Bayfront Park:‘Rocks’ in 2010

By Neil Fritz


It’s a long-standing Miami tradition to ring in the New Year at DWNTWN’s Bayfront Park.  Billed as ‘the largest FREE party in South Florida’ – both USA Today and MSN have recognized the park as ‘One of the Top 10 Places in the World to Ring in the New Year’.  In 2010, the energy in Bayfront continues long beyond the New Year’s celebration.

Bayfront Park is ‘ch-ch-changing’ . . . and the result promises a comfortable, pedestrian-friendly open space for DWNTWN residents and visitors.  Stretching from the InterContinental Hotel on the south to Bayside on the north, hundreds of trees, benches, and trashcans are being used to enhance the pedestrian experience along the bay.  In addition, the fountain area and small ‘urban beach’ are being augmented with palm trees north all the way to the ‘docks of the bay’.

New things to do too.  Bayfront Park Management Trust offers FREE yoga classes every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.  Downtown Athletic Club offers Latin Dance classes on Tuesday night and the Club’s rigorous ‘Boot Camp’ on Saturday mornings.  Both are at the park’s Tina Hills Pavilion.

Then there’s the music!  Last year, Live Nation provided the Bayfront Park Amphitheater with a multi-million dollar, ‘hundred and twenty ton’ renovation and entered into an agreement with the City of Miami to operate, manage and exclusively book the park’s 6,500 capacity amphitheater.  Look for exciting concerts DWNTWN, including:

  1. • On February 3, get your tickets DWNTWN Deadheads!  Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh and Bob Weir take it FURTHER.  Further’s “The Winter Tour 2010” features Deadhead Jeff Chimenti, Dark Star Orchestra’s John Kadlecik, RatDog’s Jay Lane and Benevento/Russo’s Joe Russo.

  2. • On March 3, British rock/pop legends The Moody Blues, known for such majestic tunes as “Nights In White Satin,” and “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock ‘n’ Roll Band)” will be the DWNTWN sound.  Led by singer/guitarist Justin Hayward, singer/bassist John Lodge, and flutist Ray Thomas, the band has sold in excess of 70 million albums worldwide.

  3. • Plan ahead – on June 4, Jethro Tull rocks DWNTWN!  If you think you love “him”, then you don’t know who “they” are.  The band – currently five members including originals Ian Anderson and Martin Barre – has released 30 albums, selling more than 60 million copies since first performing at London’s famous Marquee club in the late 1960s.

So start the New Year right with a visit to Bayfront Park, and with new activities, concerts in the amphitheater and Season 2 of DWNTWN Concert Series (next page) – you can keep rocking all year long.