Miami Vibe: what’s on this winter

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This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Miami

Winter is one of the most exciting times to visit Miami, as the city plays host to world-class art and design fairs, music and culinary festivals and sporting events galore. Below are some of FT Globetrotter’s highlights for the season, from Art Basel showcases to Art Deco tours, celebrity chef demos and more.

Fairchild’s Night at the Garden

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is given a glow-up with a mystical after-dark light show that features rainbow-coloured pathways as well as outdoor holograms and projection mapping. The experience can be enhanced with the bespoke Fairyscope augmented reality app, while popular Miami food trucks provide refreshments. From $33.20, until January 12; thenightgarden.com/miami

‘Crossroads: Rubem Valentim’s 1960s’, ICA Miami

The first US museum show dedicated to the late Afro-Brazilian painter Rubem Valentim explores how his Modernist abstract paintings developed during the decade when he lived in Brazil but also worked in Europe, settling for three years in Rome. Valentim’s works were characterised by a rich and colourful lexicon of symbols. “Creating my symbol-signs, I seek to transform into visual language the enchanted, magical, probably mystical world that flows continuously inside me”, he wrote in his manifesto in 1988. Until March 30; icamiami.org

Design Miami

This year’s theme at the world-leading fair is “Blue Sky”, aiming to showcase “the boldest leaps of imagination happening in design today”. Galleries from London to Los Angeles and Melbourne to Mumbai all offer their own individual take on it. December 3-8; designmiami.com/fair/miami-2024

Art Basel Miami Beach

The art world descends on the Magic City for the North American edition of the international art fair. Now in its 22nd year, it will feature 283 galleries from 38 countries, while the broader Miami Art Week offers a wealth of off-site happenings and satellite fairs. December 6-8; artbasel.com/miami-beach

South Beach Jazz Festival

The signature event of non-profit disability-awareness organisation Power Access, the South Beach Jazz Festival is a celebration of accessibility and inclusion bringing together critically acclaimed jazz musicians across the entire industry. Expect traditional, contemporary and Latin American performances from artists including renowned pianist Eddie Palmieri, saxophonist Jesse Jones Jr, a Miami native, and the Bad Apples Brass Band. January 9-12; sobejazzfestival.com/

Beaux Arts Festival

The 74th edition of Miami’s oldest juried arts festival will be taking centre stage at the University of Miami, with more than 200 artists exhibited over the two-day event. The Watsco Center in the grounds of the campus will be transformed into a marketplace, with live music, food trucks and children’s art activities alongside the artists’ booths. Beaux Arts, a female-led non-profit supporting the arts in South Florida, puts on the event, and all proceeds will go to the Lowe Museum and local outreach programmes. January 18-19; beauxartsmiami.org

Art Deco Weekend

Organised by the Miami Design Preservation League, this annual event spotlights a century of the historic Art Deco buildings of South Beach. The free cultural festival includes tours, lectures and performances, such as the Deco Nights and Neon Lights Tour on Ocean Drive. January 18-20; artdecoweekend.org

Lifetime Miami Marathon

Biscayne Bay welcomes 18,000 runners to take part in the Miami half or full marathon — routes that take in impressive ocean and cityscape views, and span several bridges — but there’s entertainment for everyone. The day before the main event is the Tropical 5K (open to walkers as well as runners), while the post-race festival features activities, food and live music. February 1-2; themiamimarathon.com

Miami International Boat Show

The largest show of its kind, this is where manufacturers showcase their latest aquatic inventions both in and out of the water. Explore powerboats and catamarans or head to the family-friendly educational experience, where children can learn about a wide variety of fish species. Upgrading to a VIP ticket will grant exclusive access to a site hosting the world’s most elaborate superyachts. February 12–16; miamiboatshow.com

Coconut Grove Arts Festival

More than 280 juried artists flock to arty Coconut Grove to exhibit their work on the streets off Biscayne Bay. Paintings, sculpture and photography are complemented with food, cooking demonstrations and live music. February 15-17; cgaf.com

South Beach Wine and Food Festival

World-renowned wine and spirits producers and chefs will be brought together at this four-day festival. Celebrity chefs specialising in an international array of cuisines will host lunches and dinners each day, and there are wine tastings and seminars. Culinary personalities and industry experts will be at more than 100 events. All net proceeds support hospitality students at Florida International University. From $40, February 20-23; sobewff.org

Winter Party Festival

Drawing 10,000 visitors from around the world to Miami Beach, this wild week-long LGBTQ+ event began in 1994 as a single dance party run by and in aid of the National LGBTQ Task Force (then known as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force). Since 2005, the organisation has supported almost 90 community groups in South Florida. February 26-March 4; winterparty.com

Miami Open

The world’s best tennis players hit the hard courts at Hard Rock Stadium for the unofficial fifth grand slam. It’s second only to the US Open in North American tennis attendance, attracting close to 400,00 spectators over two weeks. This year, Danielle Collins and Jannik Sinner claimed the $1.1mn winner’s prize in the women’s and men’s singles. March 17—30; tennistours.com/miami-open

‘Smita Sen: Embodied’, Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami

The New York and Miami-based artist and “interaction designer” merges sculpture, dance performance and technology to trace how the body moves and adapts in various environments and emotional states. Her “Feelings, Fossilised” drawings and sculptures, for example, use 3D-modelling software to visualise the physical pain she experienced when grieving the death of her father. Until April 6; mocanomi.org

Which events in Miami would you recommend this winter? Tell us in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter

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