South Florida’s highly anticipated South Beach Seafood Festival is back for its 11th year from Wednesday, October 18th through Saturday, October 21st, ready to once again bring together seafood enthusiasts, top-notch culinary talent, and the vibrant spirit of Miami’s beachfront community. Scheduled at the start of Miami’s famed stone crab season, this highly anticipated event promises an unforgettable experience for foodies and fun seekers alike, with a celebration that is gearing up to be the best yet. With four days of special programming, including popular live musical guests, endless tastings, chef competitions, cooking demonstrations and more, this year’s festival will raise the bar for one of the country’s leading seafood events. Hosted with the support of the Miami-Dade County
Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, the four-day festival is a curated culinary showcase that couples South Florida’s bounty of seafood with the region’s most notable chefs and restaurants. Tickets to the 11th Annual South Beach Seafood Festival are now available at sobeseafoodfest.com.
Set against the stunning backdrop of the electric energy of the city’s colorful Art Deco district, the South Beach Seafood Festival consists of four separate ticketed events taking place throughout the week. The festival begins on Wednesday, October 18th with “An Evening at Joe’s Stone Crab.” The five-course meal, hosted by Jack Daniels Single Barrel, showcases Executive Chef Andre Bienvenu’s cuisine paired with fine wines curated by master sommeliers. Next up, “Crabs, Slabs & Cabs,” takes place the following evening at the historic Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel. This year’s event has been reimagined as a formal sit-down, five-course dinner highlighting an international take on traditional ‘Surf n’ Turf’ interpreted by five of the Magic City’s leading chefs who join the evening’s host, GOYA Foods’ Executive Chef Fernando Desa. On Friday evening, the gloves will come off as 20 of Miami’s top chefs, go head-to-head in ten competitive seafood rounds during the annually sold-out “Chef Showdown,” coined the ultimate beach bash on South Beach. On hand competing at the event will be last year’s 10 winning chefs who will return to claim the culinary crown at the festival. The excitement building up during the series of nightly events will reach a stirring culmination at the week’s main celebration, the “South Beach Seafood Festival.” The all-day affair takes place on Saturday, October 21st and showcases a selection of pop-up-cafés by prominent South Florida restaurants. In addition to the exceptional culinary offerings, the festival will feature live music performances, engaging culinary demonstrations and interactive sponsor activations. Attendees can also sip on refreshing beverages at various bars stationed throughout the festival grounds.
“The South Beach Seafood Festival has become an integral part of Miami’s cultural calendar, drawing locals and visitors from around the world to celebrate the city’s unique culinary landscape and laid-back beach culture,” said Valerie Roy, Director of Marketing and Client Strategy at CI Management, the team behind the South Beach Seafood Festival. “This year’s event promises to be the most memorable edition yet, offering an unparalleled seafood experience that will tantalize taste buds, ignite the senses, and create lasting memories.”
Touted in previous years by USA TODAY as one of the “Top 5 Specialty Festivals in The Country;” by Forbes as the “Top 5 Things to Do This Fall;” and by the Travel Channel as the “Best Seafood Festival in the US,”, the South Beach Seafood Festival is the place to be for ultimate ‘sea foodies’ from near and far. In addition to celebrating regional culinary talent, the festival annually supports CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program, a 501 ©(3) nonprofit program that provides healthy meals and nutritional guidance to the local community and Florida’s youth through programs in Miami-Dade County public schools.
11th Annual South Beach Seafood Festival Event Schedule:
DAY 1: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18 – AN EVENING AT JOE’S STONE CRAB
A ticket to “An Evening at Joe’s” reserves a seat in ‘Jesse’s Room’, the original setting in which greats like Al Capone and Frank Sinatra cracked claws. Guests will travel back in time with Joe’s Stone Crab’s General Manager, Brian Johnson, basking in the iconic history of the country’s top-grossing restaurant, while learning to crack the perfect claw and enjoying the world’s freshest stone crab catch. The evening consists of a five-course meal showcasing Executive Chef Andre Bienvenu’s cuisine paired with fine wines curated by master sommeliers. Tickets to the highly exclusive event are available for $500.
