Popular Festivals to Attend During Miami Festival Season

Originally Published: Arlo Hotel Blog
Written By: Hillary Fields

So Many Slammin’ Festivals to Attend in Miami/South Beach!

Miami simply wouldn’t be Miami without its multitude of art, food, film, music and dance festivals. From celebrations of stone crabs to the hottest music acts and most cutting edge visual artists around, there’s always something hopping in Miami/South Beach. Here are just a few of the amazing festivals to attend in Miami during your Arlo stay.

ART FESTIVAL:

Miami is internationally known for its cultural offerings, and among them, Art Basel Miami Beach, held at the Miami Beach Convention Center, is one of the best-known and undeniably astounding. Offerings include modern and contemporary works from over four thousand established and emerging contemporary artists drawn from all over the world and sponsored by more than 200 of the top galleries on the planet. There’s installation art, film, photography, sculpture, painting, and much more, creating an immersive experience you can explore the whole long weekend. Don’t forget to drop in on the many parties, fairs, and associated events that attend this massive art celebration. This year Art Basel Miami runs from December 5-8, 2019, and it’s not to be missed.

CARNIVAL:

Ever experienced a real West Indian Carnival? You’ve got to try Viva La Carnival. This sexy fete is an extravaganza of barely-there sequined costumes, feathers, exuberant dance and marvelous music; among the most joyous and raucous wild nights you can imagine. Slug some rum, fuel up on delicious street food, and twerk the night away with help from the hottest West Indian DJs around. Saturday October 12, 2019, Viva La Carnival Miami Carnival 2019 – be there!

FILM FESTIVAL:

Miami Film Festival Gems 2019, going on October 10-13, 2019 and Miami International Film Festival, March 6-15 2020, are both sponsored by Miami Dade College, held at the historic Olympia Theater, and provide a wonderful way to beat the heat while taking in the hottest festival films this side of Cannes. You’ll feel like a movie star yourself while taking in edgy indie films surrounded by celebs, movie producers and other industry folk.

FLOWERS FESTIVAL:

For blossom buffs, there’s the annual Fall Garden Festival (Featuring the 79th Annual Ramble) at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables. It runs November 8-10, 2019, and it’s a festival of flowers from the tropical to the edible and everything in between. Whether you seek succulents, ogle ornamentals, or just want to enjoy a spectacular fall garden display, a stroll through the grounds will uplift your spirits with sights and scents to delight the senses. Plus, there’s a plant sale if you want to take home some of the attractions (any Arlo windowsill would love a little decoration during your stay).

FOOD FESTIVAL:

Look around you. What’s that big, wet, shimmering thing? No, it’s not the glistening beach body of the gorgeous gal or guy beside you. It’s the ocean! And what’s the ocean famous for? Seafood! While in Miami, it’s de rigueur to celebrate seafood, and what better way than at South Beach Seafood Week, October 22-26, 2019. Local eateries both fancy and casual go all out to stuff you full of fabulous seafood of all stripes and scales, from fish tacos to grilled salmon, lobster and other shellfish, and even surf and turf skewers so you can stroll and eat simultaneously. Live music accompanies the event, making it a festive day to stroll and sample to your heart’s content. Plus, don’t forget it’s the start of stone crab season, so grab a lemon and some butter and get to work!

MUSIC FESTIVAL:

There’s no way to pick just one music festival in Miami. First up, there’s the Gulf Coast Jam in Panama City Beach, August 30 – September 1, 2019, and of course the Miami Beach Pop Festival November 8 -10 2019, featuring The Roots, Chance the Rapper, Jack Johnson, Kygo, Stephen Marley just for a start. Jazz in the Gardens Music Fest (JITG) March 14-15, 2020, lets you groove in the groves of Miami Gardens with big-name R&B acts like Chaka Khan, Anita Baker and Smokey Robinson. Lastly, if you like electronic dance music, there’s Miami Music Week, March 16 – 22, 2020, a week of absolutely insane dance parties culminating in the Ultra Music Festival.

We could go on and on, and on! But we invite you to explore anytime you stay; there’s always concerts, clubs and music by the beach, and our staff will be happy to let you know what’s on tap while you’re here.