By: Jennifer Agress
In Miami, outdoor events are in full swing in May. The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is coming back, highlighting a busy month of fun, COVID-safe music festivals, art events, concerts, nature challenges and more. Miami Attraction & Museums Months is also happening in May, so you’ll get discounted tickets and memberships when you visit Greater Miami’s top cultural destinations. Here are some of the top events happening in Miami in May 2021.
Explore Fairchild Tropical Garden's 83 acres of rare trees and colorful flowers.
Dog Date Stroll at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: Multiple Dates
Explore the 83 stunning acres of rare trees, colorful flowers, produce gardens, trails and more at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden with your canine companion. This event will take place multiple times throughout the month: on May 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30. Some dates will be coupled with other activities such as yoga, Mother’s Day and animal parades. The on-site restaurant, The Glasshouse Café by Le Basque, always hosts a “Yappy Hour” on Dog Date days. Check dates, times and ticket prices.
Beyond Van Gogh: April 15 - July 11, 2021
Taking place at Ice Palace Studios, Beyond Van Gogh: An Immersive Experience uses cutting-edge projection technology to create a walk-through art experience like no other. Opening on April 15 and crafted by world-renowned audiovisual designers, “Beyond Van Gogh” takes guests into the dreams, thoughts, words and art of the incomparable Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh. The latest technology wraps walls in light, color and shapes from Van Gogh’s masterpieces, which swirl, dance and refocus into flowers, cafes, landscapes and more. Set to symphonic music, this is a truly multisensory experience. Ticket prices vary; buy tickets online.
III Points X Secrect Project: April 30 - May 1
What was once III Points (pronounced “Three Points”) – an exciting festival with art experiences, laser light shows and headlining musicians – is now III Points x Secret Project. This two-day outdoor festival will be a collaboration between III Points and Los Angeles-based Secret Project l. It was created as a fully CDC-compliant alternative to III Points’ typical annual event. The venue is still a secret, but the performances are not. Expect 25-plus bands and DJs, including Eric Prydz, Black Coffee, Green Velvet, Trikk and Bedouin. Tickets start at $89 for single-day general admission; pods are available for $1,500.
City Nature Challenge 2021: May 1
If you love nature and photography, don’t miss a chance to participate in the City Nature Challenge (CNC) 2021 with the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. During this challenge, residents from cities all over the world will photograph the most unique local plants, animals and environments in their area and upload their photos to iNaturalist, in a bioblitz-style competition. Miami’s participants will meet at Virginia Key North Point for one of two different two-hour shifts, at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., each with up to 16 people. Reserve your spot by sending an email to muve@frostscience.org by 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 29. Parking will be available at Virginia Key North Point Trails.
NWS Symphony is celebrating 10 years of free WALLCAST® concerts.
NWS Wallcast® Concert – Stravinsky and Balanchine: May 7
The New World Symphony (NWS) is celebrating 10 years of its popular WALLCAST® concerts – a free event that projects its concerts on a 7,000-square-foot wall outside New World Center in Miami Beach’s SoundScape Park – with its Encore series, which highlights top performances from the symphonic orchestra’s previous seasons. Led by conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, this concert will bring together the New World Symphony, Miami City Ballet and violinist James Ehnes for a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Apollo, Circus Polka and Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra (1931). Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. on April 27.
Deering Estate Herp Tour: May 8
Explore the restricted natural areas of the historic 444-acre Deering Estate with a trained naturalist. Taking place at dusk, this guided tour will give attendees an up-close look at the countless species of reptiles and amphibians in their wild and urban South Florida habitats. The two-hour event will begin with a sneak peek at the Deering Estate’s live captive herptile specimens (rumor has it a red-tailed boa constrictor may make an appearance). The tour will start at 7 p.m. in the Visitor Center. Tickets are $15 and must be purchased online.
Mother's Day: May 10
Show mom some love by treating her to a weekend in Miami! There are so many ways to celebrate Mother’s Day in Greater Miami, from delicious Sunday brunches and a Mother’s Day cooking class at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden to a bayfront picnic and cruise at the historic Deering Estate. Since May is also Miami Attractions & Museums Month, you can show her a fun time by exploring the destination’s many cultural attractions and art, science and history museums.
Miami Beach Culture Crawl: May 20
On the third Thursday of every month, the City of Miami Beach hosts a free Miami Beach Culture Crawl. From 6 to 9 p.m., art galleries, cinemas, museums, parks and historic sites keep their doors open late for complimentary backstage tours, exhibition openings, film screenings in the park and more. While almost everything is accessible by foot or bike, trolleys offer free drop-offs and pickups at dedicated Culture Crawl stops. The long list of stops on the Crawl includes The Bass, Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, Miami Beach Botanical Garden and The Wolfsonian–FIU.
Adrianne Calvo is one of many popular chefs you'll find at SOBEWFF®.
South Beach Wine & Food Festival®: May 20 - 23
The country’s most popular food festival is coming back in May with a hot lineup of chefs, an exciting schedule of events and new COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival Presented by Capital One (SOBEWFF®) will kick off with Carbone Fine Food presents Italian Bites on the Beach and encompass a full weekend of celebrity-studded events including the SOBEWFF® 20th Anniversary Celebration hosted by Martha Stewart, Heineken Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons® and hosted by Bobby Flay, and BACARDI's Best of the Fest hosted by Andrew Zimmern with a special performance by Rev Run. This year’s Tribute Dinner, which will honor Giada De Laurentiis and feature Gloria and Emilio Estefan as masters of ceremonies, will take place outdoors at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel. As part of the event’s COVID-19 protocols, all attendees must provide proof of either a negative COVID-19 PCR test dated no more than 72 hours prior to the event(s) or full vaccination.
Hyundai's Air & Sea Show: May 29 - 30
Happening on Memorial Day Weekend, “The Greatest Show Above the Earth”® (presented by Hyundai) is anchored by the Air & Sea Show. This two-day event on Miami Beach showcases and salutes all first responders and the five branches of the United States military with jet flyovers and stunts, displays of new military technology, extreme watersports and more. Don’t miss the Monster Energy Action Zone, where the show in the sky will be rivaled by an action-packed motocross performance by Keith Sayer’s KSFMX Freestyle Motocross demo team. Tickets start at $35.
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