Yearlong Programs
The LGBTQ Visitor Center provides essential resources for LGBTQ tourists, both before and during their visit and promotes socioeconomic development and tourism. The Center supports the education, travel, and tourism outreach for the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.The Center builds community by fostering social engagement and community wellness. It also enhances the health and well-being of the LGBTQ community by providing activities, programs, and services that bring everyone together for a shared purpose. The Center is home to Pridelines, a local service organization that holds many community events at the Center. There is also a partnership in place with the University of Miami that offers ongoing transgender support. Their doors are open to a diverse array of visitors, including tourists from all over the world, support group participants, meeting attendees, LGBTQ+ youth and more.
The Miami Beach Visitor Center (MBVC), powered by the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce and located at 100 16th Street, Suite 6, Miami Beach, receives support from the City of Miami Beach, the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, Miami-Dade Tourist and Development Council, and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. They also partner with leading companies in the tourism and hospitality industry to offer exclusive discounts for visitors along with mobile apps, maps, guides, and brochures to help the visitor explore Miami Beach and its surrounding areas.The Visitor Center has a concierge service providing customized itineraries and recommendations on current and upcoming events, dining, shopping, attractions, and arts and culture whereby the guest is guided towards quick and easy user-friendly apps such as Explore Miami Beach and the MBVCA’s Experience Miami Beach, and EXPMiamiBeach. Additionally, the Center offers bus and boat tours through local tour companies and offers a variety of industry brochures, pamphlets, publications and other promotional materials on events and tourist attractions in Miami Beach
October 2024
The South Beach Seafood Festival celebrating its 12th year, will be taking place Wednesday, October 23 through Saturday, October 26, 2024. The festival is a curated event week that celebrates the best chefs and restaurants of South Florida by hosting a variety of events for a diverse group of attendees. A total of 15,000 people are expected, of which 35% (5,250) are expected to be tourists. This annual seafood festival attracts guests from all over and kicks off Miami’s famed Stone Crab season in October. The events range from intimate dinners to beach bash competitions and all-day pop-up cafes including the Crabs, Slabs and Cabs 6-course dinner and Chef Showdown. The event also showcases the talents of South Florida’s leading chefs and culinary leaders, and the event’s proceeds ultimately benefit the EAT SMART program which provides healthy meals and nutritional guidance to Florida’s youth through programs at Miami Dade Public Schools.
November 2024
No Vacancy, Miami Beach, taking place over 4 weeks beginning Thursday, November 14 through Thursday, December 12, 2024, is a contemporary art experience that celebrates artists, provokes critical discourse, and invites the public to experience Miami Beach’s famed hotels as destination art spaces by turning hotels into temporary cultural institutions – the very definition of Cultural Tourism. Art will be exhibited throughout twelve (12) hotels in Miami Beach, where lobbies, restaurants, lounges, patio areas, rooms, balconies and swimming pools may serve as a canvas. A total of 74 artists have expressed interest in participating in the program, as of the application submission date. No Vacancy, Miami Beach is committed to providing art experiences that are accessible to everyone, free and open to the public as well as reinventing Cultural Tourism on Miami Beach
2024 Urge Miami Thanksgiving Festival
One of the world’s biggest LGBTQ events returns to Miami and Miami Beach for an ultimate weekend holiday event. This event will take place from Friday, November 29 through Monday, December 2, 2024, during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, with a total of 5 events on Miami Beach and 4 others on the mainland. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Winter Party and Miami Beach Gay Pride (non-profit). There will be three significant evening events, a Sunday Beach party and a Monday morning after-hours event. Off-beach event venues will include Studio A and LVL in Miami
Boot Camp in Paradise: WW2 in Miami Beach
The Boot Camp in Paradise: WW2 in Miami Beach will be an extended exhibition kicking off on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, 2024 through Thursday, January 30, 2025. The exhibit is designed to honor the time when Miami Beach became a training ground for soldiers headed to fight in World War 2 and will consist of the Ocean Drive Outdoor Gallery entitled “Boot Camp in Paradise” with a total of 19 displays: 14 printed on two sides and 5 with prints on three sides. A collection of evocative photographs, documents and Infographics will be displayed that capture the essence of Miami Beach during WW2. There will be online multi-media content integrated that will include videos accessible via a QR code. Educational Outreach programs will be able to utilize the exhibits for guided tours, lectures, and interactive sessions led by historians and other experts to cultivate a deeper understanding of the historical significance of Miami Beach during WW2 for all ages.
December 2024
SCOPE Miami Beach 2024 will be celebrating its 23rd edition beginning Monday, December 2 through Sunday, December 8, 2024. The Fair is estimated to attract 100,000 attendees, of which 60% (60,000) are expected to be tourists. This event has generated a total of >$1 billion in sales with over >1.5 million in attendance in its history thus far. SCOPE Miami Beach features a wide range of curated projects, sponsor programs, VIP tours, Wellness and Educational programming as well as exciting nighttime events that attract a mix of seasoned collectors and tastemakers. An experiential multidisciplinary program, The New Contemporary, will be returning to the SCOPE pavilion this year and will feature daily programming that showcases large -scale installations, music performances and panel discussions.
The College Football Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl Game will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday, January 9, 2025, with the ancillary events taking place between Saturday, December 7, 2024 and Thursday, January 9, 2025 throughout South Florida. This year, a 12-team bracket will be announced on December 8, 2024 after which the Orange Bowl Committee will embark on a national and regional marketing effort to encourage fans to travel to South Florida for the game. The Orange Bowl features a week of exciting events including the Welcome Receptions, Team Beach Parties, Spouses’ outings, Coaches Dinners, AvMed Orange Bowl Beach Run, Bacardi Orange Bowl Rhapsody, Media Party, Game Officials Dinner, and Capital One Orange Bowl Pep Rally. A total of 14 events are scheduled, of which 7 are scheduled to take place on Miami Beach.
Miami Beach Holiday Festival of Lights
The Miami Beach Holiday Festival of Lights will make the holiday season a bit brighter with a blend of music, lights, and projection mapping displays that celebrate the rich tapestry of international holiday traditions intended to captivate audiences of all ages. Taking place from Wednesday, December 11, 2024 – Wednesday, January 1, 2025 and presented by the Miami Music Festival. Now in its second year, the festival will feature a series of live performances spanning a variety of genres and will include appearances by holiday characters such as Santa Claus, Elsa (Frozen) and the Grinch. The innovative use of projection mapping technology combined with music will create exciting and memorable experiences for all to enjoy. The technology creates vibrant imagery onto 5 consecutive buildings along Ocean Drive including the Betsy.
January 2025
The Miami Grit Classic is a USA Gymnastics sanctioned sporting event where children ages 4 to 18 will compete on Olympics-style Apparatus. The event, taking place Friday, January 31 through February 2, 2025 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, is expected to attract athletes from out-of-state as well as international teams whose scores will count toward qualification to their state’s Championship meet.
The Miami Marathon and Half Marathon
The Miami Marathon and Half Marathon will take place Friday, January 31 through Sunday, February 2, 2025 and is a favorite “racecation” for runners from around the world. The event consists of 3 components including a Health and Fitness Expo at the Miami Beach Convention Center, a Saturday Tropical 5k race (3.1 miles) which takes runners by the cruise port, the Art Deco District, and ends at Nikki Beach. All events lead up to the signature Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday. The Kids Run Miami Program will also be continued this year, where 1,200 Miami Dade Middle Schoolers will be able to run 1 mile.
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