Miami-Dade County prepares for first-ever Hometown Heroes Parade on October 30th

Today, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners announced the county’s first Hometown Heroes parade on Sunday, October 30th to honor the healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and first responders who kept our community safe throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hometown Heroes Parade was created by the Board of County Commissioners and spearheaded by prime sponsor Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins and co-prime sponsor Vice Chairman Oliver Gilbert.  
 
Mayor Levine Cava was joined at FTX Arena by County Commission Chair Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Vice Chair Oliver Gilbert, Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, and Commissioner Keon Hardemon, along with first responders, healthcare leaders, partner cities, sponsoring organizations, and more.  
For sponsorship information, regular updates, and volunteer opportunities to honor our hometown heroes, please visit miamidade.gov/hometownheroes. 

Event details: 
11:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Parade Route 
The procession will move up Biscayne Blvd., from the Intercontinental Hotel to FTX Arena's Parcel B. The parade will include healthcare professionals, police and fire departments, elected officials, marching bands from Miami High School and Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, and more.  

Once the parade reaches FTX Arena, guests can enjoy a waterfront parade on Biscayne Bay. Additional programming will include vessels with water-spraying features, Jet Ski aerialists and a Flyboard aerialist.

Scheduled road closures (approximately – official times will be made public closer to the parade date):

• Biscayne Boulevard North – 4AM - 2PM   
• NE 5th street/Port Boulevard – 4AM - 2PM  
• NE 6th Street – 4AM - 2PM

12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Main Stage 
After the parade, our hometown heroes, their families and friends, can join our main stage – emceed by the Miami Heat’s Dale McClean – for a lineup of speakers and live music, featuring DJ Danny Stern and the Private Property band.

1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Family Fun Fest 
Enjoy family-friendly activities, art displays, food trucks, live performances and more at the Family Fun Fest, located at the FTX Arena’s Parcel B.   

• Food Trucks and Refreshments
• Activations celebrating the Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, and other essential workers and first responders.
• COVID-19 vaccines available onsite

Kids Fun Zone activities: 

• Mobile zip line 
• Bungee jump 
• Rock climbing wall
• Halloween activities, including a pumpkin patch, face painting, children’s costume contest

Miami-Dade County Park activities: 

• Zoo Miami
• EcoAdventures, featuring animal encounters 
• Bike305 giveaways 
• Resilience POD, showcasing the county’s sustainability efforts

Hometown Heroes Art Installation by County Artist-in-Residence Xavier Cortada
Kids will be able to work with local muralists to create a live custom 8’x 16’ mural. The one-of-a-kind piece will be blended as a single picture celebrating front line workers across historic Miami-Dade landscapes. 

Sports Sponsor Activations:  

• The Marlins
• The Miami Dolphins
• The Miami Heat
• Local Dance Teams and Musical Acts

Partner Cities and Municipalities:

• Aventura  
• Bal Harbour  
• Coral Gables 
• Cutler Bay  
• El Portal  
• Golden Beach  
• Hialeah Gardens  
• Key Biscayne 
• Miami 
• Miami Beach 
• Miami Shores  
• Miami Springs  
• North Bay Village  
• North Miami Beach  
• Opa-Locka  
• Palmetto Bay 
• South Miami  
• Sunny Isles Beach  
• Surfside 
• Sweetwater  
• Virginia Gardens 
• West Miami

Hometown Heroes Sponsors, as of 09/22:

• Baptist Health 
• Cox Media Group Miami 
• Jackson Health 
• ADG Strategy Group 
• AETNA 
• AFSCME 
• Amazon 
• AT&T 
• Bacardi 
• Bank of America 
• CDR Maguire/CDR Health 
• Chapman 
• Citrus Health 
• City of Miami 
• City of Miami Beach 
• Diario Las Americas 
• First Horizon Bank 
• Florida Blue 
• FPL 
• Gold Coast Beverage Distributors/Reyes Holdings 
• Health Foundation of SF 
• Lotus House 
• Miami DDA 
• Miami Dolphins 
• Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald 
• Miami Marlins 
• Milton Companies 
• Motorola Solutions 
• New Hope 
• Nicklaus Children's Health 
• NOMI Health 
• PepsiCo 
• Perry Ellis 
• Power 96 
• Related Companies 
• Related Foundation 
• SIXT Rental Car 
• Sole Mia 
• South Florida PBS 
• University of Miami
• Village of Key Biscayne 
• Vitas Healthcare 
• Volunteers of America of Florida 
• Wells Fargo

Lists of sponsors, activations, and special guests are still in formation. To find the latest information on the Hometown Heroes parade, please visit miamidade.gov/hometownheroes.