What to do in Miami this winter

Spanning 83 acres of enchanted tropical trails, NightGarden transforms Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden into a trippy wonderland. Explore a neon playground of secret sunken ponds, hidden fairy worlds, giant swaying dandelion fields and the rainbow-colored Orchid Bridge. Chock-full of photo-worthy moments, projection-mapped pitstops and holographic sculptures, NightGarden invites guests to frolic in a magical snowfall experience, and yes, Archie will be there to once again reprise his role as your favorite wise-talking tree. The spectacle will be open four days a week through Sunday, January 7. Tickets can be purchased here and start at $30 for adults and $25 for children ages 10 and younger.

New Orleans has Mardi Gras. Miami has the King Mango Strut. While incomporable in size and scale, this comical and locally revered parade returns on January 7th, 2024 to celebrate 40 years of "putting the NUT in Coconut grove" through satirical floats and eyebrow-raising subject matter.

This year's thematic umbrella is I Can’t Get No DeSantisfaction, to the chagrin of book ban proponents everywhere. Onlookers are encouraged to get into it by dressing the part, embracing the parade's ethos to “celebrate and skewer what’s weird and wonderful about Miami and the year that was.” And if you actually want to be in the parade, that's a possibility, too. Amateur comedians and performers can apply here. 

Relive all things Jazz Age at the Miami Design Preservation League’s annual festival, with free events and activities 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 47th edition is "Celebrating Florida's Historic Coastal Communities", which is appropriate considering sea level rise and impending affronts from the Florida legislature on our historic preservation laws. 

The largest pickle ball festival in the world comes to Miami! Boasting up to 100 courts, vendor villages, musical performances, VIP experiences and brand activations, The Pickle Games Miami will take place on January 13 and 14, 2024 at the historic Miami Marine Stadium. Watch amateurs and pros whip balls back and forth on the court throughout the day with Biscayne Bay and Downtown Miami as the backdrop. 

This 73rd annual arts event (Miami’s longest-running juried art festival) in support of South Florida’s first art museum, the Lowe, returns to the University of Miami’s campus. The event, encouraging an appreciation of the arts across Miami, features over 150 outdoor fine-art exhibits, local vendors, a beer garden, live music and lots of food. 

Love food festivals but wish they left you feeling a little less, uh, bloated? Well, health nuts will certainly appreciate Seed Food and Wine Week, a plant-based food and wine festival that won’t have you in a sodium coma for months to come (and is kinder on the environment, too). There are events spread throughout the week, everything from a grand tasting village to smaller workshops and panels featuring a whole bunch of vegan all-stars. Grab a ticket to one event—like the annual plant-based burger battle—or snag an all-access pass to experience it all. Various locations

Three nights in a row, prepare to be graced by sets from five-time Grammy winner, Snarky Puppy. If you haven’t jammed to the band’s jazz-infused flair, prepare for maximum funkiness. Also part of the GroundUp fun: a Friday night family dinner experience and weekend brunch taking place on the festival grounds before each day opens.

This lavish showcase geared towards all automobile enthusiasts, from connoisseurs to the car-curious, takes over the lush fairway of the JW Marriott Turnberry Resort’s championship golf course for a second year. Unlike some of the more standard, stuffy Concours shows around the world, the Motorcar Cavalcade judging panel pairs experts with VIP celebrities and athletes for entertaining and unabashedly subjective evaluations. Even more unusual, both classic and modern vehicles compete in the same classes to secure their prized trophy. This year's judges include Motorsports Hall of Fame racing legends Lyn St. James and Tommy Kendall, along with former Miami Heat basketball star Alonzo Mourning, auction house Phillips Watches’ Head of Americas Paul Boutros and General Motors Designer Wayne Kady, to name a few.

The largest reggaeton festival in the United States is back for another year and it’s ’24 lineup is not messing around. Fans of el perreo can expect more than 40 artists to hit the outdoor stage across two days, including award-winning acts from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Cuba and beyond.

Whether you want to gawk, check out some marine gear or actually pony up for a yacht, this five-day seafaring shindig lets you get comfortably nautical at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Feeling a lil yachty? Your one ticket will get you into six different venues, including the main event at the Miami Beach Convention Center and various marinas like Venetian Marina, One Herald Plaza, Museum Park Marina and IGY Yacht Haven Grande at Island Gardens.

This annual arts festival turns 60 this year, bringing over 280 artists to the streets of Coconut Grove. Over President's Day Weekend, people of all ages meander around McFarlane Road and South Bayshore Drive, perusing booths, enjoying culinary demonstrations and local bites and enjoying live music and family-friendly activities. 

Celebrity chefs (hundreds of them) and hungry people from around the U.S. descend on South Beach and across the city for Miami’s largest and most famous annual food festival, proceeds from which benefit Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management School. It's major.

For its 23rd year, SOBEWFF offers even more big-ticket events, including another rendition of the uber-popular Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives LIVE! hosted by Guy Fieri, plus additional intimate dinners hosted by culinary luminaries. There will be burger battles, punch bowl socials, taco and tequila pairings, a new Noche Cubana and more food and drinks than you’ll know what to do with. Break out your stretchy pants, and buckle up, people. Various locations

This annual festival returns to Miami Beach with a week of events and parties organized to raise money for the National LGBTQ Task Force. Expect a mix of VIP experiences, cocktail gatherings and poolside bashes, including Saturday's signature daytime party, Under One Sun, taking place at Oasis Wynwood, and The Beach Party, taking place right on the sands of Sobe. At various locations 

For 11 years, the 305 Day Block Party has been an epic celebration of all things suuper Miami. Brought to you by 3:05 Cafecito (which is also the exact time the entire city takes a cofee break), the event brings the most Miami performers (think Trick Daddy and DJ Laz) to the Wynwood Marketplace, along with delicious local bites, drinks and art activations and installations. While March 5th is officially 305 day (get it?), the tentpole moment happens on Saturday, March 2nd. The best part? The event is free with an RSVP. So come out and show this city the love it deserves. 

The biggest draw at the yearly, two-day jazz festival may not even be the jazz: It’s probably the impressive lineup of R&B acts. Previous years acts include Mary J. Blige, H.E.R. and Erika Badhu, as well as enduring hip-hop favorite the Roots featuring T-Pain, plus Rick Ross and the Isley Brothers. Prepare for a heavy dose of nostalgia at its 17th annual event. Lineup to be announced son.

Ten stages with a variety of live performances, drunken revelers reppin’ their country’s flag and all the croquetas and arepas you can stuff into your face: It’s time for Miami’s massive street fair, Calle Ocho, where thousands of people gather across the iconic 15 blocks every year to celebrate Latinx pride. SW 8th St between SW 12th and 27th.