Summer in Miami is something you get through. Fall is the part people stay for. The rain stops around the middle of October, November averages a high of 80°F against September’s 88°F, and by the first week of December the city is hosting the largest art fair in the Americas.
Here is what is actually confirmed between now and then. Everything below was checked against the organiser’s own listing — where an event has not published 2026 dates yet, it is noted as such rather than guessed at.
First, the weather
Miami’s wet season officially ends 14 October. September is still summer in every way that matters; October is the turn; November is the reward — 80°F days, 70°F nights and about two inches of rain for the whole month.
Hurricane season ends 30 November, and 2026 has been extraordinary. Five named storms have formed in the Atlantic and not one has become a hurricane — accumulated cyclone energy is running at 4.4 units against a historical average of 71 to 123, the slowest start to a season since at least 1966, driven by the strongest wind shear on record for this point in the calendar. That is genuinely unusual and worth enjoying. It is also worth remembering that it only takes one, and the season is not over.
Going now, and going soon
Miami Spice ends 30 September. Three weeks left on the 25th edition — 300-plus restaurants at $40 for brunch and lunch, $50 and $65 for dinner, and a Reserve tier from $95.
Two exhibitions are about to close. Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight at Frost Science closes 13 September — that is this weekend. Carlos Cruz-Diez’s Chromosaturation at Pérez Art Museum Miami closes 27 September.
At the Kaseya Center: RosalÃa’s LUX Tour on 14 and 16 September, Gorillaz on the 18th, Soda Stereo on the 20th. And at Nu Stadium on 16 September, Inter Miami host Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup — the first trophy match at the new ground.
October
Miami Carnival has moved — check the address
Miami Broward Carnival runs 3–11 October, and the marquee days are now in Broward County, not at the Miami-Dade fairgrounds where a lot of people will head out of habit. J’ouvert on 10 October and the Parade of Bands and Concert on 11 October are both at Central Broward Park, 3700 NW 11th Place, Lauderhill. Junior Carnival and Pan Jamboree open the run on 3 October at the Tamarac Sports Complex.
One caution: at least one third-party ticket listing still shows the old SW 24th Street address in Miami. The organiser’s own site is the one to trust.
The rest of the month
- House of Horror — 24 September to 1 November, and this year at Tropical Park, 7900 SW 40th St, for its 25th edition. From $39.99, which covers the haunted houses, the rides and parking.
- III Points — 16 and 17 October at Mana Wynwood, ten-plus stages across five blocks.
- Miami Heat home opener — 21 October at the Kaseya Center against Minnesota. Preseason at home on the 8th and 10th.
- Free at the Miami Beach Bandshell — LA NIÑA on the 10th, Miami Beach Salsa Fest on the 11th, the third Festival de Bomba y Plena on the 25th.
- Buena Vista Social Club at the Arsht Center, 29 September to 4 October; Patti Smith, an evening of songs and stories, on 9 October.
- Redland International Orchid Festival — 16 to 18 October.
November — the best month
Miami Book Fair runs 15–22 November at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus downtown, with the Street Fair on the final weekend, 20–22 November. Friday is free; Saturday and Sunday are $12 at the gate, and free for under-12s and for MDC students and staff.
Day of the Dead falls on Sunday 1 November, and there are two confirmed things to do with it. The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Day of the Dead at the Miami Beach Bandshell, doors at 6pm, 18+, $42.95 all-in. Or, free, Journey to DÃa de Muertos with Calpulli Mexican Dance Company at the Arsht Center at 3pm — pay what you can, $10 suggested.
Zoo Lights at Zoo Miami opens 27 and 28 November and then runs most nights through December, 6:30 to 10pm. Tickets had not gone on sale at the time of writing.
Also: Doja Cat at the Kaseya Center on the 11th, the Miami Beach Polo World Cup on the sand from 12 to 15 November, and the Buena Vista Orchestra at the Bandshell on the 21st.
Early December: Art Week
Art Basel Miami Beach runs 4–6 December at the Miami Beach Convention Center, and roughly a dozen satellite fairs cluster around it. The useful thing to know is that most of them open before Basel does, so the first days of December are the busiest.
| Fair | Dates | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Art Basel Miami Beach | 4–6 Dec | Miami Beach Convention Center |
| Design Miami | 1–6 Dec | Convention Center Dr & 19th St |
| Art Miami / CONTEXT | 1–6 Dec | One Herald Plaza, Edgewater |
| SCOPE Miami Beach | 1–6 Dec | 801 Ocean Drive |
| NADA Miami | 1–5 Dec | Ice Palace Studios, 1400 N Miami Ave |
| Untitled Art | 2–6 Dec (VIP 1 Dec) | Ocean Drive & 12th St, on the beach |
| Red Dot / Spectrum | 2–6 Dec | Mana Wynwood |
| Aqua Art Miami | 2–6 Dec | Aqua Hotel, 1530 Collins Ave |
| Pinta Miami | 3–6 Dec | The Hangar, Coconut Grove |
NADA is the one that has published prices so far: $45 for a single day early-bird, $65 multi-day, $35 for students and seniors, free for under-12s.
The museum calendar
Autumn is when Miami’s museums turn over. If you only make one trip, the Picasso–Klee–Matisse show from the Museum Berggruen, opening at PAMM on 29 October, is the season’s headline.
| Opening | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Sept | Yuko Mohri; Amalia Pica | The Bass, Miami Beach |
| 1 Oct | Anina Major: The Sacred Mangrove | PAMM |
| 10 Oct | The Science Behind Pixar | Frost Science |
| 29 Oct | Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen | PAMM |
| 1 Dec | Carroll Dunham; Diego Singh | ICA Miami |
Closing, in order: Frost’s Black Wings on 13 September; PAMM’s Cruz-Diez on 27 September; ICA’s Four Rooms on 4 October and Harmony Korine’s Perfect Nonsense on 18 October; PAMM’s Cecilia Vicuña and ICA’s Igshaan Adams on 1 November; ICA’s Manuel Chavajay and Manoucher Yektai on 22 November.
Worth knowing on cost: ICA Miami is free every day, Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm, in the Design District. PAMM is $18, $14 concessions, under-7s free — and free on Thursdays after 5pm.
If you follow a team
The Dolphins are home at Hard Rock Stadium on 27 September against Kansas City, 11 October against Cincinnati, 1 and 8 November against New England and Detroit, and 29 November against the Jets. The Hurricanes play Florida State there on 17 October and Duke for homecoming on 14 November.
Inter Miami finish the regular season on 7 November sitting second in the Eastern Conference, with the playoffs running to MLS Cup on 18 December — all of it now at Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park, which opened in April.
Not confirmed yet
A few Miami institutions have not published 2026 dates, and several listings still circulating are last year’s. As of early September there is nothing confirmed for Santa’s Enchanted Forest or Christmas Wonderland, no 2026 dates for Fairchild’s Ramble, and no announced tree lighting in either the City of Miami or Miami Beach — the most recent official pages for those are from 2023 and 2025. The Coral Gables DÃa de los Muertos listing showing “Saturday, November 1” is a carry-over: 1 November 2026 is a Sunday.
We will update this as those firm up.
Dates and prices here come from each organiser’s own site — Art Basel, Design Miami, NADA, Untitled Art, Miami Book Fair, Miami Broward Carnival, House of Horror, the Adrienne Arsht Center, the Miami Beach Bandshell, Kaseya Center, Zoo Miami, PAMM, ICA Miami, the Bass and Frost Science — plus NOAA and weather.com for the hurricane season. Check before you travel; dates move.