Florida Makes History: INAUGURAL STATE DAY CELEBRATION

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Date: April 2, 2026

FLORIDA MAKES HISTORY: INAUGURAL STATE DAY CELEBRATION

Pascua Florida Day Launches Annually on Saturday After Easter,

Honoring the 513-Year-Old Origins of Florida’s Name

Inaugural Event Set for April 11, 2026 | The Plaza Coral Gables | 10 AM – 1 PM

CORAL GABLES, FL — April 2, 2026 — Florida is about to celebrate itself like never before. On Saturday, April 11, 2026, the Sunshine State will hold its first-ever Florida State Day Celebration — known as Pascua Florida Day — an inaugural public event bringing together Floridians and visitors alike to honor the rich, layered history behind Florida’s very name. The celebration will take place at The Plaza Coral Gables, near the Consulate of Spain, at 2811 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, FL 33134.

THE ORIGIN: 513 YEARS IN THE MAKING

In April 1513 — 513 years before this inaugural celebration, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León led a privately funded expedition of three ships and more than 200 men from Puerto Rico. After sailing northwest through the Bahamas, he sighted a lush, flower-covered coastline on or around Easter Sunday, March 27, 1513, and anchored along the eastern coast of what is now Florida on April 2, 1513, near present-day St. Augustine or Melbourne Beach. Moved by the abundant floral beauty of the land and by the timing of his arrival during the Easter season — known in Spanish as Pascua Florida, meaning “Festival of Flowers” or “Flowery Easter”,  Ponce de León named the territory La Florida, giving the state the oldest European place name in the continental United States.

Florida has held an official state day tied to this history for generations, yet it has never been widely observed or publicly celebrated. The Florida State Day Celebrations initiative seeks to change that — creating an annual tradition worthy of the state’s extraordinary heritage.

THE VISION: A COMMUNITY BORN FROM ONE MAN’S PASSION

Founder Iancarlo Arispe launched the Florida State Day Celebrations initiative with a simple but powerful idea: Florida has a state day, but it has never truly been celebrated. Inspired by his passion for bringing people together and by Pope Saint John Paul II’s famous Letter to Artists — which exhorts artists and cultural leaders on the transformative power of creativity to shape civilization — Arispe recognized a rare opportunity to make a lasting positive impact on Florida’s cultural identity.

“We are happy to share this initiative because it is a community event to celebrate the state,” said Arispe. “Florida has a state day, but it is not celebrated. The idea was to create celebrations based on the roots of that state day, one that commemorates how Florida was named when Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León arrived during the season of the Pascua Florida.”

From the first organizing meeting in January 2026 to a full inaugural event on April 11, 2026, the Florida State Day Celebrations team assembled a polished, community-driven event in a remarkable three-month period, a testament to the energy and dedication of all those involved.

THE HOST COMMITTEE & LEADERSHIP

The Florida State Day Celebrations is led by a distinguished and diverse Host Committee:

Chairman: Pablo Martinez Diente, Ph.D.

Executive Director of the Host Committee: Dorota Lopez

Founder: Iancarlo Arispe

The event has been made possible by the dedication and collaborative spirit of an exceptional team. Co-founding sponsor Dorota Lopez of GFD Design has been instrumental from the very beginning, providing both business acumen and creative vision that helped transform the concept into reality. Guillermo Lopez of GFD Design has equally contributed to making the celebration a success.

Arely Ruiz, known as “The PR Queen,” has elevated the celebration’s public profile to an entirely new level. At the same time, Patsy Linarez of PIL Agency has served as the creative genius behind the event’s branding and identity.

Alejandro Hernandez, a finance industry leader with Ceros, has provided essential financial expertise, and the full host committee has worked as a well-oiled machine to bring Florida’s first state day celebration to life in record time.

SPONSORS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS

The Florida State Day Celebrations inaugural event is made possible through the generosity of community-minded sponsors and partners:

Presenting Sponsor: GFD Design

Top Community Sponsors: iSolved, Sonrisa Puerto Rican Rum, The Coral Gables Woman’s Club, and Elizabeth Perez Team with Keyes

Insurance Sponsor: AFIG (American Faith Insurance Group)

Key Community Partner: Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce

Venue Partner: Loews Hotel & The Plaza Coral Gables

Official Tourism Partner: VISIT FLORIDA, Florida’s official state tourism marketing corporation

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026

Location: The Plaza Coral Gables (Near the Consulate of Spain), 2811 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, FL 33134

Schedule: 10:00 AM Social Hour | 11:00 AM Program Start | 12:00 PM Chupinazo! Followed by “A Passport To The Plaza” Restaurant Crawl

Dress Code: White and/or Red — the main colors of the Florida state flag

Guests are invited to dress in white and/or red — the main colors of the Florida flag — and to enjoy heritage foods and beverages reflecting Florida’s rich Spanish, Indigenous, African, and Floridian cultural roots. The celebration will culminate in a traditional Chupinazo, a festive ceremonial launching of celebrations based on Spanish tradition, adapted here to honor Florida’s unique heritage.

GIVING BACK: SUPPORTING UNINSURED FLORIDIANS

The Florida State Day Celebrations team is committed to making a positive impact beyond the event itself. A portion of ticket sales proceeds will benefit the SSJ Health Foundation, the charitable arm supporting St. John Bosco Clinic — a free clinic in Miami-Dade County providing critical healthcare services to uninsured and underserved children and adults. For more information, visit: www.ssjhealthfoundation.org.

WHY THIS MOMENT, WHY THIS YEAR

The inaugural Florida State Day Celebration launches on April 11, 2026 — the Saturday directly after Easter Sunday — precisely mirroring the historic timing of Ponce de León’s arrival during Pascua Florida in 1513. The celebrations are designed to take place on this date annually going forward, establishing a permanent, joyful tradition for Floridians and visitors.

This first celebration is also being inaugurated on the occasion of a profoundly symbolic national milestone: the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America in 2026. As the nation reflects on two and a half centuries of American history, the Florida State Day Celebrations honors the deep pre-colonial and colonial roots that shaped the land long before the republic was formed — beginning with the Spanish explorer who gave Florida its name more than 500 years ago.

Florida is now home to more than 23 million residents, making it the third most populous state in the nation, and welcomes over 130 million visitors annually. It is a state whose very identity is rooted in diversity, exploration, and resilience — and the Florida State Day Celebrations aims to honor that identity every year, in perpetuity.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA STATE DAY CELEBRATIONS

The Florida State Day Celebrations’ mission is to “celebrate and promote Florida, USA, by uniting all Floridians and Visitors in the celebration of its state day, especially inspiring young and future generations to observe the same as a patriotic occasion.” As a partner of VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, the celebrations honor the Spanish, Indigenous, African, and Floridian heritages that helped shape the Sunshine State, while building community, civic pride, and a love for Florida’s extraordinary history.

The celebrations are based on original Spanish traditions, thoughtfully adapted for Florida, USA. They launch annually on the Saturday directly after Easter Sunday — the very timing that inspired Ponce de León to name this land La Florida in 1513.

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