Viernes Culturales

Little Havana is the epicenter of Miami’s Cuban diaspora, and on the last Friday of every month, Greater Miami & Miami Beach celebrates the neighborhood's dynamic heritage with Viernes Culturales – Spanish for “Cultural Fridays.” This free event takes over the stretch of Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street) between 14th and 17th avenues and brings the vibrant history, art, food and music of Little Havana and Miami’s greater Latin American community to life. The History Of Little Havana When Fidel Castro’s reign sparked the Cuban Revolution in January 1959, Cuban immigrants fled to Miami and found refuge in the neighborhood that is now Little Havana. In response to Castro’s dictatorship, the U.S. government passed the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act in 1962, which offered refugees escaping political or religious persecution funding and government programs to start a new life in America. Freedom Tower immediately became home to the official Cuban Assistance Center. It was the destination of choice for Cuban immigrants coming to Miami, who began settling near the tower and gradually formed their own community just west of Downtown Miami. Cuban refugees found homes, opened businesses and…