The Best Events in Miami this January: 2026

The College Football Playoff concludes with an epic championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, featuring the Fiesta Bowl Champion versus the Peach Bowl Champion. Leading up to the finale, partake in all-ages shenanigans at the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! at Lummus Park in South Beach. Headliners across the free, two-day festival on the sand include Calvin Harris, John Summit, XANDRA, Peso Pluma, Latin Mafia and Greeicy. Gates open at 6pm on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18 and no ticket is required for entry.

This 10th-annual music festival sprawls across various venues in South Beach from January 8 to 11, celebrating the rich legacy of jazz while expanding the community’s perspective on individuals with unique abilities. Take in both world-renowned and emerging artists from the entire spectrum of jazz, including several free and outdoor concerts. Miami Beach Bandshell, Faena Theater and Collins Park are just a few of the iconic locales for this year's event, which features the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, John Pizzarelli Presents "Dear Mr. Bennett," Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra and many more.

Relive all things Jazz Age at the Miami Design Preservation League’s annual festival, with free events and activities packed into three days, including the artisan and antiques marketplace, a classic car show, lectures, films, guided architectural tours and a variety of musical performances. The theme for this 49th edition is "Celebrating Air, Land and Sea," exploring how Art Deco transformed travel, transportation and modern life.

In tandem with the holiday season, Jungle Island's enchanting festival of lights returns for a fourth year with a new production featuring more than 37 monumental, handcrafted silk lantern scenes created by a global team of artisans, graphic designers, seamstresses and more. This year, Luminosa takes visitors on a vibrant trail of themed vignettes representing different ecosystems, from the Amazon rainforest to African savannahs, complete with cutting-edge animatronics, holograms and interactive storytelling. The popular Holiday Village also makes a return this year (through January 4), featuring Christmas trees, holiday treats like churro donut holes and coquito, a seasonal bazaar and a 30-foot Christmas tree centerpiece.  When is Luminosa 2025? Luminosa runs from Friday, November 14 through March 7, 2026. The hours of operation are 5:30 to 9:30pm Sunday through Thursday and until 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday. The Holiday Village will also open on November 14 and run through January 4, 2026. This outdoor experience operates rain or shine, with covered areas available throughout the venue.  How much are tickets? Adult tickets range from $30.78 on weekdays to $46.88 on weekends. Child tickets (ages four to 12) range from $21.58 to $33.08. Family bundles and group rates are available, with discounts for seniors, students and military personnel.

The Greatest Show on Earth pitches its tent (metaphorically speaking) at the Kaseya Center in Downtown Miami for a weekend-long sprint of death-defying stunts, awe-inspiring athleticism and cheeky circus revelry acted out by some of the world's most accomplished performers. This year's all-new music-driven production includes a seven-member Acro-Salsa Troupe from Colombia, an Acrobatic Bikes and Hoop Diving crew from China and more. Doors open at 6pm each night from January 9 through the 11, with tickets starting around $40.

In January, we set our intentions for the new year, and there's perhaps no better place to do so than at Ford's Farm. Nestled in Homestead, chef Jeremy Ford's farm grows much of the produce that's plated at his Michelin-awarded Miami Beach restaurant, Stubborn Seed. This month, Ford is throwing open the gates for another rustic-chic supper club series at the farm, and he's tapped a handful of Miami's best chefs to collaborate on the menus. On January 10, the globally influenced, spice-driven dinner comes courtesy of chef Pushkar Marathe of Stage Kitchen & Bar, cooking alongside Jeremy Ford and Joe Mizzoni in the fields of Ford’s Farm. The intimate dinner party takes place inside the property’s stunning, custom-built barn for an open-fire dining experience inspired by the farm’s harvest and the spirit of the hospitality community. January 24's Chef’s Garden Collaboration brings together farmer Lee Jones and chefs Brad Kilgore, Seth Blumenthal and Jamie Simpson for a highly personal meal that celebrates the relationship between chefs and the land. Each evening begins with a complimentary cocktail and canapés served on the farm as the sun sets. The canapé hour runs from 5 to 5:45pm, and guests arriving late will miss part of this experience. The seated dinner follows with multiple courses cooked live over fire at the farm. Each course includes one cocktail pairing and one wine pairing.

The College Football Playoff concludes with an epic championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The showdown will feature the Fiesta Bowl Champion versus the Peach Bowl Champion and will be streamed live on ESPN, with tailgating kicking off bright and early at 11am. Leading up to the finale, partake in pre-show shenanigans all around town, including the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! at Lummus Park in South Beach. Headliners across the free, two-day festival on the sand include Calvin Harris, John Summit, XANDRA, Peso Pluma, Latin Mafia and Greeicy.

A much-anticipated precursor to the holiday season in Miami, NightGarden returns in November for its seventh season at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, promising even more psychedelic scenery, family-friendly activities and interactive artwork than ever before. Running from November 7 through January 11, NightGarden invites guests to frolic around a neon-lit wonderland of tropical trails lined with holographic sculptures, secret sunken ponds and hidden fairy worlds. Expect several enticing new activations this year, including the Tree of Life, a monumental centerpiece with lights and projections activated by guest touch. You'll also find new immersive domes with themed photo backdrops, a Secret Garden Laser Light Show, movie nights and more. How much are tickets? Tickets start at $28 and vary based on date and time, with discounts for Fairchild members and seniors. Children three and under are free.

Art meets science at "Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius," a sweeping exhibition presented by Frost Science and produced by Grande Experiences in collaboration with Rome's Museo Leonardo da Vinci. On view through April 5th, 2026, the show explores da Vinci's multidisciplinary legacy with interactive displays, rare artifacts and life-size replicas of his machines, alongside immersive projections of iconic works like The Last Supper and Mona Lisa. Explore 16 themed sections, from anatomy and flight to engineering and optics, plus hands-on installations like the Vitruvian Man interactive station and the Mona Lisa Revealed exhibit, featuring the world’s only exact 360-degree replica of the painting.

The NYC arm of London's pioneering queer collective Horse Meat Disco lands in Miami for a night of cheeky beats and hot, sweaty bodies on the dancefloor. Horse Meat Disco and Rimarkable provide the soundtrack, while hosts Camal Correa, Ejim, Christian Gonzmart, Marcel Kaufmann, Linux, Cesar Romero and Naim Zarzour curate the crowd at MAD Live in th heart of Wynwood. 55 NE 24th St