MIAMI LANTERN

PARADE

A young girl smiles beside a glowing jellyfish umbrella lantern at the lantern parade

MIAMI BEACH · NOVEMBER 14, 2027

ONE ISLAND.THOUSANDS OF LANTERNS.ONE NIGHT.

The Miami Lantern Parade is coming to Miami Beach on November 14, 2027.

Miami comes together to create, carry and share light. Lanterns made in classrooms, studios, living rooms, lobbies and community rooms across the city — carried together through the heart of Miami Beach for one extraordinary evening.

November 14, 2027 · Miami Beach

THE SETTING

LINCOLN ROAD BECOMES THE CANVAS.

Large animal sculpture installation and public seating on Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Lincoln Road today — before the light arrives.

For one evening, one of America's most iconic pedestrian streets becomes a moving work of art.

From Alton Road to Drexel Avenue, lanterns created across our community will travel beneath Lincoln Road's trees, past its fountains, its public art, its restaurants, its plazas and its gathering places.

The architecture stays the same. The light changes everything.

BENEATH THE TREES. PAST THE FOUNTAINS.

Walk it in daylight and it is a street of shade, water, benches and conversation. Imagine it after dark, carried forward by thousands of small points of light moving in the same direction.

Lincoln Road landscaping, fountain and pedestrian promenade in Miami Beach
THE ROUTE

LINCOLN ROAD, END TO END.

The proposed parade travels the length of Lincoln Road, from Alton Road to Drexel Avenue — approximately 0.6 mile of one of America's most recognizable pedestrian streets, walked slowly, together, after dark.

  1. START

    Alton Road

    Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

  2. MIDPOINT

    Meridian Avenue

    Lincoln Road Mall

  3. FINISH

    Drexel Avenue

    Parade concludes here

Approximately 0.6 mile

Proposed route — subject to final approvals.

THE WORK

THREE SCALES OF LIGHT.

Spectacular large-scale works and simple handmade lanterns belong in the same parade. Together they make the artwork.

01

SIGNATURE LANTERNS

Large-scale artistic lantern works created by invited or selected Miami-area artists, designers, makers, schools, institutions and creative teams. These become the visual anchors of the parade.

02

COMMUNITY LANTERNS

Lantern projects created collaboratively by schools, neighborhoods, community groups, cultural organizations, businesses and other participating groups.

03

INDIVIDUAL LANTERNS

Lanterns created and carried by children, families, residents and visitors — made at a kitchen table, in a classroom or at a community workshop.

2027 THEME

INTO THE BLUE.

This year's inspiration is the extraordinary world where Miami meets the sea.

Think

glowing jellyfishgiant raysfantastical fishcoral gardensseahorsessea turtlesmysterious creatures from the deeptropical birdsmangroveswavesboatsbeachesor something entirely from your imagination

Interpret it any way you like.

Small lantern. Giant lantern. Beautiful. Strange. Elegant. Ridiculous.

Just make it glow.

INAUGURAL EVENT

A NEW MIAMI TRADITION BEGINS.

The Miami Lantern Parade is a brand-new community celebration — a procession of handmade light created by the people who live here.

The inaugural Parade takes place on Lincoln Road, built on a civic scale with a community arts program behind it.

THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUAL LIGHTS. ONE COMMUNITY.

COMMUNITY ARTS

THE PARADE BEGINS LONG BEFORE THE LIGHTS COME ON.

The Miami Lantern Parade is created by the community. Make a lantern at home, build one with friends, create one at school, gather your neighbors or bring an entire organization together and make something spectacular.

We'll also host organized lantern-making workshops in the months leading up to the Parade, with artists, materials and plenty of inspiration. Sign up to be notified when workshops are announced.

Then, for one extraordinary night, everything comes together on Lincoln Road — professional commissions alongside thousands of lanterns created by children, families, schools, organizations, artists and neighbors.

Made by Miami. Carried by Miami. Lit by everyone.

THE MODEL

HOW THE LIGHT GETS MADE.

  1. 01

    SPONSORS · GRANTS · COMMUNITY SUPPORT

    Arts funding from businesses, institutions, grant programs and residents.

  2. 02

    ARTISTS · MATERIALS · WORKSHOPS · PERFORMANCES · PRODUCTION

    That funding pays for artist commissions, free materials, community workshops, performers and the production behind the evening.

  3. 03

    FREE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

    Anyone can make a lantern and walk the route. Participation is free by design.

  4. 04

    MIAMI LANTERN PARADE

    One extraordinary night on Lincoln Road — the culmination of months of community creativity.

The Miami Lantern Parade is produced by STOLTZ ONE LLC and is not a nonprofit or 501(c)(3) organization. Sponsorships and community support are not represented as tax-deductible charitable donations.

A young girl smiles beside a glowing jellyfish umbrella lantern at the lantern parade
ARTISTS

CALLING MIAMI ARTISTS.