Tickets: $500
Where: Joe’s Stone Crab; 11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, FL
DAY 2: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19 – CRABS, SLABS, & CABS
Taking place at the High Tide beach club at Miami’s iconic Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel, “Crabs, Slabs, & Cabs” is a formal sit-down, five-course dinner and a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience in a tropical oasis set for the ultimate seafood extraordinaire. Some of Miami’s finest chefs will join forces with GOYA’s Executive Chef, Fernando Desa, to create their own unique international take on the traditional ‘surf n’ turf’ dish. Limited to 150 guests, attendees will explore flavors from around the world as each chef presents a different course showcasing their own delicious interpretation of the delicious surf n turf pairing.
Tickets: $250 per person*; Tickets will be on sale beginning July 1st with a special launch promotion.
Where: Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel; 1717 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL
DAY 3: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 – CHEF SHOWDOWN
Join Miami’s top chefs for an evening of competitive culinary cook-offs where attendees will serve as the judges as they indulge in endless seafood dishes and refreshing cocktails. “Chef Showdown”, brought to you by Herradura Tequila and presented by GOYA in the Culinary Pavilion of the Baptist Health Hospitality Village, will guide guests through the absolute best of Miami’s culinary scene where 20 chefs—including last year’s champions—will battle it out head-to-head in ten unique seafood showdowns. Chefs will host ‘battle pavilions’ where guests will sample and vote for their favorites. Throughout the night, chefs from each battle will take the main stage to put on a show in their live demos as representatives from the culinary industry, including media, will serve as the final judges to award the best in each showdown. Previous years have seen chefs featured with Mariachi bands, LED Robots, Acrobats, Miami Heat dancers, and more as they wow the crowd with their restaurant’s traditions as they prepare their dishes on stage. Each battle will have one lucky champ.
Tickets: $160 per person*
Where: Lummus Park; 1130 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL
DAY 4: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 – SOUTH BEACH SEAFOOD FESTIVAL
The main event, brought to you by Jack Daniels, presented by Cheers, FL and Goya Foods, and hosted by the City of Miami Beach and official bank partner City National Bank, spans four blocks on the sands of South Beach and will feature a selection of curated pop-up cafés created by some of Miami’s finest seafood restaurants. In addition to an assortment of restaurant pop-ups and complimentary all-day open bars for all ticketed guests at the general admission and VIP admission level, the beachfront festival will also include live music stages, interactive sponsor experiences, beach games, and much more. In past years, pop-ups included cafés from Joe’s Stone Crab, RED South Beach, The Lobster SHACK, Pubbelly Sushi, Ella’s Oyster Bar, Tacos and Tattoos, Stiltsville Fish Bar, and many more with over 70 menu items to choose from. Attendees will enjoy shareable portions of stone crabs, lobster waffle cones, steak and lobster skewers, ceviche, oysters, shrimp tacos, and shrimp cocktails among others. VIP ticket holders will gain access to a one-and-a-half block private village with exclusive experiences, private samplings, and more set for the ultimate VIP guest.
Tickets: $60* for General Admission; $160* for VIP
Where: Lummus Park; 1400 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL
The iconic South Beach Seafood Festival is hosted in partnership with Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority and brought to you by entitlement sponsor Herradura Tequila; title sponsors Jack Daniel’s, Breakthru Beverage Florida and Finlandia Vodka; and presenting sponsors GOYA Foods, City National Bank, Demesmin & Dover Law Firm, Celebrity Cruises, Leisure Travel Enterprises and the City of Miami Beach. Additional hosting sponsors include Baptist Health, Corona, Coca-Cola Beverages of Florida, Cerveza Pacifico Clara, Oshen Salmon, El Dorado Furniture, Miami-Dade county, Halpern’s, Cadillac, Milams Markets, Piper Heidsieck and Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority. For a list of corporate and media sponsors, please visit sobeseafoodfest.com.
South Beach Seafood Festival’s host hotel for 2023 is the newly revamped Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel, located at 1717 Collins Avenue. Limited Weekend passes are available for $250 per person. Hotel Packages for two with weekend tickets and a festival room are available for $1,100.
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Don’t miss your chance to secure the hottest ticket of Miami’s fall season and join us at the South Beach Seafood Festival, where the ocean’s bounty meets the magic of Miami!
For more information and to purchase tickets to the 11th Annual South Beach Seafood Festival, please visit sobeseafoodfest.com. Follow along on Instagram at @sobeseafoodfest and Facebook @SOBESeafoodFest.
