“Everybody wants to go viral’: How these Miami high schools are taking prom to new levels

Kenneth Grant wasn’t exactly enthused when he saw what his daughter wanted to do for prom.

The 2006 Turner Tech graduate remembered his own prom experience: A custom suit. An ‘06 Chrysler Crossfire rented from Enterprise. A beautiful date on his arm. What more could he ask for?

“At first I was like ‘That’s too much; we got college coming up,’” said Grant, the father of 16-year-old Norland High senior Kamaya and owner of Grant and Associates Real Estate Inc. Then he remembered this was his little girl and prom only happens once. So he did what any father with means would do: shell out a little more than $20,000 to give Kamaya the night of her dreams. “Now that it was over, I think it was worth it. She went viral. She went on the Shade Room. All the famous TikTokers posted her.”

That budget provided a little bit of everything: a professional party planner to create a send off with dancers, a large bird cage where Kamaya took pictures and even a parrot (Norland’s prom had a “Romance in Rio” theme). It also went to a stylist who designed Kamaya’s yellow dress with crystals and a Carnival-inspired feathered backpiece. The video that captured Kamaya’s pre prom festivities accumulated more than 6 million views on her event planner Myriam Tanis’ Instagram.

Added Kamaya: “I really wanted to do it big because I’m graduating early at 16. That’s just a big thing in Miami: you have to do prom big.”

Though the price tag might be a bit higher, Grant isn’t the only Miami parent making prom dreams come true. From Norland High in Miami Gardens to Northwestern and Booker T. Washington in Miami to Miramar High, prom at some of South Florida’s predominantly Black schools has become a cultural phenomenon - a junior Met Gala of sorts where party planners, designers, dancers, hair stylists and other creatives (depending on the parents’ budget) let their imaginations run wild. The elaborate custom designer dresses, choreographed send offs and luxury vehicles all have become standard for prom planning in South Florida amid the rise of social media.

“It’s a South Florida thing,” said Steve Gallon III, Miami-Dade County Schools District 1 School Board Member, calling Miami the epicenter of “arts, glitz and glamour.” “It has become not only an individual expression but a family, a neighborhood, a community expression of their artistry.”

The 2024 prom season was a showcase of creativity, with each school’s students seemingly determined to outdo the next. At Northwestern, where the theme was “Majestic Beauty: A Night of Elegance and Class,” students arrived in Lamborghinis, Rolls Royces and even a Tesla truck with a police escort. Northwestern alum and teacher Tyeshia Bryant created a video compilation that has since been viewed more than four million times on Instagram.

“This is the norm,” Bryant previously told the Miami Herald. “But this class set the bar a little higher because everyone understood the assignment.”

At Booker T., where the theme was “Once Upon A Time,” students tapped into their inner child, drawing inspiration from fairytale classics like “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Princess and the Frog” and “Aladdin.” Some young women wore dresses reminiscent of Belle and Little Red Riding Hood, their dates wore beast masks and tailored suits. Some students arrived in a horse drawn carriage like Cinderella. Booker T. senior Camilo Castro’s two TikTok videos about the prom arrivals racked up a combined 13.3 million views and were even featured on CBS Mornings.

“We’re living in a world where social media is a big thing,” said Desireé Newkirk, a designer who crafted dresses and suits for the aforementioned schools through her own brand DESIREÉ Miami. “The dresses that clients are requesting now are just lavish, over the top, almost like wedding gowns.”

“Everybody wants to go viral,” she added.

But the pageantry of prom is not just for high school. Miami Gardens’ Scott Lake Elementary, which had a “Coming to America” themed prom for fifth graders, got involved in the festivities. Many students showed up adorned in Kente cloth dresses and suits. Some arrived to the school in a horse and carriage like the final scene of the 1988 Eddie Murphy movie. Such unique displays of style at young age are common, according to Newkirk who recalled getting dressed up just to attend the Liberty City Optimist football games.

“We were always dressing up,” said Newkirk, a 2010 graduate of Northwestern. “I remember when I was a kid, if we were just going to the park, we had to wear something fly.”

The gowns, according to designers like Newkirk and Cordell Allen, cost anywhere between $1000-$2,500. That, however, isn’t where it gets pricey. It’s the pageantry of the pre prom parties and the arrivals that run up the price. Throw in the rented luxury vehicle and the numbers start to balloon.

“One can have the attire but if there’s no production that follows it – whether it’s a police escort, whether it’s tigers in a cage, whether it’s people carrying in the young lady in as an expression of royalty – the overall production is just as, if not more, important than the attire,” Gallon said.

For designers like Allen, the opportunity to bring someone’s dreams to life is an incredible feeling. Allen, who designed more than two dozen gowns during the 2024 prom season, had a client who asked him to design her dress in under 24 hours. The client had spent $1,300 on a dress that never arrived when Allen’s services were requested. And just like Superman, he arrived right on time.

“The same night that I finished the dress was the same night she had to go to prom,” said Allen, the owner of Decor By Cordell. “The girl was in tears. She couldn’t believe it.”

Prom, Allen added, becomes an opportunity to showcase one’s individuality.

“A lot of these girls are insecure so now they have prom to really show them, ‘This is who I really am.’”

Of course, such splendid displays of unbridled joy in every viral video always have people in the comments section judging the expense and extravagance. But Grant, whose daughter Kamaya will attend North Carolina A&T University in the fall, thinks some folks just need to catch up.

“It’s a Miami thing but I also think it’s a part of Black culture,” Grant said.