Miami's New Year's Bash Not Quite NYC... Yet
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A party featuring more than a hundred thousand people equals a major cleanup the following day.
Some might say, the bigger the mess, the bigger success.
Downtown Miami's New Year's Eve celebration has had its struggles in its 31 years, but in the last three years it has found its grove.
"We wanted to be like Time Square but it never worked," said Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado. "But now, Miami is on the map and we have 200,000 to 300,000 people in downtown Miami and I think that the world is looking at Miami."
The mayor hopes the world is watching party-goers bundled up at celebrations elsewhere, while in Miami, a warm December offers the perfect escape for the start of a new year.
"The publicity that we're getting is worth millions of dollars," said Mayor Regalado.
No longer just about Mr. Neon, the Big Orange, but a concert and festival-like atmosphere has taken over Miami's celebrations.
The InterContinental Miami, the center of the New Year's Eve activities, chose the weekend to unveil the new dancers you'll see on the side of their building. Organizers know that they are years away from competing with New York City but believe it will happen one day.
"I'm not sure why they drop the ball off elsewhere and it hits the bottom at midnight," said hotel GM Robert Hill. "I like the idea of hitting the top, and that is what Miami is. The weather is wonderful it's a great place to be."
And where New York City saw a Mariah Carey show that included lip-syncing and technical issues, Miami got a poolside performance from pop stars Justin Bieber, Skrillex, and DJ Marshmello at the Fontainebleau.
