Events
Monster Jam Sends Sunrise Into Overdrive
Jon Zimmer Jr. Rules Racing and Skills Before Team Grave Digger Pulls Ahead Through a Wild Mix of Monster Trucks and Freestyle Motocross.
August 23rd, 2026
The Florida Panthers’ ice was nowhere to be found Sunday afternoon. In its place, Amerant Bank Arena had become a rutted playground of dirt, ramps and crushed obstacles, trading slapshots for shock absorbers as Monster Jam roared into Sunrise.
Long before the first timed run, one detail offered an important warning: protective earmuffs covered the heads of small children throughout the building. They were less a fashion accessory and more survival gear. Once the engines fired, the growl vibrated through the seats and rattled around the enclosed arena with enough force to make every chest cavity part of the sound system.
The opening presentation made the trucks feel like heavyweight fighters entering the ring. The arena lights dropped, cabins glowed in neon green, red and amber, and the machines emerged beneath a massive patriotic display across the video board. It was loud, theatrical and wonderfully excessive.
Monster Jam also found ways to place its youngest fans inside the experience. A fan challenge asked children to predict a winner through a video montage featuring three trucks. The winning group appeared on the enormous scoreboard and earned a post-event opportunity to meet all the drivers. For children already wearing truck shirts and gripping miniature replicas, that prize might as well have been a backstage pass to the moon.
The opening JCB Racing competition stripped the formula down to one unforgiving question: Who could navigate the compact course fastest?
Drivers accelerated across the uneven dirt, attacked tight turns and attempted to keep their enormous trucks settled while every bump threatened to steal precious fractions of a second. The massive tires kicked up dirt, suspensions compressed and bodies rocked from side to side as each driver raced against the clock.
Jon Zimmer Jr. made the course look smaller than it was. Behind the wheel of Terminal Velocity, he recorded a winning time of 10.550 seconds, the quickest run of Monster Jam’s entire three-event weekend in Sunrise. It was the first indication that the afternoon might belong to him.
Speed soon gave way to controlled absurdity in the 2-Wheel Skills Challenge, where balance, creativity and nerve became more valuable than the clock.
El Toro Loco immediately upped the ante with a mesmerizing moonwalk and nose-pick combination. The bright orange bull rose nearly vertical, balancing its 12,000-pound frame on its front tires while the rear wheels hovered overhead. For a moment, the snarling machine appeared almost weightless, a ridiculous sentence to write about something weighing roughly as much as three passenger vehicles.
Classroom Crusher followed with a lesson of its own. The flame-covered, school-bus-inspired truck climbed into another towering two-wheel display and held its body upright before returning all four tires to the dirt. It was one class where nobody dared put their head down.
Sparkle Smash added a burst of unicorn-colored chaos, lifting its pink-and-purple body toward the ceiling. Its whimsical design created a hilarious contrast with the precision required to keep such a hulking machine balanced on only two tires.
Terminal Velocity then began stringing tricks together. Rather than relying on one isolated stunt, Zimmer Jr. flowed through a series of combinations that displayed control, variety and growing confidence. The run pushed Terminal Velocity into the lead and forced everyone remaining to chase it.
Grave Digger answered by going after surreal air. The iconic black-and-green truck launched completely off the dirt, all four tires hanging above the arena floor before the machine twisted sideways on its descent. It was the sort of visual Monster Jam sells so well: several tons of steel and fiberglass briefly ignoring gravity because the driver asked nicely.
Excaliber followed with a steep nose stand that exposed nearly its entire chassis to the crowd. JCB DIGatron then planted its construction-themed front end and climbed nearly upright. Driver Tony Ochs added a wonderfully cocky flourish by briefly removing the steering wheel while the truck remained balanced, as if controlling a monster truck on two wheels had suddenly become too easy.
