Miami and Brussels

Hi this is Gemma Dempsey and this week we go to Florida for Carnaval Miami, and finally to Belgium for the Brxlbravo Arts Festival.

Carnaval Miami began in 1978 as a festival to celebrate Cuban culture and has grown into one of the biggest Hispanic events in the USA. This year over a million people are expected to attend, with activities ranging from a Domino tournament to the grand finale of Calle Ocho, a street party stretching over 23 blocks of Little Havana. Sway to the sounds of merengue and salsa and don’t be surprised if someone grabs you round the waist – they just might be trying to beat the 1998 record for the world’s largest conga line of 119,000 people!!

Arts Festival.

Comprising 200 events, the music element includes performances by one of the founders of the Julliard Ensemble, Garrett List, experimental saxophone quartet Bl!ndman and the collective concert BrxlSings - this will be held in the gothic Grand Place where 250 singers and 50 musicians will sing in an imaginary language consisting of onomatopoeia and a variety of accents. You can sing-a-long to this ode to Brussels by checking out the MP3 on the festival’s website - details of this event and more can be found at kcrw.com/globalgigguide.