Music, food, drinks and fireworks in Peacock Park

If you missed 4th of July this year in Coconut Grove, well, you missed a lot. There was so much going on around the village and Peacock Park has it's own thing. Starting late in the afternoon, until the build up of the fireworks show about 9:15 pm, people streamed in to picnic and party. The fireworks show as one of the best. People enjoyed it from right in the park and from all the surrounding areas and hotels.


The best place was right under them, on a blanket in the park.


At fireworks time, we are being told there were between 7000 and 8000 people. It was a very neighborly crowd, people mentioned that, aspect. Even with all those thousands of people, it felt small town and homey.


The vendors did a great business, all at reasonable prices and if you brought your own picnic basket, that was perfectly alright and encouraged, too. Above left, Jamie and Chris from Smoothie King did a great business. It was so hot that those smoothies went down well. I had two of the Strawberry/Banana ones.

At right is Grovite Ryan Stone, who performed and emceed the park event. On stage behind Ryan is JT4 (the Juan Turros Quartet).


At the end of the fireworks as people made their way from the park and from hotel rooftops and other areas surrounding the park, it was a mass exodus, but quite orderly. Everyone left in a very happy and patriotic mood. McFarlane Road and some other streets had to be closed to car traffic for a bit, to allow for the masses on foot and bike.

Many went to local restaurants to eat, many want to bars to drink and many went to the Summer Rendezvous block party on Commodore Plaza.