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Let there be light, holiday light. The winter season of cheer has its own special traditions, and unusual finds, in a tropical, multicultural place like Greater Fort Lauderdale.
The major event is the annual Winterfest Boat Parade on December 15. The parade, which has been named one of the top 20 parades in the world by USA Today, . will be led this year by Grand Marshall Lorraine Bracco and features a new route along the New River, starting in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Thousands of adults and children line the banks of the Intracoastal to admire the evening flotilla of creatively decorated crafts as they cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Pompano Beach.
But, if you also want some indoor activity, the critically-acclaimed folk art exhibition of the African American quilters of Gee Bend, Alabama, is on display during the holiday season at the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale. A troupe of gospel singers comprised of women who are among the 45 artisans featured in the show accompanies the exhibit with fanfare as it travels to select museums around the country. Other top-rated stops have included the Whitney in New York and the High in Atlanta. The salute to black heritage and multigenerational artistry runs through January 7.
For Christmas lights you can’t beat the Hollywood tour of homes each year. It features some of the most elaborate lighting displays you’ll find in Broward County. There is also Kwaanza, starting December 26, and you can stop by the African American Research Library and Cultural Center to learn about the history of the celebration as well as other aspects of the area’s rich and diverse black past and cultural life.
The 24th annual Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant at the First Baptist Church in downtown Fort Lauderdale, through December 16 promises to be another blockbuster staging that blends tradition with the eclectic and avant garde. Picture Christmas music sung in waltzes and horse-drawn sleighs juxtaposed to jitterbug, hip-hop, and barefoot Santa scenes, followed by a spectacular re-enactment of the life of Jesus, complete with flying angels. A cast of hundreds, plus live animals, provides 2 ½ hours of entertainment in a Broadway-style production that has become such a big draw that it also is televised each year.
At the Parker Playhouse, the Ashanti Cultural Arts group is presenting “The Chocolate Nutcracker” December 1 and 2. Based on the traditional "Nutcracker,” the performance gives a black perspective to the age-old tale that has been a holiday tradition for years. African dancers and drummers, hip-hop, classical, carnival and modern dancers are all part of the festive ensemble.A newer tradition, but growing in popularity, is the “Black Noel,” an annual theatrical-musical production staged December 7-9 in the more intimate setting of Mount Olive Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets go fast. The goal, says director Oliver Black, a professional performer and drama teacher, is to highlight social issues such as homelessness using the holiday spirit as backdrop. The production of community performers is presented at one of the largest and most community-oriented churches in Fort Lauderdale – a bright light on its own.
--Kitty Oliver
The major event is the annual Winterfest Boat Parade on December 15. The parade, which has been named one of the top 20 parades in the world by USA Today, . will be led this year by Grand Marshall Lorraine Bracco and features a new route along the New River, starting in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Thousands of adults and children line the banks of the Intracoastal to admire the evening flotilla of creatively decorated crafts as they cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Pompano Beach.
But, if you also want some indoor activity, the critically-acclaimed folk art exhibition of the African American quilters of Gee Bend, Alabama, is on display during the holiday season at the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale. A troupe of gospel singers comprised of women who are among the 45 artisans featured in the show accompanies the exhibit with fanfare as it travels to select museums around the country. Other top-rated stops have included the Whitney in New York and the High in Atlanta. The salute to black heritage and multigenerational artistry runs through January 7.
For Christmas lights you can’t beat the Hollywood tour of homes each year. It features some of the most elaborate lighting displays you’ll find in Broward County. There is also Kwaanza, starting December 26, and you can stop by the African American Research Library and Cultural Center to learn about the history of the celebration as well as other aspects of the area’s rich and diverse black past and cultural life.
The 24th annual Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant at the First Baptist Church in downtown Fort Lauderdale, through December 16 promises to be another blockbuster staging that blends tradition with the eclectic and avant garde. Picture Christmas music sung in waltzes and horse-drawn sleighs juxtaposed to jitterbug, hip-hop, and barefoot Santa scenes, followed by a spectacular re-enactment of the life of Jesus, complete with flying angels. A cast of hundreds, plus live animals, provides 2 ½ hours of entertainment in a Broadway-style production that has become such a big draw that it also is televised each year.
At the Parker Playhouse, the Ashanti Cultural Arts group is presenting “The Chocolate Nutcracker” December 1 and 2. Based on the traditional "Nutcracker,” the performance gives a black perspective to the age-old tale that has been a holiday tradition for years. African dancers and drummers, hip-hop, classical, carnival and modern dancers are all part of the festive ensemble.A newer tradition, but growing in popularity, is the “Black Noel,” an annual theatrical-musical production staged December 7-9 in the more intimate setting of Mount Olive Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets go fast. The goal, says director Oliver Black, a professional performer and drama teacher, is to highlight social issues such as homelessness using the holiday spirit as backdrop. The production of community performers is presented at one of the largest and most community-oriented churches in Fort Lauderdale – a bright light on its own.
--Kitty Oliver
posted by GuestBlogger-GFL at 4:38 PM
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