Coconut Grove’s King Mango Strut is BACK!

 
All hail the King! King Mango Strut, that is.

After a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Coconut Grove’s yearly satirical stroll is back on, taking place Sunday, January 8 at 2:00pm. While this is just one week away, you still have time to put together a theme and join the jollies as we laugh away what was 2022 (and 2021 and 2020 for good measure).

If you are a COVID transplant or otherwise new to the area, you are in for a real treat. The King Mango Strut was founded in 1982 by Glenn Terry and Bill Dobson. Normally held on the last Sunday of the year, it was cancelled over the last 2 years because of the pandemic and will be held on the second Sunday of 2023 because both Christmas and New Years Day fall on Sundays this year. Go figure. But here we are, ready to strut and poke fun of all things pop culture.

The first King Mango Strut was a parody of the annual King Orange Jamboree Parade that took place for the Orange Bowl back in the day. Terry and Dobson had a quirky group, the Mango Marching Band, and they were butthurt over being considered not good enough for the King Orange Jamboree Parade because they used kazoos, conch shells, and garbage cans as instruments. They decided to have their own parade, it took off and here we are, forty years later and still struttin! (This is also where I point out that the King Orange Jamboree Parade is no longer. This is where being self-important gets us…

For the 2022 King Mango Strut, strutters are encouraged to choose a current event and make fun of it through costume, performance, or whatever you can think of. Creativity is King and anything goes!

You can find an application to be a strutter here. Spoiler alert: everyone is accepted to the weirdest parade in the world.

For Spectators

Entry to the parade is free and children are welcome. If your spawn is under 16, you probably want to stick close to them and it’s better to leave Fido at home. There isn’t any official beer for sale, but there are plenty of restaurants along the way that will most certainly use this opportunity to showcase some themed spirits.

Rumor on the streets is that The Marching Freds, The Synchronize Briefcase Brigade, The Booger King, The Million Chad March, The League of Dead Voters, Cuban Eye for the Gringo Guy, Idu Grab Prison, Weapons of Mass Distraction, Osama Piñata, The Hare Krishnas and the Running of the Bullshitters is strutting yet again!!! We are so excited to see which other iconic ideas our townspeople can conjure up!

The strut route begins at the corner of Commodore Plaza and Main Highway. It turns left onto Main Highway and then turns left onto Grand Avenue at CocoWalk and turns left again at Commodore Plaza. If we are having too much fun we will go around again until we all fall down.

Let the wild rumpus begin! For more information on the strut, the route and volunteer opportunities, visit the official website.