Isn’t it ironic? Alanis Morissette tapped to help tame Miami Beach spring break
When you think of a spring break concert, memories of top-40 artists playing on MTV may come to mind. But in South Beach, the city is rolling out a month-long festival lineup more tailored to an over-40 crowd than college spring breakers.
The city’s new $3.2 million concert and event series — to be held in Lummus Park and on the beach from March 4 to March 27 — will seek to change the narrative of spring break after party crowds last year led officials to declare a state of emergency and impose an 8 p.m. curfew.
Dubbed Miami Beach Live!, the festival will take place every weekend in March and include both daytime and evening programming, from wellness and athletics to movie nights and musical performances. Headlining acts include “Ironic” singer Alanis Morissette, Wilson Phillips and Juanes — artists from the 90s and early 2000s who were topping music charts before college seniors were even born. Other musical acts include more current artists like Jon Batiste, whose recent album is nominated for a Grammy.
The goal is to broaden the tourist demographic to include not only college-age party crowds but also older tourists, families and residents, said Lissette Garcia Arrogante, the city’s tourism director.
“We hope that the programming helps us move the needle a little bit in terms of changing the narrative and making it more inclusive,” she told the Miami Herald.
About the generational gap between the headliners and spring breakers, Arrogante noted that the ‘90s are back in style among younger generations. “We are not discouraging anyone from coming,” she said.
Miami Beach Live!, which is being produced by Tom Bercu Presents, will mark the first time the city hosts entertainment during spring break, she said. A previous attempt came in 2020, but was canceled due to COVID-19.
There will be activities for kids, like a photo booth, giant slide, karaoke, rock wall, art activities, a reading area and carnival games with prizes sponsored by local businesses. There will also be a dog park and price-fixed restaurant deals. Wellness activities include fitness classes, basketball and Ultimate Frisbee tournaments, and an “anti-aging and wellness center” sponsored by the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort that will administer free B12 injections.
The program series comes as City Hall is fighting to enact stricter liquor laws for spring break and year-round. The first movie screening, perhaps ironically, will feature “Footloose,” a classic flick about a Midwestern town that had outlawed dancing. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, who has spearheaded recent efforts to enact citywide 2 a.m. alcohol controls, often compares himself to the puritanical father from the movie who convinces the Town Council to adopt anti-liquor, anti-dance laws.
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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