Miami Beach names November 4 Celia Cruz Day, and Miami-Dade joins the tribute

November 8, 2026

The city of Miami Beach proclaimed November 4, 2026, as Celia Cruz Day during a ceremony that also included a proclamation on behalf of Miami-Dade County, Diario Las Américas and Diario Versión Final reported. The tribute followed Hispanic Heritage Month events honoring the Havana-born singer and was attended by Mayor Steven Meiner and commissioners Laura Domínguez, Vicky López and Micky Steinberg.

Omer Pardillo, the executor of Cruz’s estate and her longtime representative, thanked city officials for keeping her memory alive. “Celia has roots in Miami Beach since the 1950s. It was a place where she performed many times, lived great moments and was always there for the community and for the joy that she transmitted with her music,” Pardillo said, according to Diario Las Américas. The proclamation noted that her last appearance before an audience took place at the Miami Beach Convention Center in March 2003, four months before she died of cancer in New Jersey.

The honor adds to an earlier local tribute: in October 2023, Miami Beach named a stretch of Meridian Avenue Celia Cruz Way. The Bass Museum and The Wolfsonian have also presented exhibitions related to her career. Pardillo additionally thanked festival organizer Melina Moldover and composer Christina Fernández, whom he credited with bringing the proposal before the city commission.