South Beach Seafood Festival

Feast on fresh seafood from top Miami chefs, sip craft cocktails and enjoy beachside culinary competitions, tastings and live entertainment at this annual South Beach celebration. Returning to the sands of Miami Beach for its 14th installment, South Beach Seafood Festival (also referred to as SoBe Seafood Fest) is a can’t miss experience during the buzzing Greater Miami and Miami Beach fall festival season. Taking place from Wednesday, October 21 through Saturday, October 24, the festival kicks off with two nights of exclusive seated dinner parties, followed by two days of on-the-sand sea-foodie fun.

Last year’s event drew 12,000 seafood lovers indulging for a good cause: Proceeds benefit CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program, which provides healthy meals and nutritional guidance to youth in public schools across Miami-Dade County.

Here’s our full guide to South Beach Seafood Festival 2026, including program highlights, ticket prices and everything you need to know to enjoy fresh, delicious seafood from some of the best chefs and restaurants in Miami.

An Evening in Miami Beach

Wednesday, Oct. 21 & Thursday, October 22 at 7 p.m.

Returning to the 2026 program, An Evening in Miami Beach will feature a series of collaborative dinners at popular restaurants. Each intimate, multi-course experience will pair acclaimed chef creations with premium wines, handcrafted cocktails and top-tier hospitality.

The series kicks off on Wednesday, October 22 at 7 p.m. with dinners at Carbone Miami and Prime 54. On Thursday at 7 p.m., Pubbelly Sushi, Catch Miami Beach and Rao’s Miami Beach will host. Tickets are not yet on sale, and additional details are still forthcoming.

VIP Chef Showdown

Friday, October 23 at 7 p.m.

The festival’s signature Friday night event returns to the stretch of sand at Lummus Park along Ocean Drive for another round of amped up chef battles. The Tequila Herradura VIP Chef Showdown, presented by GOYA Foods, pits 20 chefs against each other, as they go head-to-head in 10 seafood-themed battles. Ingredient battles range from crab to tuna to salmon, along with dish battles like ceviche, sushi, surf and turf and taco, among others.

“We're also introducing two new battles at the VIP Chef Showdown that I think returning fans are going to love,” shares Valerie Roy, chief marketing officer for CI Management, which owns and produces SoBe Seafood Festival. “We've got a Burger Battle joining the lineup, because even though we're a seafood festival, we wanted to give some love to the land-lovers, too. And, we're bringing back the always-unpredictable Mystery Battle, where chefs won't know their ingredient until showtime. Both add a fun new layer of competition to the most high-energy night of the weekend.”

Ticket holders are invited to stroll the Battle Pavilion to taste the competing dishes from each chef’s restaurant throughout the night, and then cast their votes for the best of each duo. (Be sure to arrive early to beat the lines.) As you taste, chefs will simultaneously compete for the title as each battle unfolds, while the signature dishes are cooked live on stage.

Additionally, two bartender showdowns from Pacifico Beer and Tequila Herradura will bring mixologists center stage. Guests of the 21+ event are invited to sip featured cocktails and other spirits (don’t skip the Hendrick’s Gin Garden Party) throughout the event, plus wine and beer offerings all night long.

Seafood Slam

Saturday, October 24 at 1 p.m.

The grand finale of SoBe Seafood Festival is the highly anticipated Jack Daniel’s and GOYA Seafood Slam, presented by Tequila Herradura and hosted by the City of Miami Beach. Expect an all-inclusive, four-hour afternoon of sampling and sipping for the entire family at Lummus Park.

Bite into seafood-centered small plates and other sweet and savory offerings from more than 40 restaurants. Come hungry, be sure to pace yourself and don’t forget to vote for your favorite dish in the annual Best of the Fest.

Pop into various cocktail and wine pavilions, check out the culinary demos from Milam’s Culinary Kitchen and root for your favorite up-and-coming cook at the Home Chef Competition. There will be plenty of products to peruse and interactive exhibits to explore under the tent when it’s time for a water break.

Ticket Packages

Currently, you can purchase tickets for the Friday VIP Chef Showdown for $185.96 and Saturday’s Seafood Slam for $170.11, or an adult VIP Weekend Pass for both events for $291.85. (Entry is free for children age 10 and under.) Tickets for the An Evening in Miami Beach dinner series are not yet on sale.

Additionally, a multi-day festival package, in partnership with host hotel Loews Miami Beach, will include the two-day VIP Weekend Pass for two and a two-night stay for $1,150 (plus tax and processing fees).

By: Tracy Block | July 23, 2026