18 birthday ideas in Miami to make it the best birthday ever

Unlike Miami’s sketchy public transport system, Miami Brew Bus is punctual, air-conditioned, smells great and will get you to and from some of the city’s top breweries safely. Hitch a ride on one of three routes and spend your afternoon taking guided brewery tours and tasting locally made beer at places such as Tripping Animals and Unbranded Brewing Co. Your ticket price includes the ride, snacks, water and discounts at every stop. Plus, private tours are available for large groups.

Nikki Beach’s Sunday Brunch is the reason people call in sick to work on Monday: You need more than 24 hours to recover from drinking magnums of rosé and dancing on tables in the sand. Make sure to arrive early if you plan to eat, which you should because its 13 made-to-order stations serving everything from waffles to sushi and desserts are spectacular and necessary to rally through. Your friends might hate you on Monday, but that’s only after they’ve spent hours drunkenly embracing you for the best birthday ever.

Every Thursday night, Marion’s charming Asian-fusion bistro turns into a French nightclub of sorts. Sure, dinner is served—from a chef’s omakase menu to lavish steaks and plenty of truffled side dishes—but the main attraction is what happens during and after dessert. Order the Marion Imperial Experience and receive a platter of assorted confections topped with so many sparklers. Things only escalate from there, as more sparklers find their way onto champagne bottles and plates are cleared to make room for dancing.

If you hate being the center of attention on your birthday, a spa day (solo or with friends) is how you want to celebrate. One of the best options to escape to is Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Check in, slip on a robe and slippers and forget the outside world exists for a few hours. Carve out some time after your treatment(s) for water therapies like thermal baths and a rain shower. And pools are co-ed, so the more, the merrier. 

You may be the star of the evening, but why not reserve a little glory for Miami's sparkly night sky? If you’re more into popcorn over popped bottles this year, check out Rooftop Cinema Club. This outdoor movie theater plays mostly box office hits of the 2000s and 2010s—you know, the ones you can still recite line by line—and also touts lawn games, SoBe skyline views and a full bar. Wing it and show up, or call ahead to reserve group seating and a preset menu.

Brunch is a fine way to celebrate your birthday, but if you’re in the mood for more than day-drinking and a nap, head to Palace Bar for its legendary drag brunch on Ocean Drive. Miami Beach’s longest-running drag bar hosts drag brunch or lunch every day of the week, including two bottomless brunch seatings from Friday through Sunday. Take in the queens’ iconic looks, legendary lip-syncing and death-defying acrobatics while getting properly lit on mimosas for hours on end. 

No matter what day of the week your birthday lands on, Miami’s got a karaoke night for you and the best option—especially for the guest of honor—is PlugIN Karaoke, where the birthday star sings for free. Whether you have four friends or 200, there’s space for you here, as PlugIN’s got 18 rooms and lets you rent out space by the hour ($13 per person) or as part of a food and beverage package.

Is there anything more baller than treating yourself and your friends to an epic day out at sea? Leave the work to your hired captain and crew, who will navigate you through Miami’s Intracoastal waterways, Biscayne Bay or the Atlantic Ocean, depending on your journey. Boat chartering is a booming business here, and websites like Sailo and Boater.pro make it fairly easy to enter your dates and preferences to find the perfect vessel. All you’ve got to do is BYOB and birthday candles.

Red meat imbues most situations with an air of celebration and indulgence, but Korean BBQ ups the ante. The communal grill at your table naturally helps bring any group together, and the sheer assortment of perfectly charred cuts, vegetables and side dishes makes the entire experience feel more exciting and bespoke. It's your birthday, so why not opt for high-end decadence at Michelin-starred Cote?

When in Miami, you salsa dance. And if it’s your birthday, you bust a move at Ball & Chain, where talented dancers keep pace while a Cuban trio or quartet keeps beats on the bongos and horns all night long. They have free salsa, bachata or other Latin dance lessons every night, so brush up on your moves (and mojitos) before doble nueve-ing all around the bar.

Polynesia meets Miami at Esotico, a lively Arts District tiki bar with ample indoor and outdoor space to accommodate a large birthday crew. The checkered floor, palm motif, wicker furnishings, lush greenery and neon signage make for excellent photo backdrops, but the real draw here are the large format cocktails served in all manner of festive vessels, like an actual Treasure Chest filled with rum and exotic juices.

Ready for a birthday that feels like a hole-in-one? Reserve a time slot at Puttshack, Brickell City Center’s high-tech indoor mini golf with its own version of “beer pong” and “ring of fire.” Speaking of drinking games, craft cocktails are welcome throughout the course and pair perfectly with a globally-inspired menu of bar bites. If you want to make the occasion more official, opt for an unlimited bar package along with a pre-fixe menu, and they’ll throw in a round of golf per person for free. 

Artisans Playhouse is a multi-purpose creative space with plenty of classes to get those juices flowing no matter if your age is in the single or double digits. They’re best known for their rug tufting classes, but they also have pottery, drawing and dance shuffling classes, and will soon offer candle making, too. It’s an awesome place for private events, whether you want to just book out a class or take over the entire studio for other festivities like domino tournaments, games, karaoke and more.

Looking to bar hop—without actually hopping around? It's not the conundrum you might think it is thanks to Cycle Party, the BYOB bar on wheels that makes its way throughout Wynwood. On this special, two-hour pub crawl, you'll pedal to various watering holes and receive a souvenir cup to take your drinks to go. Music, fun and a tour guide are all included.

Go-Karts never stopped being fun, and at Xtreme Action Park in Fort Lauderdale, you can get back in the driver’s seat and pedal to the metal (at least up to 45 MPH). Plan to spend $20 to $125 depending on how extreme you want to get, and each race session lasts eight minutes long. Of course, there are a ton of other things to do here too, like laser tag and a host of arcade games. And if you just want to watch your buddy crash, don’t worry. There’s a fully stocked bar.

South Pointe Park is already pretty fabulous. Now, couple its scenic sunset views with the irresistible claws from Joe’s Take Away and you’ve got yourself an enviable birthday spread. Stock up on fresh seafood, Joe’s famed fried chicken and a slice or two of key lime pie before making your way to a shady patch of grass at the park to mark another year of life.

Birthdays can be stressful, especially when you're trying to wrangle a motley group of friends to celebrate. Stop worrying and invite everyone to Basement, where you can bowl, ice skate and dance. The underground hot spot boasts a full bar and features a killer roster of DJs—no room for party poopers here.

Your father’s driving range got a makeover for the 21st century, and it includes cocktails, music and a chill enough vibe for a low-key birthday party. Gather your friends, reserve a bay with your own personal server and tee off while you laugh at how truly terrible you all are at golf. What’s not terrible, however, are the bar bites, so come hungry.