Viernes Culturales will move to the third Friday of the month, organizers of the 18-year cultural gathering announced on Monday.
The event was pushed out of its normal time slot, the last Friday of the month, when it got caught in the crossfire between Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo and Ball and Chain co-owner Bill Fuller. The pair have feuded over code enforcement issues this year. Fuller has accused Carollo of spearheading a campaign of targeted code enforcement against Ball and Chain and affiliated businesses as political retaliation for support of Carollo’s opponent in the 2017 city election. The commissioner, who has gone on late-night stakeouts to investigate violations — and identified some true issues — has said he simply wants inspectors to fairly point out code problems in his district.
The conflict spilled over to the plaza outside Domino Park on the last Friday of the month, which has been home to Viernes Culturales for years — though the longstanding event had operated without required special events permits for 18 years. Carollo’s office applied for permits for his own festival, called “Little Havana Fridays,” which launched last Friday with a large crowd to see Pitbull speak and musical performances from Amaury Gutierrez, Noelia and on-air talent from América TeVé, one of the event’s sponsors.
Read more at our news partner, the Miami Herald.