Still, nobody displaced Zimmer Jr. Terminal Velocity won the Skills Challenge with a score of 9.459, giving its driver victories in the afternoon’s first two truck competitions. The reigning 2026 Arena Championship Series East champion had delivered the weekend’s fastest racing time and its best Sunday skills score before intermission.
Monster Jam returned from the break with fewer tires but no reduction in nerve.
Freestyle motocross riders raced toward a metal launch ramp, shot high above the arena floor and descended toward a massive airbag. The motorcycles looked almost tiny after sharing the dirt with Monster Jam trucks, right up until the riders began flipping them backward several stories above the ground.
Backflips, aerial extensions and side-by-side launches kept the show moving without a post-halftime lull. The bikes crossed through the air while riders stretched away from their seats, rotated upside down and somehow found the handlebars again before gravity collected its debt.
That crossover is the hook behind Monster Jam’s Freestyle Mania format, which combines the traditional Racing, 2-Wheel Skills and Freestyle truck competitions with two freestyle motocross events in a team-based contest. The motorcycles did not feel like filler between truck runs. They brought a different rhythm and a fresh sense of danger to the same dirt-covered canvas.
The trucks later returned for Freestyle, where JCB DIGatron earned the competition’s top score of 9.238. Grave Digger and Terminal Velocity finished tied at 20 overall points, but Grave Digger was officially listed as the Sunday event winner, allowing Team Grave Digger to pull out the victory after Zimmer Jr. had controlled the early rounds.
Monster Jam’s appeal comes from that constant clash of contradictions. The machines are enormous, yet drivers balance them with delicacy. The trucks look like cartoon characters, yet the athletes inside require extraordinary timing and precision. The event pounds the senses, yet some of its most memorable moments involve children getting pulled onto the video board or earning the chance to meet their heroes afterward.
Amerant Bank Arena has heard plenty of noise over the years, but Monster Jam brought its own frequency. It came through the floor, shook the seats and turned a Sunday afternoon into a celebration of speed, suspension and machines doing things their weight should never allow.
Judging by the earmuffs, wide eyes and children refusing to look away, Sunrise was more than happy to get rattled.
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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Monster Jam ©South Florida Insider
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The Miami born app celebrated a major milestone with a seriously fun South Florida party, but 100,000 downloads are only part of what’s next.
September 26, 2026
Zéya had plenty to celebrate, and they definitely knew how to throw a party.
The Miami-born swapping app recently marked 100,000 downloads, and SFL Insider joined the celebration for a night that felt much more like a fun Miami get-together than a typical tech event.
The atmosphere was lively, social, and genuinely welcoming, which actually made a lot of sense once we learned more about what Zéya is trying to build. This isn’t supposed to be another faceless marketplace where you post something and hope a stranger buys it. Zéya wants swapping to feel social, easy and connected to your community.
And after spending the evening celebrating with the people behind it, that part of the concept clicked.
Because we all have stuff.
The dress you wore once. The bag you loved until you didn’t. The camera you were definitely going to learn how to use. The random purchase that seemed necessary at the time and has barely moved since.
Zéya’s question is pretty simple: Why keep buying more when someone nearby might want exactly what you already have?
Even better, the app is now getting ready to move beyond swapping just things.
Services are coming too.
And that could make Zéya a whole lot more interesting.
– Creative Director & Strategist: Kateryna Brovkova — @kate.directs – Event Photo & Video Coverage: Yoisker Palmi — @yoiskr7 – Zéya Team: Zéya — @zeya_app – Sounds by: Lacré Studios — @studioslacre
Swipe. Match. Swap.
The easiest way to describe Zéya is old school bartering with a very modern makeover.
You browse what’s available nearby, see something you want and connect with the person who has it.
Then you offer something of your own.
Swipe. Match. Swap.
If the values don’t quite line up, Zéya allows an optional cash top-up to help make the trade work. And now, you don’t necessarily have to swap at all.
