Thousands of tourists and residents basking in the hot sun filled streets of the art deco district of Miami Beach to celebrate its 100th birthday on Thursday . 'Happy Birthday , Miami Beach , ' yelled one of the party promoters through a loudspeaker from one of the bars along Ocean Drive - the seaside avenue lined with hotels , bars and restaurants . It was closed to traffic all day for the festivities . People strolled about sipping mojitos or beer , riding bikes or walked to the beach in swim trunks to enjoy a gala concert featuring opera singer Andrea Bocelli , Gloria Estefan and ex-Bee Gee Barry Gibb as a week of celebration came to a close . Scroll down for videos . Miami Beach High Rise Buildings are seen lining the Caribbean Waterfront as the section of the city celebrates turning 100 . The Colony Hotel on Ocean Drive in South Beach . A distant , street view of the Flamingo Hotel in Miami Beach in 1929 . Swimming Pool of Fontainebleau Hotel in 1994 . The city rose up 100 years ago as a group of investors bought up land and turned it into a playground for the wealthy . It 's now a magnet for tourists - 14 million last year . It is known for great weather , vibrant nightlife , art deco architecture and homes belonging to such stars as Matt Damon , Jennifer Lopez , Ricky Martin and Shakira . 'Everything is over the top , ' said Peter Van der Pot , a Dutchman who visits the city periodically and came this time to take a cruise . 'It 's like the American dream . Everything is very well organized . The architecture is fantastic . But it is very expensive . The fact that the city was turning 100 caused some European visitors to smile . ' I live in a house that is over 100 years old , ' said Van der Pot , whose home is in Amsterdam . Drag queens arriving at the Warsaw Ballroom on Washington Avenue , for the South Beach Drag Queen Competition of the Yea . American actors , Eddie Cantor and Walter Winchell commenting on the latest gossip in 1933 ( left ) and two women in swimming costumes with a toy shark on the beach in August 1929 ( right ) Shalom Barber Shop in Miami Beach . A look a beachgoers in the mid-1920s ( left ) and an elderly man standing by a parking meter in front of the Carlton Hotel ( right ) The new aquarium and a collecting boat as seen from Biscayne Bay in 1921 . 'This is a city that bombards you with information . It does not leave you alone . I got here yesterday and it has been non-stop , ' said Matias Pozo , a young Chilean event promoter who came for an electronic music festival called Ultra in Miami . But he crossed over Biscayne Bay to Miami Beach when he heard about the birthday party . Locals did not want miss out either on the celebrations honoring their city , which has gone from being a military training ground during World War II , a middle class resort from 1950 to 1970 and then a wealthy but violent spot where retirees lived alongside criminals in the 1980s , an era immortalized in the TV series Miami Vice . Miguel Gonzalez , who arrived from Cuba in 1980 and has lived in Miami Beach ever since , celebrated the day 's fun with friends and family . But he complained that the city has become more expensive in recent decades , with major real estate projects and the restoration of the art deco district , the city 's crown jewel with more than 700 buildings boasting that architectural style . 'You have to be an Arab sheikh to enjoy this now . It is overpopulated . And there is no access for the poor , ' said the retired electrician who used to work at seaside hotels . The Art Deco facades of hotels and apartments along Ocean Boulevard . A crowded Miami Beach in November of 1984 . Pink Vintage Convertible in front of the Marlin Hotel in 1996 . A look at one the water from South Beach . The festivities lasted all this week and included a mass wedding of 50 couples on the beach , a drag queen festival , photo retrospectives of the city and lots of parties at night . But the city is also looking to the future . City hall has organized for Friday a conference on rising water levels as a result of global warming . It is one of the main challenges facing this resort which is just four feet above sea level . The Florida coast has already seen 12 inches of sea rise since 1870 , according to 2014 figures from the World Resources Institute . Dick Pope is one of the first to use snow skis in place of an aquaplane on the water , Miami Beach , Florida , 1928 . Actors Millie Muller , Beatrice Coburn and Fred Hadley , all from New York City , vacationing in Miami Beach , Florida , circa 1923 . Greetings from Miami Beach , Florida large letter vintage postcard . Another nine to 24 inches are anticipated by 2060 . Miami Beach residents are commonly seen wading through knee-deep waters to get to their homes and businesses during high tides and floods . Officials are investigating the use of tidal control valves and new water pumps to improve drainage as the authorities try to find long-term solutions to keep the city going .
thousands of tourists filled the streets of Miami Beach to celebrate its 100th birthday on Thursday . People enjoyed a gala concert featuring opera singer ben Bocelli , Gloria Estefan and ex - Bee Gee Barry Gibb . The neighborhood rose up 100 years ago as a group of investors bought up property and transformed it into a playground for the wealthy . The area now attracts 14million visitors a year .