Tourists, locals gather in South Beach to enjoy Air & Sea Show for Memorial Day Weekend

Steps away from world-famous Ocean Drive and its usual party crowds, families with small children joined locals and tourists Saturday to enjoy Memorial Day Weekend at the annual Hyundai Air & Sea Show.

The controlled atmosphere of the two-day military celebration seemed a stark contrast to the unruly Spring Break crowds from March, despite the holiday weekend historically being viewed by city leaders as being just as challenging as spring break.

The city rolled out a beefed-up police presence and imposed “high-impact” rules designed to limit overcrowding at the beach, traffic congestion and the renting of vehicles popular among tourists. As of early Saturday evening, police said there had not been any “significant issues.”

“I think that these events will help us,” Commissioner Michael Góngora said of the Air & Sea Show. “I think we need more events of this caliber that attract a different type of tourist to Miami Beach.”

The Saturday afternoon scene on South Beach was laid back, particularly on the stretch of sand hosting the air show. Mostly, people had ditched their masks as they found spots to watch the military cargo planes and A-10 warthogs cut through a nearly cloudless blue sky.

Francois Perrineau, 25, a flight test engineer from Toulouse, France, was pleasantly shocked at the crowds and planes. Back home, his family remains in a partial lockdown, and doesn’t have large events to keep entertained. “This is crazy. It’s impressive,” said Perrineau, who is working in South Florida for a month.

The producers of the Air & Sea Show rolled out COVID measures, like virus-sniffing dogs and sanitation stations, while a vaccination site was located nearby.

Perrineau’s co-worker, Christopher Delmond, 55, was also delighted at how close the fighter jets came to the shore. “The F-15 was impressive — you could see fire exhaust in the engine,” Delmond said.

The military planes were also a draw for locals.

Wayne Warner, 47, of North Miami Beach, parked at his workplace in Surfside and took a bus to South Beach. A lifelong airplane fanatic, he was most awed by the B-52 bombers that passed overhead.

“It was the first time I’d ever seen them in real life, ever,” Warner said as he filmed planes with his cellphone.

At the shore, throngs of swimmers waded in water tinted slightly brown by seaweed. Several hundred yards away, rows of personal boats idled as a Blackhawk helicopter lowered a rescuer to the water in a demonstration.

Rick, 26, of Coral Gables, was on his fourth strawberry Bud Lite seltzer as he watched the demonstration. He puffed an electronic cigarette under a rainbow-colored umbrella.

“The crowd is a little more tourists, but it’s usually pretty packed,” said Rick, who didn’t want to give his last name. “Miami has been hot for a while.”

One of those tourists, Marquis Leslie, 24, of Georgia, sat on a bodyboard, his gold grill twinkling in the sun. He’s been to Miami many times but said that this trip on the tail end of the pandemic has been especially welcome.

“Look, look,” he said, pointing at a giant prop cargo plane chugging through the sky almost directly overhead.

“This is beautiful,” Leslie said. “Vibe’s been good. Folks are nice. Good place to swim.”

The chaos from spring break was nowhere to be found. “I figured they’d do better this time around,” said Joshua Anderson, 38, who rode his bicycle to South Beach from his home near the Gables.

For Anderson, the show of military force was personal — growing up in Atlanta, his father was an Air Force welder. Anderson came to the show two years ago, and was glad it returned after its COVID hiatus. “It’s a great experience,” he said.

Military members abounded. Overlooking Ocean Drive, U.S. Army Rangers milled next to a tan military ambulance and an M-113 troop carrier, watching children scamper through the seats. “Thank you for everything,” Niki Simon Blacker, a 78-year-old pianist who lives in a condo directly on Ocean Drive, told the soldiers.

Spring break, Simon Blacker admits, was “terrible.” But so far, the crowds have been amazing. “It’s been such a diverse mix of people. I don’t want to be somewhere boring,” she said.

The only slight downside: all the commotion of the military vehicles has spooked all the mouths on the street she feeds. “I take care of all the pussycats,” she said. “They won’t be around while these are around.”

Several business workers on South Beach said the atmosphere, while still packed, felt more orderly than March.

“Spring break people went crazy,” said Grecia Medina, a cashier at Bikini Chic on Washington Avenue. “There’s been a lot of officers now. I feel safe.”

Mike Lazared, a host at Oh! Mexico on Española Way, said officers closed off part of the street Friday night, which cut down on crowds. “It was busy but good,” he said.

Some businesses — like a small pizza joint near Ocean Drive and the FL Cafe on 14th and Collins — nevertheless had closed their doors on Saturday.

Missy O’Brien, a New York City nightlife promoter, has spent the past week in Miami Beach and other parts of South Florida. “The crowds have been pretty decent. It’s amazing to see people out,” said O’Brien, who bemoaned that nightclubs in New York remain closed.

She said the newly imposed 2 a.m. last call for alcohol in the South Beach entertainment district hasn’t been much of an impediment to party crowds, especially because people can go elsewhere in the county. “It hasn’t been too bad,” said O’Brien, who runs Boss Entertainment Inc.

Mickey Markoff, the executive producer of the Hyundai Air & Sea Show, said the event was showcasing Miami Beach “in a really positive light,” while being inclusive to visitors of all ages and walks of life. He said the show was never meant to drive out party crowds, but instead to offer the public an organized way to celebrate the weekend and thank the military and first responders.

“That’s what this event is doing is bringing people together,” he said.

Police officers nevertheless made their presence felt. Just before 6 p.m., across from the now-shuttered News Cafe, officers led a man named Eric into a patrol car, his hands cuffed behind his back. His crime, according to a friend: carrying an open container of Fireball, but stuffed in his pants pockets.

“This is crazy,” said his friend, who identified himself as Julio Jones, of Brickell.

An officer explained to Jones that his friend would likely be released later tonight from a jail. Jones put his hands in the air. “I wasn’t drinking,” he said. “My bad for my friend.”

This story was originally published May 29, 2021 at 6:55 PM.