The Coconut Grove Arts Festival, always held from Saturday to Monday on Presidents Day weekend, has been a beacon for my generation, especially on Sundays. Managed by the Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce, it draws large crowds every year, yet my personal story might shed light on why Sunday has a special place in our hearts.
Growing up in the early ’80s, the weekend seemed to begin on Wednesday night for us. Casanovas was the place to be on Wednesdays, followed by Fire and Ice & Stefanos in Key Biscayne on Thursdays. By Friday night, we’d start in the Grove, driving around in circles on Main Highway from Montys and back. Yes, we really did that. And then there was Saturday night – Pete & Lenny’s, Backstreets, and the various incarnations of 1235 were our haunts. During the day, the norm involved a trip to Burdines for a new outfit – Willie Wear, Fiorucci’s, and Giorgio Brutini’s were the rage.
Our routine typically involved going out on Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday, maybe hitting the beach, and definitely shopping at Burdines to prep for Saturday night. These nights often turned into 3 or 4 AM affairs, so Sundays started late. But once a year, there was something we all looked forward to – the Coconut Grove Arts Festival on Sunday.
This festival was our annual reunion. It was the time when groups of friends from all over the city – the Westchester crowd, the Hialeah crowd, the Carol City crowd – would come together. Despite our diverse backgrounds, we shared a common love for the nightlife and an annual anticipation for the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. It became more than just an event; it was a tradition where we connected with friends from our youth, our clubbing days, past coworkers, and it’s always been an amazing time of reconnecting with people we haven’t seen in years.
Now, as we attend the festival in the present day, it’s a beautiful reminder of those times. We see faces from our past – friends from our clubbing days, former coworkers – and it’s an incredible experience, a time of reconnection and nostalgia. The Coconut Grove Arts Festival is not just an event; it’s a yearly milestone that brings us all together, a cherished tradition that holds a special place in our hearts. And so, I look forward to it every year, hoping to see familiar faces and relive those wonderful memories. We hope to see you at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival.
