Some Fourth of July fireworks shows are back in Miami-Dade. Hialeah is going all out.
Last July 4, with Miami-Dade County experiencing a summer surge of COVID-19 cases, many cities canceled their contracts for fireworks displays and nixed event plans. Hialeah, known for throwing an annual Independence Day bash at Milander Park, tried making the best of it with a virtual event hosted by Mayor Carlos Hernandez — but technical glitches left some residents disappointed.
But this summer, with more than half of Miami-Dade’s over-16 population vaccinated and COVID restrictions gone, some cities are bringing back their fireworks shows and July 4 celebrations. Hialeah is leading the way.
Late last month, the Hialeah City Council unanimously approved over $330,000 in costs to host a free event at Milander Park, including $60,000 to book the popular Cuban reggaeton duo Gente de Zona as a concert headliner. More than 18,000 people are likely to attend, the city said on Facebook.
“We might have to turn people away,” Hialeah Councilman Paul Hernandez said during a May 25 meeting.
“No doubt,” said the mayor. “It’s gonna be crazy.”
Carlos Hernandez (no relation to the councilman) told the Miami Herald he’s not yet sure how many people will be allowed in, but that attendees will be asked to wear masks.
“We want to make this a great event, and we want to make it as safe as possible,” he said. “We cannot forget that the coronavirus is still here, especially in Miami-Dade County.”
Costs for the festivities include about $150,000 for event production, $49,000 for a 30-minute fireworks display, $17,000 for smoke and confetti, $24,000 for LED video panels, $18,000 for “programmable and controllable” LED wristbands for attendees, and $16,000 for video production.
The mayor said he expects about $300,000 in sponsorships to help offset those costs.
The director of special events for the city, David Fernandez, said it was hard to find workers to build the concert stage because many events companies have shut down during the pandemic.
“This year, the big [financial] hit is staffing,” he said. “It has been very difficult finding skilled technical workers to build our stage.”
‘Redeemed’ duo to perform
Taking that stage will be several DJs, Cuban singer Amaury Gutierrez, and Gente de Zona, the duo of Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom.
The reggaeton act has been criticized in the past for performing in Cuba and showing support for the Cuban government. In 2019, the city of Miami removed them from a New Year’s Eve concert lineup, and they were part of a July 4 lineup in Hialeah that year that stirred controversy centered mostly around another artist, Jacob Forever.
But earlier this year, Gente de Zona seemed to salvage its reputation as an opponent of the Cuban regime with the hit protest song, “Patria y Vida.”
“They’ve redeemed themselves, but there’s still some controversy that’s attached to them,” Councilwoman Monica Perez said during the May 25 council meeting. “There is an attached stigma to certain groups that performed or had dual citizenship in Cuba.”
Carlos Hernandez, who as mayor is also the city’s top administrator, vouched for the decision to hire the group. In late April, the duo made a surprise appearance in Hialeah on 16th Avenue and 49th Street, performing “Patria y Vida” and posing for photographs with Hernandez.
“Because of their name, we’ll be able to raise a big chunk in sponsorships,” Hernandez said. “I think they’re the right group for this year.”
Perez and the rest of the council voted in favor of the move and approved the other event costs.
“Fourth of July is an amazing, beautiful event that we have here,” Perez said. “I think it’s up there with major concerts like Ultra music festival [in Miami].”
Fireworks show at Trump Doral
In west Miami-Dade, the city of Doral is planning to partner with the Trump National Doral Miami — the Trump Organization’s golf resort at Northwest 87th Avenue and 36th Street — to give residents a fireworks show on July 4.
On Wednesday, the city council will discuss the proposal, which would have attendees sit on the golf course to watch the show.
“Staff have held discussions with Trump National Doral to discuss logistics and the resort is excited to partner with the city by hosting the fireworks show this year,” Doral Parks and Recreation Director Erin Weislow wrote in a memo to elected officials about the plan.
In the past, the city has held its Independence Day events at Doral Central Park, but the park has been closed since March for a multi-year renovation project.
Miami Beach, Miami Gardens plan events
Miami Beach will host a day-long July 4 event outside the North Beach Bandshell that will include a fireworks display. The pyrotechnics will cost $25,000, a city spokeswoman said. The city has not yet released more details of the event.
It’s unclear whether there will be fireworks in South Beach. The Ocean Drive Association, which organized the last fireworks show in South Beach in 2019, “has not shared that they plan to have a fireworks display,” the city spokeswoman said. The association did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile in Miami Gardens, the city will host a drive-in fireworks display in the parking lot of Calder Casino with capacity for about 1,500 cars, according to city spokeswoman Tamara Wadley. The city typically holds July 4 fireworks at a local park, but COVID safety concerns prompted the drive-in approach. Last year, Miami Gardens hosted a drive-in fireworks show at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Miami, Coral Gables cancel shows
Other cities are playing it safe. In Miami, the Bayfront Park Management Trust chose not to move forward with its fireworks show, saying COVID still poses a threat at an event whose average attendance is around 45,000.
The city will hold a smaller fireworks display at Jose Marti Park on the Miami River.
Coral Gables, which skipped its “A Gables Fourth” celebration last year, is taking 2021 off as well. City spokeswoman Martha Pantin said that while COVID restrictions have been lifted and the city has begun planning smaller events, “an event of the size and scope of the Fourth of July celebration is not feasible at this time.”
The live concert and fireworks display is typically hosted at the Biltmore Hotel.
Business not yet booming
Gary Avins, owner of Firepower Displays Unlimited, said his Miami-Dade fireworks orders are roughly double what they were during a dismal July in 2020. But the Fourth of July remains a scaled-down tradition on the fireworks front.
“We are in a better place. But we’re still not there yet,” Avins said.
Firepower Displays, with a home base in South Miami-Dade, has some shows in local cities this year, including at the Speedway in Homestead. He said municipal clients willing to resume fireworks shows are interested in staging them at places where crowds can spread out as an anti-COVID measure.
“Everybody wants to get out and celebrate. But there is a lot of caution,” he said.
Another complication: fireworks availability is limited as businesses across the country report inventory issues from swamped shipping supplies.
“There aren’t enough fireworks to go around,” Avins said.
Miami Herald staff writer Joey Flechas contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 2:28 PM.
