May 24, 2008 6:44 pm US/Eastern
Hip-Hop Weekend Going Strong
200,000 expected for annual Memorial Day event
SOUTH BEACH (CBS4) ―
Thousands of people flock to Miami every Memorial Day for what is known as hip-hop weekend. Even with a sagging economy nationwide, the crowd and the business on South Beach continues to jam.
Some plan on pumping thousands of dollars into the local economy.
"I love it down here, it's very exciting, especially with the shopping. I love the shopping. It has some real exclusive shoes and bags and stuff I have purchased," said tourist Shannon Hawkins.
The crowd is expected to swell to around 200,000 people for the weekend. As of Saturday, hotel occupancy is around 90% and expected to grow as the weekend gets into full swing.
For South Florida business owners, the crowd couldn't have come at a better time.
"It generates money with the restaurants, the room nights, and everything else that comes with people coming into town," Demetrius Hodge of the Park Central Hotel said.
All the money being pumped into the economy makes many business owners wish every weekend was Memorial Day.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
