OUR HISTORY

Coconut Grove has long been considered Miami’s original art district. In 1963, local theatre maven Charlie Cinnamon asked a handful of locals to recreate an outdoor Parisian exhibition as a publicity stunt for the Coconut Grove Playhouse’s production of Irma la Douce.

A native of New York, the Cinnamon moved to Miami in the late 50’s eager to make his mark on the city. It was a visit to the Coconut Grove Playhouse that finally launched him on his path to becoming a key figure in Miami’s arts world.

More than fifty years later, the little clothesline arts fair is now known as Coconut Grove Arts Festival – one of the largest outdoor arts festivals in the nation.

The Coconut Grove Arts & Historical Association continues to honor his legacy with the tradition of providing the South Florida community access to visual, performing and culinary arts experiences. Today our Arts Festival attracts tens of thousands of people to the winding streets of Coconut Grove each Presidents’ Day weekend.