To the Editor:
If you’re not familiar with it, the King Mango Strut is an annual satirical parade through the streets of Coconut Grove, usually taking place sometime around the new year (this year, January 5th). It celebrates (and skewers!) what’s weird and wonderful about Miami and the year that was.
This year, the Strut needs more Strutters to meet (or break) our record for participants. And you can help.
Started as a parody of the King Orange Bowl Jamboree Parade, the Strut has evolved into a beloved community tradition that never lost touch with its eccentric, bohemian roots. It now attracts over 20,000 onlookers who laugh, cheer, and dance along with the hundreds of Strutters who march in the parade.
But if you’re a Coconut Grove local or even a native South Floridian, you probably know that the Strut is much more than that. It’s an opportunity to lampoon the powerful and champion the underdog. It can be a showcase for causes that see little light, and a chance to take potshots at big-footed bogeymen. If the parade seems to lean a bit left every year, this is why.
The King Mango Strut has also always been a source of joy, a release. It’s an excuse to be silly and, at a time when everything seems to make a statement, to have fun just for the sake of it.
Right now, we could all use some joy and silliness – some release. The Strut, like an annual antidote to ennui, is returning at exactly the right moment.
Like all beloved community traditions, the King Mango Strut thrives on your participation. Everyone has a role to play: the companies and individuals that donate, the crowds that line the streets every year, and especially the people like you and me who come up with a clever theme, dragoon all of their friends, and Strut, marching in the only parade the puts the “nut” in Coconut Grove.
This year, we need more Strutters to reach our record-breaking goal. Our stalwarts have already registered, so don’t worry, you’ll still see the Running of the Bullsh***ers and the Krishnas this year, along with a locally-famous Grand Marshal and some great bands. But we need more groups, and we’re betting that a few Spotlight readers are sitting on some excellent, hilarious ideas and are just itching to Strut.
So you’re invited! It’s been a long year, so let’s ring in the new one with the best, most joyous, silliest King Mango Strut yet! With your help, we know it will be.
Sincerely,
Sam Burritt
on behalf of the King Mango Strut Board of Directors
The King Mango Strut will take place on Sunday, January 5, 2025 at 2pm on the streets of Coconut Grove. Sign up to Strut here. And for more information, please visit www.kingmangostrut.org.