We're commissioning artists to create a collection of spectacular large-scale illuminated works for the Miami Lantern Parade.

Painters, sculptors, designers, architects, fabricators, lighting artists, puppeteers, installation artists and wonderfully inventive people who don't fit neatly into any category are invited to participate.

SCHOOLS

SCHOOLS BECOME PART OF THE ART.

Miami Beach schools are invited to bring their students into the artwork. The program intends to remove financial barriers so children can participate regardless of their school's resources.

  • Lantern-making materials
  • Project ideas and educational resources
  • Access to artists and teaching artists when available
  • Opportunities to create collaborative lanterns
  • Participation in the Miami Lantern Parade
  • Opportunities for students' artwork to be seen by the broader community

A nonsectarian community arts program, open to public, private, charter, religious and independent schools. The program provides materials, resources and access — not cash grants.

FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

MAKE A LANTERN. JOIN THE PARADE.

We'll host organized lantern-making workshops in the months leading up to the Parade, with artists, materials and plenty of inspiration.

You do not need to be a professional artist. You need an idea and an evening.

Families, children, adults, seniors, artists, businesses and visitors can make lanterns and ultimately walk together in the parade.

IF YOU HAVE A LANTERN, YOU'RE PART OF THE PARADE.

CULTURAL COMMUNITIES

THE COMMON LANGUAGE IS LIGHT.

Miami's communities are invited to interpret the idea of light through their own traditions, cultures, histories and creativity.

Jewish organizations, churches, cultural organizations, immigrant communities, LGBTQ+ organizations, neighborhood associations, colleges, businesses and other Miami communities are equally invited to participate.

This is a civic, nonsectarian celebration. What we share is the light.

THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUAL LIGHTS. ONE COMMUNITY.

PARTICIPATION

WHO CREATES THE LIGHT?

The Miami Lantern Parade is created by the community. Make a lantern at home, build one with friends, create one at school, gather your neighbors or bring an entire organization together and make something spectacular.

CHILDREN & FAMILIES

Families making lanterns together and walking the route side by side.

MIAMI BEACH SCHOOLS

Students creating lanterns through art classes, classroom projects and after-school programs.

ARTISTS & DESIGNERS

Artists, sculptors, designers and makers creating signature illuminated works.

NEIGHBORHOODS & RESIDENTS

South Beach, Mid-Beach, North Beach, the islands and neighboring communities walking together.

CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS

Museums, galleries, performing arts groups and cultural institutions creating and participating.

FAITH COMMUNITIES

Congregations and community organizations interpreting the universal idea of light through their own traditions.

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

Students and design programs bringing scale, craft and experimentation to the route.

LINCOLN ROAD BUSINESSES

Merchants, restaurants and hotels creating lanterns and forming employee teams.

VISITORS

People visiting Miami Beach during parade week, invited to make a lantern and join in.

An invitation, not a list of confirmed participants.

Palm trees, water features and outdoor dining along Lincoln Road, Miami Beach
SCHOOLS

IMAGINE THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN CARRYING THEIR OWN LIGHT.

A child makes something with their own hands. They carry it through Miami Beach at night. And they become part of a larger artwork created by the city around them.

Schools across the island community will be invited to participate — through art classes, classroom projects, after-school programs, family workshops and school lantern teams.

Art teachers can shape the work. Parents can help build it. School communities can walk the route together, behind a banner of their own light.

CREATIVITY, MADE PUBLIC.

ARTISTS

CALLING MIAMI ARTISTS.

Imagine what you could make with light.

We're commissioning artists to create a collection of spectacular large-scale illuminated works for the Miami Lantern Parade.

Painters, sculptors, designers, architects, fabricators, lighting artists, puppeteers, installation artists and wonderfully inventive people who don't fit neatly into any category are invited to participate.

Sign up to receive the Artist Call and submit your concept when applications open.

Possible directions

  • Animals
  • Marine life
  • Tropical plants
  • Abstract sculpture
  • Fantastical creatures
  • Cultural interpretations of light
  • Works inspired by Miami

Artist opportunities and selection details will be announced as the program develops. No artists have been announced.

CULTURAL ART EXCHANGE — IN DEVELOPMENT

LIGHT TRAVELS. ART CONNECTS US.

The Miami Lantern Parade is developing an international Cultural Art Exchange connecting Miami artists with artists and communities around the world.

Each exchange will bring visiting artists to Miami to collaborate with local artists, schools and community organizations — creating extraordinary illuminated works, sharing techniques and ideas, and participating in workshops leading up to the Miami Lantern Parade.

But an exchange should go both ways.

The vision is for Miami artists to travel to partner communities in return, creating new work, collaborating with local artists and sharing Miami's extraordinary cultural identity with the world.

ARTISTS CROSSING BORDERS. COMMUNITIES SHARING IDEAS. ART TRAVELING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.

