From Jan.14 through Jan.17, the Miami Design Preservation league (MDPL) plans on hosting the 44th annual art deco weekend. To ensure public safety, MDPL decided to hold all events virtually, making this year’s festival different from any in the past. 

Traditionally, Miami Art Deco includes a vast variety of social events, lasts a full weekend and includes art shows, historic exhibits, culture, entertainment and more. 

In 1976, MDPL created the Art Deco in hopes of bringing more traffic to Miami at a time when tourism was at an all-time low. Today, however, Art Deco continues to operate as the longest running free cultural festival in Miami. 

This year’s festivities will be hosted via zoom, making the event accessible from any location with an internet connection. Events kick off Thursday, Jan.14, at 7:00 p.m. with a “Modern With the Masses” session and end on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 4:00 p.m. with the “Hollyhock house tour.” 

Apart from the “Modern With the Masses” and “Hollyhock house tour,” the Art Deco offers several Zoom sessions for attendees to choose from. One of these events is the “Deco Speakeasy,” a live variety and dance show to start off the weekend at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15. For those who miss the first session, a second dance session will be held on Saturday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m..

Another lesson, the “20’s Charleston swing” dance class, starts on Jan. 16 at 3:00 p.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m.. Hosted by four time world champion and swing pro, Yuval Hod and Gypsy Juls, the lesson caters to all talent levels. 

As for architecture tours and exhibits, the “Real Houses of Miami Beach” session lasts from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and the “Saarinen House: A Family Affair” from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. The “Real Houses of Miami Beach event,” hosted by Arthur Marcus, allows viewers to take a look into various architecture of homes in Miami while the “Saarinen House” virtual tour showcases the construction along with the layout of the home. 

All Art Deco zoom sessions are free of cost, however, all participants planning on joining must register in advance through the website.