While Little Havana has always been an important part of Miami’s history, it wasn’t until May 26th, 2000, when the first installment of Viernes Culturales took place, that we really gained an opportunity to celebrate it. But it actually all started more than 30 years ago. In 1984, The City of Miami Planning Department conducted a Latin Quarter Study that recommended one thing: implement a year-round series of art exhibits, dance, music, poetry, theater, film events, and neighborhood historic tours to keep the culture of Little Havana alive. In 1996, a Little Havana Neighborhood Planning Program study came to the same conclusion, so the answer was “Viernes Culturales.” The first event attracted 2,000 people, and today, seventeen years later, it has more than doubled in size and popularity.