Colorful fish and balloon lanterns move along the waterfront at dusk
  1. WORLD
  2. MIAMI
  3. CREATE TOGETHER
  4. PARADE
  5. MIAMI
  6. WORLD
  • Visiting artists come to Miami.
  • Miami artists work alongside them.
  • Communities participate in the creative process.
  • Their collaborative work becomes part of the Miami Lantern Parade.
  • Miami artists then have opportunities to participate in reciprocal cultural experiences abroad.
AN EXAMPLE OF THE CONCEPT — NOT A CONFIRMED PARTNERSHIP

MIAMI × CAPE TOWN

Two coastal cities. Two extraordinary cultures. One ocean between them.

Imagine artists from Cape Town coming to Miami to work alongside Miami artists and communities on a monumental illuminated creation inspired by the sea, followed by Miami artists traveling to South Africa for a reciprocal cultural experience.

The artists could work with schools, lead public workshops, collaborate with local makers and ultimately create work that thousands of people experience together.

This example illustrates what the Cultural Art Exchange could become.

AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION EACH YEAR.

The longer-term vision is for each Miami Lantern Parade to feature an international artist or partner community.

Potential future exchanges might connect Miami with creative communities throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Asia.

Global in reach. Rooted in Miami.

ARTISTS: TAKE YOUR WORK SOMEWHERE NEW.

Miami artists and international artists interested in future Cultural Art Exchanges are invited to register their interest. This is an expression of interest, not an application.

HELP ART TRAVEL.

The Cultural Art Exchange will require partners beyond traditional event sponsors — organizations that can help artists move, work and create across borders.

  • Artist travel
  • Accommodation
  • Artist commissions
  • Materials
  • Studio / workspace
  • Cultural programming
  • Local transportation
  • School and community workshops

Airlines, hotels, cultural institutions, universities, consulates, foundations and corporate partners are invited to express interest.

The Cultural Art Exchange is not a separate initiative. The Miami Lantern Parade remains the public culmination — international artists create alongside Miami artists and communities, and their work ultimately joins the extraordinary collection of illuminated creations carried and displayed on Lincoln Road.

WE MAKE SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY TOGETHER — AND THEN WE CARRY THAT LIGHT SOMEWHERE ELSE.

COMMUNITY

LIGHT BELONGS TO EVERYONE.

Light is one of the few symbols almost every culture understands.

Miami Beach's many communities are invited to interpret light through their own traditions, cultures, stories and imagination — Jewish and Christian congregations, cultural communities, civic groups, secular organizations and neighbors with no affiliation at all.

The parade itself is inclusive, civic and nonsectarian. It belongs to everyone who helps create it.

ONE ISLAND. MANY TRADITIONS. ONE NIGHT OF LIGHT.

BUSINESS & HOSPITALITY

LINCOLN ROAD IS PART OF THE EXPERIENCE.

Lincoln Road is not simply the route. Its merchants, restaurants, hotels and property owners are part of what makes the evening feel like Miami Beach.

Businesses across the island are invited to take part in ways that suit them.

  • Window displays
  • Lantern installations
  • Employee lantern teams
  • Hospitality on parade night
  • Hosting or sponsoring a workshop
  • Community activations
  • Sponsorship
  • In-kind support

These are invitations, not confirmed programs.

SPONSORSHIP

WHAT YOUR SPONSORSHIP MAKES POSSIBLE.

Sponsorship is arts funding. It pays for the people, materials and production that make free community participation possible.

  • Miami artist commissions
  • Free lantern-making materials
  • School participation
  • Community workshops
  • Large-scale illuminated artworks
  • Musicians and performers
  • Accessibility and community participation
  • Parade production
  • A free public cultural experience on Lincoln Road

Sponsorship is a commercial marketing and community-support relationship, not a tax-deductible charitable donation.

SUPPORT

HELP LIGHT MIAMI BEACH.

The 2027 parade is being built now, and founding partners help make this edition possible.

We are developing partnership in coordination with event partners. Support can be directed where it matters most.

Support makes possible

  • Artist commissions
  • School lantern programs
  • Community workshops
  • Accessibility
  • Production
  • Public programming

Who we're speaking with

  • Founding partners
  • Businesses
  • Cultural institutions
  • Philanthropic organizations
  • Media partners
  • Community partners
  • In-kind contributors

Community Partners

  • Lincoln Road Business Improvement DistrictAnabel Llopis, Executive Director
  • District Consulting Services LLCClaudia Jagid
BECOME A FOUNDING PARTNER
LANTERN & SAFETY

LIGHT IT. DON'T LIGHT IT ON FIRE.

LED lights only. No candles. No open flames. No floating lanterns.

We want Miami Beach to glow — safely and sustainably. Lanterns must use battery-powered LED lighting. Floating or sky lanterns are not permitted. Event operations remain subject to final approvals.

NO OPEN FLAMES

NO FLOATING OR SKY LANTERNS

NO E-BIKES OR E-SCOOTERS ON THE PARADE ROUTE