Zéya’s new cash-only option is officially live, meaning users can purchase an item directly when they find something they want. That’s a pretty significant shift for an app that started with swapping at its core. You can still trade, add cash to balance out a swap, or now skip the trade altogether and simply buy.
In other words, Zéya is starting to look less like a traditional bartering app and more like a flexible local marketplace where you decide how you want to make the deal.
100,000 Downloads Is a Pretty Big Deal
Zéya has now officially surpassed 100,000 downloads across iOS and Android, an exciting milestone for a company that started right here in Miami.
Founder and CEO Mehdi Taifi sees that number as something bigger than just downloads.
“One hundred thousand downloads is exciting because it shows that swapping can become a real habit, not a last resort,” Taifi said.
That idea stuck with me.
We’re so used to thinking buy when we want something new. Zēya is trying to get us to think swap first.
Earlier this year, the company also closed a $2.45 million strategic growth round led by Storage Innovations LLC, helping support its next stage of development.
Judging by the energy at the celebration, Zéya certainly isn’t treating 100K like a finish line.
– Zéya Team: Zéya — @zeya_app – Founder: Mehdi Taifi — @medimeds – Event Photo & Video Coverage: Yoisker Palmi — @yoiskr7
Zēya 4.0 Makes the Whole Thing Easier
The company has also rolled out Zéya 4.0, designed to make getting from “I want that” to actually completing a swap much faster.
One of my favorite additions is the AI Listing Assistant, mostly because writing listings is probably the least exciting part of selling anything online.
Take a photo, upload it, and the app can generate the item name, description, and category in seconds.
Done.
The update also adds chat before making an offer, group chat, and a visual balance meter that makes it easier to see whether a proposed swap feels fair.
Zéya has expanded its categories too, including Baby & Toddler and Sports & Outdoors.
So that barely used handbag has value.
But so do the golf clubs in the garage.
And Now Zēya Is Moving Beyond Stuff
This might be my favorite part of what’s coming next.
Zéya is adding services.
That changes the whole idea of what you can bring to a swap.
Maybe you don’t have a designer bag to trade, but you’re an amazing photographer.
Maybe you tutor.
Maybe you’re a personal trainer, stylist, graphic designer, pet sitter or the magical person who actually knows how to organize a closet.
Your skills have value too.
The full details of how services will work are still to come, but opening Zēya to services takes it beyond simple bartering. It becomes more about exchanging value, whether that value happens to be sitting in your closet or comes from something you know how to do.
And suddenly the possibilities get much bigger.
It All Feels Very Miami
Maybe that’s another reason I enjoyed the celebration so much.
Zéya feels very Miami.
It’s social. It’s stylish. It’s a little entrepreneurial. And it revolves around discovering something you want without necessarily paying full price for it.
We can absolutely get behind that.
The party reflected that same energy. People were mingling, talking about the app and celebrating what is clearly a big moment for the team, but it never felt overly corporate or stuffy. It felt like a community celebrating something that started locally and is beginning to grow.
That seems especially fitting for a company that wants its marketplace to feel like a community too.
Swap, Don’t Shop
There is an obvious sustainability benefit to giving perfectly good things another life instead of constantly buying new ones.
But Zéya doesn’t make that feel like a lecture.
The appeal is much simpler.
You have things you don’t use. Someone else wants them. And chances are, they have something you want too.
Add AI-assisted listings, local discovery, cash top-ups, cash-only purchases, community features, and soon the ability to exchange services, and it starts looking very different from the bartering most of us remember.
Zéya’s tagline is “Swap Don’t Shop.”
After a fun night celebrating 100,000 downloads and getting a closer look at where the Miami company is headed next, we’re curious to see just how far people are willing to take that idea.
Because if swapping can be this easy and this social, maybe we really don’t need to buy everything new.
– Zéya Team: Zéya — @zeya_app – Venue: One K — @onek_socialbar
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Luli Fama celebrates its Paradise Found Cruise ’27 swimwear and resortwear collection with a luxury Miami launch at its Dadeland Mall boutique.
