The guide · events
Best Miami Events Happening This December 2026
Looking for the best things to do in Miami in December 2026? Miami Art Week anchors the first week of the month, Christmas Wonderland runs at Tropical Park through early January, and the Dolphins close their home schedule with two games at Hard Rock Stadium. Add Fairchild’s holiday lights, a Christmas Day dining scene, and New Year’s Eve closing things out, and December is Miami’s busiest month for one-time-only events.
Art Basel Miami Beach anchors Miami Art Week, December 2–6 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, with satellite fairs and gallery openings running across Wynwood, the Design District, and South Beach through the 6th. Fairchild’s “A Very Merry Garden” opens December 1 and runs through January 4, and Christmas Wonderland at Tropical Park carries over from its November opening straight through the month. The Dolphins host Chicago on December 13 and the Chargers on December 27, Christmas Day brings a citywide restaurant scene, and Miami closes the year on December 31 with fireworks across the bay.
Miami events in December 2026, by date
- · The Neil Diamond Musical, Adrienne Arsht Center
- · Untitled Art Miami Beach, Miami Beach
If you do three things
Everything else on this page is optional.
Downtown
The Neil Diamond Musical
The Neil Diamond jukebox musical plays the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht Center, December 1–6, eight performances overlapping directly with Art Basel week. Diamond collaborated on and endorses the show himself, built around "Sweet Caroline," "America," and the rest of his catalog.
Miami Beach
Art Basel Miami Beach & Miami Art Week
Over 250 galleries fill the Miami Beach Convention Center, December 2–6, with VIP previews starting December 2 and public days December 4–6. Satellite fairs — NADA, Untitled Art, Design Miami, Scope — run alongside it across Wynwood and the Design District.
Miami Beach
Untitled Art Miami Beach
Untitled Art runs a beachfront tent at Ocean Drive and 12th Street, December 2–6, showing a mid-size roster of galleries alongside Art Basel's bigger convention-center footprint. It's the fair most people mean when they say they want "the art fair on the sand" rather than the main one.
The nine best events in Miami in December 2026
Downtown
The Neil Diamond Musical
Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is the uplifting, true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, showstopping American rock icon.
More info → Miami Beach
Untitled Art Miami Beach
Untitled Art runs a beachfront tent at Ocean Drive and 12th Street, December 2–6, showing a mid-size roster of galleries alongside Art Basel's bigger convention-center footprint. It's the fair most people mean when they say they want "the art fair on the sand" rather than the main one.
More info →Every Miami event in December 2026
Every event this month, by kind. Dates run down each column.
Concerts in Miami in December 2026
3Usher and Chris Brown
More info →Mr. Pauer & Friends Free
Celebrate the holidays with Electrópico Pioneer Mr. Pauer & Friends at North Beach Social, the Bandshell's free monthly community music series.
More info →Culture and community in December 2026
21Luminosa
More info →Art Basel Miami Beach & Miami Art Week
More info →The Science Behind Pixar at Frost Science
Step behind the scenes of some of Pixar’s most beloved films and discover the science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
More info →Miami Worldcenter Night Market Free
Miami's new Friday night market: 40+ local vendors, live music, and string lights on Miami Worldcenter's promenade.
More info →Smorgasburg South Florida Free
Smorgasburg South Florida returns to Flagler Village (536 NE 2nd Ave, Fort Lauderdale) on Saturdays from October 17, 1–10 PM. Free admission.
Peacock Ramen Residency at Stormy Monday
Peacock Ramen takes up residency at Stormy Monday (820 Alton Road, Miami Beach) every other Sunday — Oct 11, Oct 25, Nov 8, Nov 22, Dec 6 and Dec 20.
Miami Worldcenter Night Market Free
Miami's new Friday night market: 40+ local vendors, live music, and string lights on Miami Worldcenter's promenade.
More info →Smorgasburg South Florida Free
Smorgasburg South Florida returns to Flagler Village (536 NE 2nd Ave, Fort Lauderdale) on Saturdays from October 17, 1–10 PM. Free admission.
PAMM Free Second Saturdays Free
Free admission and family art-making all day at Pérez Art Museum Miami.
Wynwood Art Walk Free
More info →America Business Forum Miami
More info →Third Thursdays at The Bass Free
The most interesting night out: poetry, storytelling, local history, community conversations, and one-night-only installations.
