May 22, 2009 5:41 pm US/Eastern
Expect Crowds On Miami Beach For Hip-Hop Weekend
It's The 10th Annual Urban Beach Week
Thousands Of People Expected To Attend From Around The U.S.
MIAMI BEACH (CBS4) ―
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Police presence increases on the streets of South Beach during Memorial Day Weekend.
CBS4 News
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Events take place at the beach, clubs, and hotels throughout South Beach.
CBS4 News
Memorial Day weekend is upon us and that means hundreds of thousands of hip-hop fans are expected to flock to South Beach this weekend for four days of partying, dancing and drinking by the sand.
The annual bash is known as the 'largest urban beach festival' in the world.
It couldn't have come at a better time. With the sluggish economy, Miami Beach hotels need a tourism boost. Max Sklar, the city's tourism and cultural development director says hotels in Miami Beach are booked to 92-percent capacity for the holiday weekend.
When the annual Memorial Day Weekend party first started, it was chaotic and rowdy but not anymore.
Miami Beach Police will be out in force to help with crowd control. Officers will be in both uniform and plainclothes.
In the past, most arrests resulted from disorderly conduct and intoxication.
Last year was the first since 2001 that the MacArthur or Julia Tuttle causeways didn't have to be shutdown but it will be closed on an as-needed basis.
Police officials say the city is expecting big crowds and is increasing law enforcement. Officers from Miami-Dade, FHP and other departments will be on duty on the beach as well as the nearly 400 officers from the Miami Beach police department, who will be working extended hours.
Code enforcement officers will also be out in full force inspecting clubs for overcrowding and fire code violations. And once again, a team of volunteers called Goodwill Ambassadors will provide information to visitors, which will include a map and important contacts and tips to ensure safety.
Traffic is expected to be extremely congested. To help alleviate the problem, the city is offering free bus service starting at 6:00 p.m. Friday. The buses run about every 10 to 15 minutes. Visitors and residents are also urged to walk or take taxi cabs to their destinations.
If you need more information, you can call the Miami Beach Answer Center at
(305) 604-CITY (2489), or the Tourism Hotline at
(305) 673-7400.
How did Urban Beach Week Begin?
According to the website blackbeachweek.com
www.blackbeachweek.com Urban Beach Week started 10 years ago as a small urban fashion show for a few thousand people interested in something different for Memorial Day Weekend in Miami.
In 1999, there was a smaller crowd but little did people know it was the start of something that was going to be big in the future.
A lot of urban clothing companies such as FUBU and other well known brands wanted a place where they could show off their new fashions. To model their clothes, those fashion companies brought in entertainers, actors and models to put a spotlight on their fashion. There were fashion shows every day all day.
It was actually called Urban Fashion Week in the beginning and it was very successful.
With that success, word begin to spread to people all over the internet, the Black Beach Week Newsletters and word of mouth, that Miami Beach was the place to go for Memorial Day Weekend.
The very next year in 2000 over 250,000 people shocked Miami Beach when people arrived for an all out party.
Since then, the event has grown and generated huge events such as the Celebrity Basketball Game, reggae festival, vendor area, shopping district, pool parties and it has become the ultimate beach party for the Hip Hop culture.
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