Urban Beach Week hits Miami this Memorial Weekend and there will be a host of celebrities there. Imagine the pool parties, the clubs, the beaches. The entire Miami Beach strip will be lit up like a Christmas tree on steroids. It’s also an exciting tourism boost for the city as participants travel from all over the US to get a taste of the urban flair.

The Urban Beach Week is the largest Urban Festival in the world that caters toward the Hip Hop Generation from 23 and over. Around 300,000-350,000 participants make the annual trek to South Beach for 4 days full of fun, food, festivities, entertainment, music and more.

The event started eight years ago as a small urban fashion show for a few thousand people interested in something different for Memorial Day Weekend in Miami.

A lot of urban clothing companies wanted a place where they could show off their new fashions. To model their clothes, those fashion companies brought in entertainers, actors and models to put a spotlight on their fashion. There were fashion shows every day all day. The response was extremely positive and very successful.

It was actually called Urban Fashion Week in the beginning.

But with the warm weather, beautiful scenery, exotic location and large beaches, the event became a new hot spot for others to look towards for vacations and especially Memorial Day Weekend.

Soon after, recording artist and record labels and other entertainers begin to generate the idea that instead of using the same places such as New York and California to shoot videos, Miami could be the focal point.

With the success of the very first Memorial Day Weekend word began to spread to people all over the internet, the Black Beach Week Newsletters and word of mouth that Miami was the place to go for May.

The very next year in 2000 over 250,000 people shocked Miami when people arrived for an all out party.

Since then, the event has grown and generated plenty of events such as the Celebrity Basketball Game, reggae festival, vendor area, shopping district, pool parties and has become the ultimate beach party for the Hip Hop culture. Last year was a record setting date as over 350,000 people witnessed the event first hand.

This year between 350,000 - 400,000 people will attend.

The actual event occurs on three streets along the popular South Beach Art Deco District. The hotels, clubs, shops and entertainment all in one area, so there isn't a need to drive anywhere to get to your destination. There are taxis within distance who can take you to any short distance areas.

What type of activities happen on Memorial Day Weekend in Miami?

There are plenty of things to get into during the event. There are concerts, parties, pool parties, contest, fashion shows celebrity pool parties and etc. Each year is different.

This is an outdoor public event. There isn't a cost to attend. However, you will need enough funds for the many South Beach restaurants along the strip. Nightclubs and shopping areas also should be within you budget. Most participants bring anywhere from $500.00 to $1,000 to cover the cost of the 3-4 day vacation.

Source: Black Beach Week