The best things to do in Miami this week

The 14th annual South Beach Seafood Fest returns to Lummus Park this weekend with more than 50 Miami restaurants, chef-led dinners, beachside entertainment, and a whole lot of fish. The party kicks off at Phuc Yea on Wednesday, October 21, with “Made in Miami,” a five-course dinner experience prepared by seven illustrious local chefs including Cesar Zapata (Phuc Yea), Jose Mendín (Pubbelly), Eileen Andrade (Finka), Michael Beltran (Ariete) and Eduardo Lara (Wolf of Tacos).

On Friday, October 23, the VIP Chef Showdown pits 18 chefs against each other in a bracket-style tournament as they prepare twists on categories such as tacos, crab, surf n’ turf, ceviche, seafood pasta, and more. The $175 ticket includes unlimited samples and seafood bites, and bottomless beverages from participating brands.

The festival’s pièce de résistance is the Seafood Slam, an all-inclusive feast with craft cocktails, chef demos, live music, bottomless beverage samples, and culinary bites from 40+ South Florida restaurants, all taking place on the sands of Lummus Park. The $160 all-access pass includes festival re-entry and a college football watch party, and the grand finale Best of Fest competition.

The Miami Heat will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves for their regular season home opener on Wednesday, October 21, at the Kaseya Center. Doors open at 6pm with tip-off at 7:30pm. Tickets start at $64, available on Ticketmaster. Heat fans can also add on VIP experiences like early pregame access with skip-the-line privileges, or a postgame free throw on the court.

Latin Jazz takes center stage at Faena Theater this week as two legendary artists pair up for a dazzling performance. On Wednesday, October 21, Grammy-nominated jazz percussionist Sammy Figueroa pairs his virtuosic style with the talented vocals of Aymée Nuviola, a celebrated Cuban singer-composer and Grammy Award winner. Together, they’ll draw from global sounds spanning American jazz, Afro-Cuban rhythms, bossa nova, and more. Tickets from $80.

There’s a new omakase in town, but this time, Mexican flavors are the star of the show. Starting October 20, RosaNegra will present a weekly “taco omakase” by Mexican chef Rodrigo Rivera‑Río of Monterrey’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Koli. The 12-course experience journeys through inventive taco creations prepared with Mexican and Japanese ingredients like hamachi, black mole, A5 Wagyu, plantains, short rib, and lamb barbacoa. Take for example the Blue Corn Golden Taco with black bean purée, toro tuna tartar, Chihuahua chile dressing, and ikura. RosaNegra’s taco omakase menu is available every Tuesday, 6:30-9pm, through the end of December. Priced at $105 per person, with an optional $55 agave pairing add-on.

Key Biscayne’s idyllic park transforms for spooky season on Saturday, October 24, with the 10th annual Bill Baggs Haunted Hike. The family-friendly community event aims to raise money for Bill Baggs National Park with an evening of carnival rides, theater shows, a pumpkin patch, bumper cars, an ominous “Lagoon of Doom” and a signature haunted hike that winds through park trails and happens upon scary surprises. All admission tickets grant access to the carnival and unlimited rides. To join the haunted hike, you must select a timed entry ticket. Prior to opening, the park will host a sensory-friendly “Super Hero Hour” from 5 to 5:45pm. Heads up: this is a rain or shine event!

The LA-based music collective Pangea Sounds is throwing a free party at ZeyZey this Wednesday, October 21, featuring live DJ sets inspired by sounds of the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and beyond. Timed with the Billboard Latin Music Awards happening this week in Miami Beach, the high-energy party promises international DJs, a special guest headliner, and interactive moments from Buchanan’s Whisky, including complimentary Buchanan’s Coconut cocktails. Free entry with RSVP for ages 21+.

We may not experience fall weather in Miami, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play pretend. Throw on a flannel shirt and head south to Homestead for the seventh annual Harvest Festival at The Berry Farm. Open seven days a week through November 15, the sprawling estate welcomes families and teens to explore a five-acre corn maze, sunflower fields, hayrides, and a giant pumpkin patch that makes for a great photo backdrop. For the grown-ups, an on-site bar offers themed cocktails like the Tipsy Apple Mule and Harvest Sangria. Tickets run $17 for adults and $14 for children ages 12 and under. Free for ages 2 and under.

Catch a free outdoor movie every Wednesday night at SoundScape Park in Miami Beach. Running October through May, the annual SoundScape Cinema Series welcomes all ages for weekly screenings spanning Blockbuster hits, vintage classics, and holiday films. The series kicks off with Selena (Oct. 7), followed by The Goonies, Casper, and The Addams Family. Screenings take place rain or shine, starting at 8pm. Bring your own setups to watch comfortably; think lawn chairs, picnic baskets, and fresh-made subs from La Sandwicherie. The venue accommodates 200 to 300 on the lawn, but prime spots get scooped up quickly, so plan accordingly. Free to attend, no reservations required.

A new citywide cocktail program is offering discounted drinks at some of the best bars and restaurants in Miami, all October long. Back for its second year, ¡Salud! is sort of like the Miami Spice program, but instead of prix-fixe dinner, you get happy hour pricing on exclusive ¡Salud! cocktail menus. The catch? Offers are only available ‘til 10pm. More than 50 local spots are participating this year, including old favorites like Macchialina, Grazianos, Fox’s Lounge, and Sweet Liberty. See what the hype is about at spots like ViceVersa, go for glamour at the Delano’s Rose Bar, or check out newer, curious spots like Lovecat by Bar Not Found.

Miami Spice returns August 1-October 31 with special-priced three-course menus available at over 300 local restaurants. Prix-fixe menus start at $40 for brunch and lunch, and range $50-$65 for dinner, excluding tax and gratuity. A new “Reserve” tier ups the ante with $95 signature experiences. Check out a Michelin-starred darling in the Grove, savor Peruvian ceviche in Kendall, or see what’s newly opened in Doral. Or why not do it all? Explore the full list of Miami Spice 2026 participating restaurants.