Washington, D.C. converges with Miami Beach for the 17th Annual “Miami Takeover and Art of Go-Go, a lively three-day celebration from Thursday, July 24 to Sunday, July 27, dedicated to Go-Go music, art, culture, and community service.
Washington, D.C. converges with Miami Beach for the 17th Annual “Miami Takeover and Art of Go-Go, a lively three-day celebration from Thursday, July 24 to Sunday, July 27, dedicated to Go-Go music, art, culture, and community service. The aim is to connect the vibrant communities of Miami Beach and Miami with the rich culture of Washington, D.C.
miamiartzine caught up with the founders of The Miami Takeover and Art of Go-Go, Wylie Kynard, Vincent Peden and Antwoine McCoy.
Wylie Kynard is a Washington, D.C native who spent ten years in Fort Lauderdale before returning to the D.C. area in 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Florida A&M and is the co-founder of Wylie K & Friends (WK&F) LLC, as well as a general partner of The Miami Takeover LLC. Wylie is the creative force behind the highly successful annual event on South Beach, The Miami Takeover now in its 17th year. He serves on the Board of Directors of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Alumni Federation and is a member of the Florida A&M Alumni Foundation. Wylie is passionate about giving back to his alma maters and considers it an honor to take part in the organization of the Orange Blossom Classic college football game on Labor Day weekend at Hard Rock Stadium between Florida A&M and Jackson State University.
“My partners and I have a passion to continue to share our DC Culture with the world,” says Kynard.
Antwoine McCoy is a graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University's (FAMU) School of Business and Industry with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and an MBA in Finance. With over 20 years in the real estate finance industry, he is the principal owner of ME1st Realty, a real estate advisory firm that provides consulting services to help owners maximize their property assets and tenants improve their rental experience. He is a lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association and an active member of the Washington D.C. Alumni Chapter of FAMU. Antwoine currently serves on the Investment Committee (IC) of the Urbane Venture Fund (UVF), a live event and entertainment-focused micro-investment fund that supports event curators and organizers across the United States. The fund is innovative and first-of-its-kind as it makes investments, equity or debt, into single events (or “projects”) by trusted event curators.
Vincent Peden is a native of Maryland and attended South Carolina State University, earning his Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Having successfully combined his academic advancement with his professional experience, he founded VP Productions LLC which focused on event planning and promotion in the Maryland/D.C. area, and in 2001, VP Productions expanded into the travel industry, thus becoming VP Productions Travel LLC. Since then, it has evolved into one of the country's leading full-service and integrated travel agencies specializing in group and personal travel. Vincent says he devotes time to giving back to the community that has given him so much. He cites his young daughter as the prime source of his motivation.
Antwoine McCoy, Wylie Kynard, and Vincent Peden are the founders of The Miami Takeover and Art of Go-Go happening from Thursday, July 24 to Sunday, July 27 dedicated to Go-Go music, art, culture and community service.
miamiartzine: Wylie, what was your inspiration for celebrating Go-Go music and why did you select Miami Beach as the host city for your event for the past 17 years?
Wylie Kynard: My inspiration has always been simple. I fell in love with Go-Go music in my early teens and I have always wanted the world to have the same love for the music as I have and wanted to do my part to move the sound of Go-Go outside of Washington D.C. I always had the dream of having the best Go-Go bands in the world perform in some of the best venues in Miami Beach and 17 years ago, the dream was realized during my relocation party back to D.C. We successfully brought many guests to Miami Beach to witness a live Go-Go performance at Teasers on Miami Beach. I selected Miami Beach because of its uniqueness, vibrant beaches, amazing weather, and diverse culinary options. There aren't many places in the world you can get this experience in such a limited geographical area.
maz: Tell us about the 50th anniversary of Go-Go music celebration at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday, July 26?
WK: We are thrilled to celebrate 50 years of the remarkable sounds of Go-Go music and this year we will feature the legendary Junk Yard Band performing some of their greatest hits, along with bands Top5 and Black Passion. We also have a few surprises in store for our guests!
Washington, D.C.-based The Junk Yard Band performs at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday, July 26.
maz: Last year, you had an amazing, animated art exhibition at the Miami Beach Bandshell celebrating sports and the Olympics. Tell us about this year’s art exhibition and what do you have planned?
WK: This year’s art exhibition “The Art of Music” curated again by Brigitte Andrade and Bibi Art Media Inc., will feature D.C. celebrity artist for the culture Demont Pinder, local Miami and Miami Beach artists including Bibi Art Media, Marvin Weeks, Marcus Blake, Rodney Royal, George Rodez, Nestor Paz, Anastasia the Great, and international artists Heike Kolles and Giovanni DeCunto. We intend to immerse the crowd with visions of music as art in celebration of 50 years of Go-Go music. Demont, Rodney, and Anastasia will create live paintings inspired by the music and culture of Go-Go.
maz: Are there community-involved activities that you provide during Miami Take Over weekend?
WK: We are excited to sponsor our annual dental screening for kids in collaboration with Colgate Bright Smiles at the Miami Beach PAL on Thursday July 24, 2025, with this year’s event honoring the late Miami Beach Police Officer Arthur Martineau, along with his wife Dottie, who is also a longtime member of the MB police department. We also look forward to collaborating with the Miami Beach Convention Center for our annual Beach cleanup on Sunday, July 27 in the back of our host hotel The Marseilles on Collins Avenue. We can’t leave Miami Beach without giving back to the community and it is a part of our mission.
maz: What are some of the other activities and events that take place during the weekend?
WK: We have exciting events all weekend long including comedy on the Thursday, July 24 at Hardrock Cafe on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami featuring Kyle Grooms, Brian G., Bert Cornelius and the Larry Dog Band. There is the “Miami Nights in White” All-White Party on the Friday, July 25 at the Urban in Miami, the “Can We Talk” All-¬Black R & B Party at M2 Nightclub Miami Beach on the Saturday, July 26 after the Art of Go-Go event and the daytime pool party at the Backyard Beach Club in our host hotel The Marseilles after the beach cleanup
Members of the Top 5 Band. The group will perform Saturday, July 26 at the Miami Beach Bandshell.
More information and tickets at: themiamitakeover.com
On Social Media:
Facebook: The Miami Takeover www.facebook.com/groups/177834432321672
Instagram: The Miami Takeover www.instagram.com/themiamitakeover/To purchase tickets: Visit www.eventbrite.com/e/17th-annual-miami-takeover-2025-weekend-party-pass-tickets-1274868127889?aff=oddtdtcreator
