[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Cover model and Latin Grammy nominated Brazilian pop star Iza will headline the 8th Annual Pompano Beach Brazilian Festival, on October 19 and 20 at Pompano Beach Community Park. 

According to a press release, Iza’s powerful vocals and ability to mimic the sounds of superstars such as Beyoncé, Rihanna and Sam Smith quickly earned her viral attention in her home city of Rio de Janeiro where she quickly rose to stardom recording cover songs on her self-titled YouTube channel, which has since garnered more than 500 million views. Her online popularity and vocal talent gained her a contract with Warner Music Brasil, which helped her to record her album “Dona de Mim.” That album was nominated for a 2018 Latin Grammy award for Best Album of Contemporary Pop in the Portuguese Language. Iza was recently featured on the covers of Brazil’s Marie Claire, Nova Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health magazines. She was named by Billboard Magazine as one of the “Five Female Latin Artists to Keep on Your Radar in 2019,” and named by Brazil’s Vogue the “Real Queen and Inspiring Brazilian Muse.” Iza was also invited to become a judge on Brazil’s music competition show “The Voice.”

To attract a superstar as notable as Iza to Pompano Beach is remarkable,” said Luciano Sameli, the festival’s co-founder and organizer. “It is a testament to how successful the Pompano Beach Brazilian Festival has become.”

Iza is the second Latin Grammy nominated artist to perform at the Pompano Beach Brazilian Festival. Last year, Elba Ramalho — who won two Latin Grammy awards and was nominated for six — headlined the festival.

Sameli said the Festival has attracted such famous Brazilian talents because it is the largest Brazilian Festival in the Southeastern U.S. and brings in crowds of more than 20,000 people over the course of two days. 

Based on Brazilian television subscriptions and U.S. census data, it is estimated that approximately 360,000 Brazilians live in Florida — the largest Brazilian population in any state of the country. In addition, 993,000 Brazilians visited Florida in 2017, and over a million in 2016 (according to Visit Florida, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation).

HISTORY OF THE FESTIVAL

With the support of the City of Pompano Beach, the Pompano Beach Parks and Recreation Department, the City’s Multicultural Department, the Pompano Beach Fire Department, Broward Sheriff’s Office and corporate sponsors, Sameli and his nonprofit organization, the Heartbeat Foundation Corp., have been growing the event ever since.

This is the most important event of the year for our Brazilian community,” said former Pompano Beach Mayor and current Broward County Commissioner Lamar Fisher. “We are so proud to host the event in Pompano Beach. The event displays the true flavor and culture of our Brazilian community; the entertainment is overwhelming; the food is authentic and once you attend the event, you can’t wait for it to happen again.”

Since the festival first started in 2012, it has roughly quadrupled in size, according to the press release, and extended from one day, to two. In the last eight years, the festival has generated approximately $700,000 in revenue from food vendors, 2,100 temporary jobs and donated more than $40,000 to local institutions. In addition, it has contracted services from approximately 150 local businesses, and helped more than 400 local small businesses with brand exposure.

We started the first year with approximately 5,000 people. The second year about 7,500, and in 2016 more than 20,000,” said Sameli. “The festival is truly a way of showing what the Brazilian community is capable of doing together…it is meant to display that the Brazilian community is united.”

THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL

Organizers are projecting this year’s festival will attract more than 2o,000 attendees to the 300,000- square-foot Pompano Beach park where attendees will enjoy 45 multi-cultural food vendors, a kids zone, extreme sports park, parading Samba and Capoeira performances and four world- renowned musical acts on two concert stages.

Of the 45 food vendors in attendance, many multi-cultural cuisines will be served including sushi, Greek, Indian, Mexican, BBQ, açaí bowls, and multiple styles of Brazilian food including traditional churrasco, acaraje and pão de queijo.

We have a variety that is unbelievable,” said Sameli. “The festival is becoming one of the largest multi-cultural food festivals of the year”

In addition to Iza, three additional concerts, three concerts are scheduled: Biquini Cavadão, the nostalgic Brazilian rock band from Rio De Janeiro who has been performing since 1985; Di Ferrero, the lead vocalist for NX Zero, an emocore band from São Paulo; Sandamí, formerly of the Sambô group, which is celebrating 100 years of Samba; and, for kids and families, Lucas & Vinicius, the country duo featured on the TV show “The Voice Kids.”

This year’s festival will also feature performances by local bands, a festival kick-off gospel show; performances by the Brazilian Festival’s own Samba dancers; guest performances by Capoeira acrobats and Brazilian percussionists; and the Community Awards ceremony, recognizing remarkable festival participants (such best exhibitor, tastiest vendor and most jammin’ local band).

The main stage will pay tribute to colorful Brazilian art. The stage design, called “Journey of the Mind,” will essentially be a giant, vibrant canvas.

While the cultural focus of the festival is Brazilian, Sameli says he believes the festival is helping to establish Broward County as a “multi-cultural capital of Florida.”

WHAT: The 8th Annual Pompano Beach Brazilian Festival, Headlined By IZA 

WHEN: Saturday Oct. 19 from 11am to 10pm & Sunday Oct. 20 from 11am to 8pm 

WHERE: Pompano Community Park , 820 NE 18 Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33060 (at the Pompano Beach Community Park.

COST: $5 donation; kids under the age of 13 are free

This story was prepared by our Pompano Beach news desk with additional  information from various public sources and other websites.

For more Pompano Beach news and things to do in Pompano Beach read Pompano! magazine and search our website.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”8734″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Previous

Pompano Beach: Burlington, new restaurants, more coming to Citi Centre

Next

NEW OPIOIDS STUDY: Are Pill Mills still prevalent in Pompano Beach/Deerfield Beach?

About Author

LOCAL NEWS

This post was prepared by staff at Point! Publishing. For inquiries call 954-603-4553.

Subscribe to Coastal news

Get our free email newsletter directly in your inbox! Our semi-monthly newsletter showcases the most important local news and events in your backyard and comes with complimentary digital editions of our magazines!