Click here to purchase 12th Annual Miami HEAT Family Festival tickets online

2009 Circus Themed Event Will Include A Circus Performance, Family Activities, Food Court And A Silent Auction Purchase A Family Festival Ticket Package Before February 9th & Get Second Event Free—Benihana Celebrity Cook Off

MIAMI, FL – The Miami HEAT announced today it will host the “Big Top by the Bay,” the 12th Annual Miami HEAT Family Festival, an interactive celebration benefiting SafeSpace, the Jackson Memorial Foundation’s Guardian Angels and Holtz Children’s Hospital, the Miami Coalition for a Safe & Drug Free Community, and the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund. The event will take place on Sunday, March 29 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Island Gardens (Watson Island) in Miami.

The Miami HEAT Family Festival, which is the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund’s largest annual fundraiser, is a themed, interactive, carnival-like celebration in which HEAT players, coaches, celebrities and families come together for a day of fun, family and feasting. The Festival features a dining extravaganza drawing the top restaurants and chefs from all over South Florida. Families enjoy countless interactive activities with HEAT players, coaches and their families, providing a memorable experience for guests of all ages.

Presented by Carnival Cruise Lines, this year’s circus-themed event will feature entertainment for the whole family, including the entire Miami HEAT team and coaching staff, live music, special appearances by DJ Irie, the Miami HEAT Dancers, Burnie the mascot, the Junior Jam, Golden Oldies, HEAT Street Band, circus performances, an interactive children’s inflatable area, a silent auction and much more.

Family Festival ticket packages cost $1,000 and provide admission for five persons. All fans that purchase a Family Festival package before February 9 will receive two tickets to the Benihana Celebrity Cook Off as an added bonus. The Miami HEAT/Benihana Celebrity Cook Off, where HEAT players will serve as celebrity chefs, will be held on February 25 at the Benihana North Bay Village location. To purchase a Family Festival package, fans should call 786-777-4141.

About the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund
Established in 1997, the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund supports programs for the betterment of at-risk families in South Florida. Beneficiaries include SafeSpace, a domestic violence shelter for women and children, the Jackson Memorial Foundation’s Guardian Angels and Holtz Children’s Hospital, and the Miami Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Community.

The Miami HEAT Charitable Fund also provides educational scholarships for high school seniors and partners with inner-city elementary schools to fund the HEAT Academy, which provides after-school tutoring and mentoring programs.  Through these initiatives, the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund continues to inspire the youth of South Florida to envision their dreams and achieve their goals.