August 20, 2026
Miami swimwear favorite Luli Fama is stepping into Cruise ’27 with Paradise Found, a new swimwear and resortwear collection inspired by tropical escapes, exotic prints and effortless vacation glamour.
South Florida Insider has already taken a closer look at the Luli Fama Paradise Found collection, and it feels made for Miami.
The new Cruise ’27 collection combines the bold, body-confident swimwear Luli Fama is known for with elevated resort pieces designed to move effortlessly from the beach and pool to cocktails and dinner.
On Thursday, August 20, Luli Fama will celebrate Paradise Found with an exclusive evening at its newest Dadeland Mall boutique in Miami, complete with fashion, light bites, personalized surprises, and a luxe espresso martini bar.
Inside Luli Fama’s Paradise Found Cruise ’27 Collection
Paradise Found is inspired by the feeling of discovering a hidden tropical retreat.
Think lush landscapes, warm golden hour light, exotic patterns, and silhouettes made for somewhere beautiful.
The collection features Luli Fama signatures, including flattering ruched details, seamless construction, adjustable fits, and statement swimwear, alongside an expanded selection of resortwear.
We especially love the pieces that blur the line between swim and ready-to-wear.
Flowing dresses, sleek coverups, and body-skimming silhouettes make it easy to transition from a sun-drenched afternoon to an evening out without losing that relaxed resort feeling.
It is sensual, polished, and unmistakably Miami.
Luli Fama Brings Luxury Resort Style to Miami
There is a reason Paradise Found feels so natural in South Florida.
In Miami, resortwear is not reserved for vacation.
A swimsuit can become part of an outfit. A coverup can take you to lunch. A flowing resort dress can carry you from an afternoon by the water straight into cocktails and dinner.
Luli Fama has always understood that lifestyle.
Paradise Found takes it a step further, creating a Cruise ’27 wardrobe that feels as appropriate for a tropical getaway as it does for a weekend in Miami.
The campaign captures that mood beautifully, pairing the collection with palms, lush greenery, tropical architecture and the kind of sun soaked setting that makes you want to extend your vacation indefinitely.
Paradise Found Comes to Luli Fama at Dadeland Mall
Luli Fama will bring the world of Paradise Found to life on Thursday, August 20 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at its newest boutique at Dadeland Mall in Miami.
The intimate celebration will bring together invited guests, influencers, celebrities and media for an early look at Cruise ’27.
Luli Fama is also dressing invited guests in pieces from the brand, allowing the new collection to be experienced the way it was designed to be worn: in motion, styled and out for the evening.
Luli After Hours Espresso Martini Bar
Fashion is only part of the experience.
For the Paradise Found celebration, Luli Fama is introducing Luli After Hours, an Espresso Martini Bar inspired by the glamour of the collection.
Guests will be able to sip three specialty espresso martinis created for the evening.
The Luli Babe puts a polished spin on the classic espresso martini, while Golden Hour pairs salted caramel with edible gold shimmer. Miami After Dark takes a richer approach with chocolate hazelnut and a cocoa dust finish.
Along with cocktails, guests can expect light bites, curated details and a special personalized surprise.
The result feels less like a traditional retail event and more like checking into a private resort for the evening.
A Miami Swimwear Brand Celebrates at Home
For a brand with such a strong connection to South Florida, launching Paradise Found in Miami feels especially fitting.
Luli Fama has built its identity around colorful, confident swimwear and resort fashion with a distinctly tropical point of view.
Paradise Found carries that identity into Cruise ’27 while giving it a more elevated, escapist mood.
And with Luli Fama’s newest boutique now at Dadeland Mall, Miami shoppers have another destination to experience the brand in person.
After getting our own closer look at Luli Fama’s Paradise Found Cruise ’27 collection, we can safely say the name fits.
Paradise has officially been found, and this time, it is in Miami.
Check out the collection HERE
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