More info →Lincoln Road Art Walk Free
Miami Worldcenter Night Market Free
Miami's new Friday night market: 40+ local vendors, live music, and string lights on Miami Worldcenter's promenade.
More info →Viernes Culturales Free
Free monthly celebration of Calle Ocho's art, food, and music on the third Friday.
More info →Smorgasburg South Florida Free
Smorgasburg South Florida returns to Flagler Village (536 NE 2nd Ave, Fort Lauderdale) on Saturdays from October 17, 1–10 PM. Free admission.
Peacock Ramen Residency at Stormy Monday
Peacock Ramen takes up residency at Stormy Monday (820 Alton Road, Miami Beach) every other Sunday — Oct 11, Oct 25, Nov 8, Nov 22, Dec 6 and Dec 20.
Miami Worldcenter Night Market Free
Miami's new Friday night market: 40+ local vendors, live music, and string lights on Miami Worldcenter's promenade.
More info →Smorgasburg South Florida Free
Smorgasburg South Florida returns to Flagler Village (536 NE 2nd Ave, Fort Lauderdale) on Saturdays from October 17, 1–10 PM. Free admission.
Epic Talks with Melitsa Waage
More info →Miami sports events in December 2026
3Pro Padel League Miami
The league’s leading teams and world-class players will compete across four days of high-stakes professional padel for the men’s and women’s championships.
More info →Chicago Bears at Miami Dolphins
Tickets → AffiliateLos Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins
Tickets → AffiliateAlso on
More things to do in Miami in December 2026
Smaller, stranger, and mostly free.
Miami Guide Insider
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Always worth doing
Things to do in Miami any day in December
Best types of events in Miami this October
- Free: New Year’s Eve fireworks (Bayfront Park), Art Basel gallery openings, Wynwood Art Walk
- Family: A Very Merry Garden at Fairchild, Christmas Wonderland, Christmas Day at the zoo
- Cultural: Art Basel Miami Beach, Untitled Art, NADA, Design Miami, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical
- Nightlife: Art Week parties, holiday pop-up bars, NYE across South Beach and Brickell
- Sports: Miami Dolphins (Dec 13, Dec 27), Miami Heat, Miami Hurricanes basketball
- Food: Christmas Day dining, Art Week dinners, NYE prix-fixe menus
Miami weather in December 2026
December is deep into Miami’s dry season, with average highs around 78°F and lows around 65°F, dropping into the low 60s on the occasional cold front late in the month. Rain is rare and days are consistently sunny, making it one of the most reliable months for outdoor events, good news given how much of December happens outside, from Art Basel and Untitled’s beachfront tents to New Year’s Eve fireworks on the water.
FAQ
Miami events in December 2026: FAQ
What events are happening in Miami in December 2026?
Art Basel Miami Beach and Untitled Art anchor Miami Art Week, December 2–6, the same week the Arsht Center hosts A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, December 1–6. Fairchild's holiday garden opens December 1, and the Dolphins close their home schedule with games on the 13th and 27th. Christmas Day and New Year's Eve bracket the back half of the month.
When is Art Basel Miami Beach 2026, and how is Untitled Art different?
Art Basel's VIP previews run December 2–3, with public days December 4–6 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Untitled Art runs the same window, December 2–6, in a beachfront tent at Ocean Drive and 12th Street, a smaller, sand-level counterpart to Art Basel's convention-center scale.
What's the weather like in Miami in December?
The heart of dry season: average highs around 78°F, lows around 65°F, and rain is rare. Occasional cold fronts can push lows into the upper 50s late in the month.
Is Christmas Wonderland open in December 2026?
Yes, it typically opens mid-November and runs through the first weekend of January at Tropical Park.
Where can I watch New Year's Eve fireworks in Miami?
Bayfront Park, Brickell, and South Beach all run fireworks displays at midnight; Fairchild Garden runs an earlier 9 p.m. show as part of NightGarden.
What's playing on Broadway in Miami this December?
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical runs the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht Center, December 1–6, the same week as Art Basel.
Next up
January in Miami
King Mango Strut kicks off the new year in Coconut Grove and the Orange Bowl returns to Hard Rock Stadium — see what January brings next.