Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance Celebrates Diversity through Arts, Culture and Music (February 9-12, 2012)
The Historic Virginia Key Beach Park (HVKBP) will host the 1st Annual GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance in February to celebrate diversity in music, dance and the arts for 4 days on the grounds of this historic landmark. Music and art lovers will experience everything from crafts exhibits and live art to music workshops and performances.
Visitors will enjoy Bluegrass – Hip Hop – Latin – Roots Rock – Reggae and Zydeco musical performances by talents like international reggae artist Mishka, Bluegrass favorites Willie Watson & the Evil City Stringband, hip hop group ArtOfficial, Afro-Peruvian rapper Immortal Technique, Miami’s Latin bilingual band Locos Por Juana, and 13 year-old R&B sensation, Gibbor Green.
For 4 days on 4 stages, with over 50 bands performing, there is sure to be something for everyone. Festival organizer Emma Hewitt states “Every GrassRoots Festival offers a chance to hear not just the music you know you’ll enjoy, but to discover something new. People walk away having fallen in love with bands and genres they might never have found on their own. No other music festival has offered that type of diversity in Miami before.” The historic significance of the site resonated with the organizers of the GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance, especially during February, Black History Month. HVKBP was established in the 1940’s as Miami-Dade County’s segregated beach, the only place people of color could gather to enjoy beach recreation. Its dance pavilion, carousel, and mini-train made it a popular destination for residents and tourists. After years of disrepair following desegregation, the site has been reclaimed by a group of dedicated local citizens committed to preserving both the park and its legacy of community celebration. In keeping with the site’s history of celebration and recreation, the GrassRoots Festival creates a multicultural event in a family-friendly, all-inclusive environment.
For more information about tickets for the Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance visit www.virginiakeygrassroots.org.
Flor Frances is an Argentinean native based in Miami. She dedicates her life to music; studying and documenting the underground music scene. Flor believes in the alternative circuits as the platform where new things are born. The essence of art and evolution it’s found underground where everything is happening now --where she hangs out. For WFK she will be exploring Miami’s alternative, underground music scene. 
