian life, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday, May 12 in the courtyard of the Little Haiti Cultural Center and virtually on its website.
Haitian Heritage Month Mixer: “Boya” Film Screening, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, May 13 in the Caribbean Marketplace/ Mache Ayisyen.
Teen and Adult discussions on mental health and wellness: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.. Friday, May 12 in Caribbean Marketplace/Mache Ayisien.
Celebration for the naming Northwest 59th St. after Viter Juste: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14. Open community reception in the Caribbean Marketplace/Mache Ayisien.
Haitian Compas Festival: 4 p.m. May 14-15 Miramar Regional Park Amphitheater, 16801 Miramar Parkway, Miramar. Tickets are $70 per day or $120 for a two-day pass; VIP tickets are $150 per day and $250 for a two-day pass.
Haitian Celebrity Chef Cook Off: Local Haitian American influencers will judge the competition. The event will be broadcast live on social media platforms, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 15 in the Caribbean Marketplace/Mache Ayisien.
An evening of live Jazz music: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, May 15, in the Caribbean Marketplace/Mache Ayisien.
Madame Gougousse Haiti Cup: 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday, May 15. North Miami Athletic Stadium, 2555 NE 151st St., Norrth Miami.
Tap Tap Tours: Individuals, families, private groups, schools, business and friends can all go on an informative tour of the Haitian contribution to South Florida, and of Little Haiti’s place in local history. Tours are at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Sunday, May 15 to May 21 at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex.
Coral Gables Art Cinema: In partnership with Shirley Auxais of RTJ Group, presents a free, open-air Haitian goods market with local vendors on the plaza 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in front of the cinema, 260 Aragon Avenue in Coral Gables. A reception with food and drinks, a live performance by multidisciplinary artist Inez Barlatier, film screenings and a discussion with local Haitian American filmmakers will also be featured. Admission is $8 ($4 for cinema members). The film screenings include “The Sweetest Girl,” “Madame Pipi” and “Ludi.” Filmmakers Yanatha Desouvre (co-screenwriter/producer, “The Sweetest Girl”), Rachelle Salnave (director, “Madame Pipi”), and Edson Jean (director, “Ludi”) will participate in a panel discussion led by Shirley Auxais, event co-host and CEO of the RTJ Training Testing and Job Center. INFO:www.gablescinema.com, info@gablescinema.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or call 786.472.2249.
Haitian Flag Day Celebration: May 18 celebrates the birth and history of the Haitian flag In Haiti. The celebration at the Little Haiti Cultural Center will take place from 11 am. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 18 in the courtyard of the cultural center.
Conversations at MOCA: The Shadow of Napoleon – Virtual: “The Shadow of Napoleon” —a look into the intersection of history between the Polish and Haitian diaspora, and the impact of the Napoleonic reign in context with modern day views of Haitian history. The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Chelsea Stieber and panelists will include artist and Associate Professor Jacek Kolasinski and Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Stephanie Chancy. 7 – 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18. Cost: Free. RSVP: http://111401.blackbaudhosting.com/111401/Conversations-at-MOCA-18May2022
Conversations With: Notable members of the South Florida community will speak to young professionals, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 19.
Souke Kò Ou: Little Haiti Gets Fit: The Little Haiti Cultural Center will facilitate outdoor dance/aerobics classes that feature Afro Caribbean music and themes every Monday during May. Other activities are Yoga 6:30 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. Saturday and 11:30 Shred + Sculpt at 11:30 am.
Sounds of Little Haiti: The event that takes place the third Friday of each month will celebrate its 7th anniversary with Tabou Combo on the Little Haiti Cultural Center’s outdoor stage. Reservation is required. Event takes place 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday, May 20 in the courtyard.
Sant La’s 22nd annual fundraising gala: Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center gala, 6:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., Saturday, May 21 at 13450 W. Dixie Highway, North Miami. Cost: $250 and attire is All White Cocktail Chic. RSVP to info@santla.org or call 305-4871.
The City of Miramar presents: Haitian Cultural Celebration, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 21, 2022 at Shirley Branca Park Bandshell, 6900 Miramar Parkway, Miramar. Cost: free. For more information, 954-602-3178.
Best of Haiti Fest: Little Haiti block party and festival featuring music, food and Haitian culture, 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. Sunday, May 22 at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.
Haitian Heritage Brunch and Awards: City Of Miami, Miami Dade County and Haitian Consulate of Miami will honor Haitian- American leaders who have contributed to the advancement of the Haitian-American community in Miami Dade County, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 22 at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.
Little Haiti 7th Birthday Cocktail Party: Little Haiti will celebrate its 7th birthday after officially being named a heritage neighborhood in the City of Miami, 7 p.m. to 11 p. Thursday May 26 at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.
Lakay Film Society Festival: Films from all over the Haitian diaspora will grace the screen at the Little Haiti Cultural Center, May 27 to May 29. Show times are noon to 3 p.m. Friday/ 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday block times are noon, 3 p.m., 9 p.m. Sunday noon, 3 p.m. , 6 p.m.
Poetic Lakay “Kilti Lakay: Poets in South Florida will help celebrate Haitian culture through poetry and spoken word, 7 p.m. Friday, May 27.
Jazz at MOCA: Featuring Chardavoine who known for his interpretation of “Haitian jazz,” a new genre emerging in jazz today. 8 p.m., Friday, May 27 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, 770 NE 125th St., North Miami. Cost: Free and open to the public. The gallery is open to view MOCA’s current exhibition, “My Name is Maryan,” from 7-10 p.m. with museum admission.For more information,https://mocanomi.org/category/programs/jazz-at-moca/
Creole Dance Workshop: Lovers of Haitian Dance will participate in a masterclass . Those who cannot attend may participate from home via Little Haiti Cultural Center’s Facebook or Youtube channel, 11 a.m. Saturday, May 28 at the Little Haiti Cultural Center dance studio.
Creole Couture: Haitian fashion designers will showcase their wares in a fashion show in the Little Haiti Cultural Center courtyard, 3 p.m. Saturday, May 28.
Big Laughs in Little Haiti: Haitian-American Comedians will grace the Little Haiti Cultural Center’s stage in the courtyard, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 28.
1804 Forever Heritage Month Art Contest: Children’s Do-it-Yourself art contest which focuses on environmental waste, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 29 in the Caribbean Marketplace/ Mache Ayisyen.
Little Haiti Cultural Complex: Souke Kò Ou: 5k Run: The City of Miami and Miami Dade County will close out Haitian Heritage Month with a 5K run. The race will begin start and end at the cultural center. Participants will enjoy an afternoon of healthy refreshments, music and entertainment at the end of the run. Participants will have an opportunity to give meaning to your miles, by donating to the programming at the Little Haiti Cultural Center. Run takes place 9 a.m. to noon, Sunday, May 29.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 2:52 PM.
