South Florida Hosts Hyundai Air & Sea Show and Heat Games on Busy Memorial Day Weekend

miami beach, florida – On Memorial Day weekend, crowds filled the streets of South Beach early Saturday morning for the 2023 Hyundai Air & Sea Show.

This event was established to honor those who gave their lives to protect this country.

Local 10 News spoke to tourists who flew in from all over the world to attend the main event in Miami.

“We have never been here before, so we are very excited to be here,” said one of the tourists.

“It’s going great. The festival is great,” said Fred Dubois, visiting from France. “There are people flipping dirt bikes. It’s a great time.”

Despite the forecast for rain on Saturday, the event attracted a large number of participants.

To keep everyone safe, police were stationed throughout the area and a strict manning was in place.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said police were active at Lummus Park.

City officials said they hoped to quell some of the negative attention from crowds that has typically seen this weekend.

Men and women in uniform gathered for the event, and Ocean Drive was filled with heavy artillery not only from the ground but also from the air.

U.S. military personnel from all over the country prepared to show patriotism and pay tribute to the brave men who sacrificed their lives to protect and serve.

“What we’re trying to do is get the American people to come back and meet the men and women who defend their freedom,” said show producer Mickey Markoff.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said law enforcement officers are on duty at Lummus Park for all the activities going on throughout the day.

“Rum Park in Miami Beach has a lot of activities going on. There are concerts at night. Something you can bring your kids (or) friends with,” he said. “Having so many military personnel in the city certainly creates a sense of security.”

On the other side of the bay, downtown Miami is also gearing up for big crowds.

On Friday, Local 10 News gathered at the Miami Heat team store to see fans stock up on equipment and try to win Game 6 and qualify for the 2023 NBA Finals.

After losing to Boston at TD Garden on Thursday, the Heat have two more chances to win the series.

Heat fans told Local 10 News they are confident the team will finish despite two straight losses.

“Everyone talks about the Celtics coming back,” Shelby Bowers said. “I support the Heat.”

Local 10 News also spoke with Pucci’s Pizza’s Fleurimond Xavier, who has been serving pizza to fans for more than 20 years, and said he was confident the team would get the job done.

“Hopefully we can win tomorrow’s game because as long as we win that game, we’re still alive and it’s good for Miami and everything will be fine,” Xavier said.

Notification from Kaseya Center is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

If Miami loses, they face Boston in Game 7 at TD Garden on Monday.The match’s tip-off is also set for 8:30 p.m.