Seven years ago, Beer B Que was a block party on 38th Avenue. This November, it’s putting Sean Paul, Elephant Man and Rick Ross on the same stage, which is quite the glow up for a neighbourhood cookout.
The 7th annual edition of the Lauderhill event is set for Saturday, November 14 at Central Broward Regional Park. It will be the first time either of the two dancehall stars has played an event in the city.
This is the first time we have had the pleasure of having Elephant Man and Sean Paul at an event in the City of Lauderhill,” Yolan Todd, chief of staff for the City of Lauderhill, told Observer Online on Monday.
She described the festival as a mix of food, live entertainment, local vendors and activities built around bringing the community together.
The booking makes a lot of sense on paper. Sean Paul is the rare dancehall artist who conquered global pop radio, with hits like “Get Busy” and “Temperature” and a Grammy for Best Reggae Album with Dutty Rock. Elephant Man, the self-styled Energy God, gave dancehall some of its most recognisable party anthems, including “Pon De River, Pon De Bank.”
Rick Ross brings the hometown hip-hop angle. The Maybach Music Group boss is about as South Florida as rappers get, and pairing him with two Jamaican heavyweights reflects the crowd Lauderhill actually has.
That crowd matters. Todd was direct about who the city hopes will show up, saying she’s “excited to welcome residents from Lauderhill including the Jamaican diaspora and our surrounding South Florida communities.”
Lauderhill has long been one of the hubs of Caribbean life in Broward County, so a dancehall-heavy bill feels less like a gamble and more like the city playing to its strengths.
The other story here is civic ambition. Todd said the event is meant to “showcase Lauderhill as a destination for quality entertainment while supporting local businesses,” and she framed the move to a bigger site as a response to demand.
“Beer-B-Que became such a sought-out event by our community members that we needed to move the fun to a larger location,” she said, pointing to Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium as the new home.
Growing that quickly carries some risk. Going from a street party to a stadium-adjacent concert with international headliners means bigger production, bigger crowds and higher expectations.
Todd said the festival has steadily expanded its food options, vendor numbers and production quality over the years, and she stressed that giving residents and visitors “a safe and memorable experience” is part of the brief.
Food is still a big part of the pitch, with local restaurants, food trucks and craft vendors lined up alongside the music. “Come out with your family for a fun filled night of music, food and beer,” Todd said.
Supporting acts and ticketing details haven’t been spelled out in the announcement yet. With three headliners of this size already confirmed, attention now turns to who else the city can add to the bill before November.
