The best Miami pool parties for wilding out or keeping it cool

Hyde Beach at the SLS South Beach is Miami’s best-known pool party for a reason. It’s basically a nightclub—but it’s during the day, everyone wears bathing suits and the dance floor is a pool. If it’s a Vegas-style bash with bottle service and champagne showers you seek, you’ll find it here. Want to plus up your party? Swap a table for a boat with Hyde Seas, a private yachting experience that takes Hyde Beach experience out into the ocean with you and your closest (or newest) friends. 

Recently renovated as a stunning, Tulum-inspired day club and Mediterranean restaurant, Baia at the Mondrian is an adults-only paradise boasting amazing views of the Intracoastal Waterway and impeccable party vibes all weekend long. While the pool deck is primarily reserved for hotel guests and Baia Beach Club members, a limited number of private cabanas and poolside daybeds are available for daily rental. 

The Fontainebleau has a pool for every occasion but, for a good party, hit up the adults-only Arkadia Pool on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It’s an upbeat atmosphere with music, drinks and the added perk of chilling within one of Miami Beach’s best and most historic hotels. Between the wide-eyed tourists and bougie locals, this place is never dead. Fri–Sun noon–6pm; free for guests, non-guests must purchase chair, daybed or cabana $500–$3000, depending on season. 

Located inside Pharrell and LIV founder David Grutman’s pastel-hued wonderland the Goodtime Hotel, Strawberry Moon hosts a wild pool party every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The best part (besides hyped DJs from noon to night) is that you can buy individual tickets without having to book a cabana or be a guest, as long as you arrive before 1pm (admittedly, this can be a challenge after a night in Miami). Expect both big-name and local DJs and a surrealist Art Deco-tropical setting ideal for Insta photo shoots.

Dive in where the locals do, at Arlo Wynwood. Throughout the year, there are plenty of pop-up pool parties put on by local DJs and community groups like Stamped, a monthly party that celebrates African sounds, and DND Pool Party, an event by Do Not Disturb Radio that blends Latino, dance hall, Afro, house and other genres that bring out the best in you. These are pool parties you can really roll your hips to—but Arlo also has more chill parties, too, like Sunset Swim Club on Fridays with a DJ spinning and $5 rosé from 2 to 6pm. 

This long-running, unpretentious SoBe pool party does not shy away from a full turn-up. Unlike some of the others, the Clevelander does not enforce a dress code and encourages guests to bring their own towels and personal amenities. Expect beer pong battles, flowing frozen cocktails, a lit DJ and at least one rowdy bachelorette crew letting it all hang out by the pool. Sat–Sun 1–7pm; free before 2pm, pricing and availability vary after 2pm.

Sundays are the best time to stop by the Broken Shaker at the Freehand Miami. The boho-chic hostel’s award-winning cocktail bar nestled in a tropical garden also boasts a lush pool and deck area where the vibe is supremely chill. Opened from 4pm on weekends, the Shaker serves up festive cocktails made with local ingredients along with daily punches that pair perfectly with DJ-spun tunes by the pool. Fri–Sun from 4pm

Up on the roof of the Kimpton EPIC in Brickell, find two sparkling pools with plenty of space to lounge and immaculate views of Downtown's waterfront skyline. Day passes offer lounge chairs on a first-come, first-served basis, but private cabanas for you and your pals are also a good value. Either way, enjoy poolside service from the hotel's rooftop restaurant, Area 31, and live DJs lighting up the deck on Saturdays from 12 to 4pm. Daily 11am–sunset; Day passes start at $40

Novotel is an underrated little Brickell hotspot, and on Saturdays, the Vista Rooftop Pool and Bar is the place to be if you’re looking for a more relaxed alternative to the usual pool party scene. The sweet views of Biscayne Bay would normally be reason enough to stop by, but when you tack on live music, cocktails and bites—it’s too good to pass up. Sat noon–sunset; $20 day pass for the general public (free for hotel guests)

This hip rooftop spot on Española Way is ideal for a breezy poolside pregame before hitting up more SoBe bars and clubs. Though Esmé’s pool and lounge deck are exclusive to hotel guests during the day, its adjacent restaurant and bar the Roof opens daily to the public. As the sun sets, weekend DJs help set the mood with chilled-out tropical beats that perfectly match the vibe of this petite, impeccably designed pool deck. A variety of yummy cocktail pitchers help get the party started. Daily from 7:30am

If you’re looking for a chill and highly Instagrammable pool day, you’ll get the most bang for your buck here. The Confidante is of our favorite hotels on Miami Beach with adorable, Art Deco-inspired pools (including an adults-only one) and direct beach access. Popular with visitors and locals alike, the highly affordable day passes range from $35 to $400 and include complimentary loungers, poolside service, indoor and outdoor fitness center access and more, depending on your package. Daily, 9am–9pm.

The Nautilus just launched a new pool party series, Nauti Sundaze, which brings fist-pumping DJs, backyard bites and vibes to this iconic South Beach hotel on the first Sunday of every month. When the beat’s not dropping, you can drop yourself into the hotel’s expansive saltwater pool. Free; Sundays 2–7:30pm

Daer Dayclub is the closest you’ll feel to being in Vegas—and all you have to do is drive up a county. Both a nightclub and a dayclub, this venue at The Guitar Hotel books up all the big names when the sun’s out: Afrojack, Laidback Luke, Above & Beyond, Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neal). There’s all the accouterments of a raging pool party: private cabanas, bottle service with sizzling sparklers, the works. Doors open at 12 and the party ends when your stamina does.