Miami Beach Announces 2025 Black History Month Events

Miami Beach, FL – The City of Miami Beach is proud to announce a month-long celebration of Black History Month, with a series of exciting and culturally rich events. Events will take place throughout February and offer a variety of activities celebrating African-American heritage, culture and achievements.

“Coming together to celebrate Black history with a curated lineup of events will make for a truly special month in Miami Beach, filled with meaning, reflection, and connections,” shared Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner.

Here’s a listing of free events:

White Shadows in Black Art
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2025
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Location: The Wolfsonian-FIU, 1001 Washington Avenue

In 1931 writer Langston Hughes visited Haiti, where he met the poet and intellectual Jacques Roumain. Both were anti-colonial and anti-racist activists whose art focused on the Black masses — the U.S. Black working class and the Haitian peasantry. This talk by Johns Hopkins University historian Minkah Makalani considers how Hughes and Roumain created images of modern Black folk as the focus of political struggle and artistic production, part of a larger current in the "New Negro" movement of the 1920s and '30s, and explores how their correspondence sheds light on the politics of art in the 21st century. Sponsored by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Art of Black Miami initiative.

Movie in the Park: Wakanda Forever
Date: Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025
Time: 6 p.m. (sundown)
Location: Altos Del Mar Park, 241 77 Street

Kick off Black History Month with a fun, family-friendly evening under the stars at Altos Del Mar Park. Enjoy a screening of Wakanda Forever (rated PG), a tribute to the legacy of the Black Panther franchise. Complimentary popcorn will be available while supplies last, and refreshments will be sold on-site. Bring your blankets and enjoy the show!

Jazz Men: An Evening of Music and Conversation with Larry Tyre
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Location: Miami Beach Jewish Community Center (JCC), 4221 Pine Tree Drive
Fee: Free RSVP: https://mbjcc.ticketleap.com/jazzmen/

Join the Miami Beach JCC for an enjoyable conversation with Larry Tyre, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Elling­ton, Louis Arm­strong and Count Basie Trans­formed America as well as a special performance by Young Musicians Unite Jazz Ensemble. Larry will be in conversation with Zach Larmer, Jazz musician, COO of YMU, and three-time Grammy award winner.

Black History Night Celebration
Date: Friday, Feb. 7, 2025
Time: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Location: North Shore Park Youth Center, 501 72 Street
Free entry and entertainment. $5 for unlimited rides.

Join the Parks and Recreation Department for a lively celebration of Black History Month. The event will kick-off with the City of Miami Beach Black Affairs Advisory Committee presenting the 2025 Community Award to Olympian Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry. It will also feature cultural performances by the city’s after-school participants, music, rides, food, crafts, and more. Ride tickets can be purchased by visiting register.miamibeachparks.com. Admission includes access to all activities, with refreshments available for sale.

Kilombo
Date: Friday, Feb. 7, 2025
Time: 7:15 p.m.
Location: The Betsy South Beach, 1433 Collins Avenue

The exhibition of large-scale documentary photographs entitled Kilombo, a tribute to the resilience and vitality of the African legacy in Brazil, represents the work of Maria Daniel Balcazar, a prize-winning documentary photographer and visual anthropologist, whose projects focus on the vitality of cultural traditions in the constant remaking of identity. Artist Maria Daneil Balazar will be present at the opening event to speak about her work, in partnership with Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Carl Juste, founder and curator of iWitness.  Brooklyn-based Poet/Performer Tai Allen (with Brian Murphy, piano) will also present and perform.  Ms. Balazar and Mr. Allen will be in residence in The Betsy Writers Room (thebetsywritersroom.com) as part of this initiative - joining more than 1000 alumni in the program.

Soul Vegan & Seafood Food Festival
Date: Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025
Time: 1 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Location: Lummus Park, Between 6 and 7 Streets on Ocean Drive

The Soul Vegan & Seafood Food Festival returns to Lummus Park, bringing together the best of plant-based African-American and Caribbean cuisine. Presented in partnership with The Hungry Black Man, LLC, this free festival will feature delicious dishes, live entertainment, wellness activities, and more. This celebration of food, culture and community is perfect for the entire family. For more details, visit www.soulveganfestival.com.

"Never Drop the Ball" Film Screening
Date: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: SoundScape Park, 1670 Washington Avenue

On February 13, the City of Miami Beach OnStage! Program and the City of Miami Beach Black Affairs Advisory Committee will present a screening of Never Drop the Ball, a documentary that chronicles the remarkable journey of Black baseball players who helped transform the sport from a segregated pastime into a global phenomenon. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, baseball historian Abel Sanchez, and Michael Anderson and will be moderated by Tom Hudson from WLRN News.

Third Thursdays: Featuring Hued Songs
Date: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025
Time: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. (7 p.m. performance)
Location: The Bass Museum, 2100 Collins Avenue

Building belonging, empathy, and community for all, Hued Songs weaves and performs a tapestry of song and spoken word at The Bass by an all-women cast, centering female resistance, freedom and liberation of self. Hued Songs produces experiences that amplify Black joy, creativity, and belonging. Through song, spoken word, dance, and heart, our work is rooted across three core principles: 1) To provide a platform on which Black and brown artists can be seen, heard, and paid; 2) The arts are a right and not a privilege, thus we work to remove cost, geography, and perception barriers to every performance; and  3) Every performance is an opportunity to build belonging, empathy, and community for all.

Shattered Structures: Looking Back 15 Years to the Earthquake in Haiti
Date: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: FIU-Miami Beach Urban Studios, 420 Lincoln Road
Fee: Free

The exhibition will focus on the architectural legacy and its fragility in Haiti as documented in photographs of buildings taken following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Botanical Garden Groove
Date: Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025
Time: 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Location: Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive
Fee: Free

Close out Black History Month with an unforgettable night of music, art and culture at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. The Botanical Garden Groove will feature live sets from PAPERWATER, DJ Duality, Pressure Point, and DJ Dluxe, showcasing an eclectic mix of footwork, Baltimore house, jungle, juke, and more. The event will also include creative activities such as custom clothing at the Grizzly Print Parlor and professional portrait sessions by Giana Currie’s AfterHours Photoshoot Experience. The event will be live-streamed by Jolt Radio for an even wider audience.

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To request this material in alternate format, sign language interpreter (five-day notice required), information on access for persons with disabilities, and/or any accommodation to review any document or participate in any city-sponsored proceedings, call 305.604.2ADA (2232) and select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish, then option 6; TTY users may call via 711 (Florida Relay Service).