12 Things to Do in Miami in December

Miami in December is characterised by its pleasant warm weather, making it possible to enjoy all kinds of water and outdoor activities. It's an ideal destination for having fun and escaping the cold weather in your city.

What's more, with the start of the Christmas season, you'll find a variety of activities to enjoy with your family, such as attending the Christmas tree lighting at City Hall, taking a trip to nearby nature areas, enjoying art exhibitions, or going shopping, among other things.

Miami's warm weather in December allows you to enjoy any water activity or sail the waters of its coast in a yacht, boat, motorboat or even a banana boat. Here are some of the most popular activities:

• Book a speedboat ride, from £35
• Book a kayak tour of North Miami Beach, from £55
• Book a catamaran cruise with jet skis, from £144
• Book a private boat trip, from £117
• Book a yacht trip, from £80

As you can see, there are options for all tastes and ages, and a wide variety of schedules so you can fit it into your holiday plans. Which one do you prefer?

Practical information

• Location: The departure point is usually Bayside Marketplace.
• Schedule: There are various schedules to suit all tastes.

In December, after dark, the streets of Miami are lit up with Christmas lights and seasonal decorations, offering a vibrant view that every tourist should enjoy during their visit this month. All you have to do is hop on one of Miami's tourist buses and visit the city accompanied by a guide.

If you book the Miami tourist bus, you should know that the tour lasts 90 minutes, during which you will be seated comfortably. Meanwhile, you will listen to the commentary of the guide, who will teach you a little about the history of the city, its main streets and buildings.

You will travel throughout downtown Miami and visit the famous Brickell and Ocean Drive avenues . The bus will also take you to the Brickell financial district and cross the well-known Key Biscayne Bridge, from which you will catch a glimpse of the city skyline.

Practical information

• Location: These tours usually start in front of the Bayside Marketplace shopping centre at 401 Biscayne Boulevard, although this may vary.
• Timetable: The tour starts at 8 p.m. and ends between 9 and 9.30 p.m.

If you love shopping and are in Miami during December, you should take advantage of discounts of up to 70%. Stroll through the city's various shopping centres and be amazed by all the products on sale.

As the month progresses, you'll find even better prices. So, it's best to start browsing the shops after Christmas Eve. That's when the most tempting offers start to appear.

Without a doubt, shopping during your trip is an activity you should add to your list of things to see and do in Miami in a week.

And if you want to enjoy your trip to the fullest, don't hesitate to book your ticket for the Miami Heat. Going to an NBA game is something you have to experience at least once in your life if you travel to the United States.

Choose your seat carefully and arrive early on game day to soak up the atmosphere, buy some souvenirs, feel the music, and don't miss a single detail of the cheerleaders' dances and the players' entrance onto the court.

When planning your schedule, keep in mind that an NBA game is divided into four quarters and lasts a total of 48 minutes, but between timeouts and halftime, it can take up to two hours.

If you want to get the best views of the city of Miami, don't hesitate to book a helicopter tour, where you'll have the opportunity to take the best photos of celebrity mansions, Williams Island and Indian Creek.

What's more, if you want to surprise that special someone, you can choose to book a private champagne tour of Miami by plane. The private experience costs approximately €286.

If you are in Miami on 15 December, you should take a trip to Fort Lauderdale in the state of Florida, where the Winterfest Boat Parade is held annually. It is a Christmas-themed boat parade, considered a traditional activity, which brings together locals and tourists from all over the state of Florida.

You can get to Fort Lauderdale through the best tours and excursions from Miami. You also have the option of driving yourself or taking a taxi, which takes a maximum of 40 minutes, while by bus or train it takes an hour. Once there, you can book your water taxi pass.

In downtown Fort Lauderdale, starting at 6 p.m., you can enjoy a display of amazing boats and yachts, moving one after another. All of them are fully decorated and illuminated to attract even more attention from spectators. In addition, if you pay an entrance fee starting at $35, you will have the opportunity to go inside some of the boats and enjoy delicious cocktails.

Practical information

• Location: The boat parade takes place in Fort Lauderdale, Miami County.
• Time: This event starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m.

If you arrive in Miami during the first few days of December, you can't miss Art Basel Miami. It is one of the most comprehensive contemporary art exhibitions, bringing together the works of approximately 4,000 artists from 35 countries around the world each year .

To enjoy this international art exhibition, simply visit the Miami Beach Convention Centre. There, during the first few days of the month, you can take your time exploring the 250 galleries that make up Art Basel Miami and appreciate the strokes, colours and concepts used by each artist.

During the tour, you will be enveloped in a magical atmosphere: the works on the walls, soft background music appropriate for the occasion, and the presence of hundreds of people who, like you, are ready to have a good time in the company of art. And if you are left wanting to delve deeper into art, book an Art Deco tour in Miami.

Practical information

• Location: The event is usually held at the Miami Beach Convention Centre.
• Time: Activities usually begin around 11 a.m. and end between 6 and 7 p.m. In any case, it is advisable to check both the dates and times on the event's website.

Since December 2015, Miami has been hosting Art Gaydel, an art exhibition fully identified with the LGBTQIA+ community, where you can appreciate the works of approximately 30 local and international artists.

If you are in Miami during the first week of December, you can head to the Gaythering Hotel located on Lincoln Road. You will enjoy innovative artistic proposals inspired by the queer world, collages, paintings, photography, among others.

During your visit to Art Gaydel, you will tour 23 rooms of the hotel. All of them have been previously conditioned by the art exhibitors themselves to look like small galleries and workshops. You will also notice an exquisite musical atmosphere that will allow you to connect with each of the works.

Practical information

• Location: This event is usually held at the Gaythering Hotel on Lincoln Road.
• Hours: The Gaydel galleries are open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

If you've decided to spend the last day of the year in Miami and want to have a great time, you'll have nothing to worry about, as the city has a wide variety of options for you . You can celebrate New Year's Eve until dawn at a huge party, go on a cruise or spend it with your family.

Things to do on New Year's Eve

Prices for New Year's Eve parties tend to vary depending on the type of celebration:

• For less than £100, you can enjoy famous international DJs until the early hours of 1 January. For example, on 7th and 9th Streets in Miami Beach, you'll find an outdoor party, stages for artists to perform, food stalls and alcoholic drinks.
• With a budget of £200 or more, you'll have the opportunity to join a cruise with dinner, happy hour, live DJ and return at 3 a.m. If you want to enjoy this activity, you can go to the Hyatt Regency right in the Brickell district or at the Port of Miami.
• If you're interested in celebrating with your family at an amusement park, you'll need at least £100 per person. So, if you're looking for a family plan to ring in the new year but don't know what to see and do in Miami at night, you can head to Santa's Enchanted Forest Park.

Street celebration

• Location: This event takes place on 7th and 9th Streets in Miami Beach.
• Time: The celebration begins on 30 December after 6 p.m. and ends in the early hours of 1 January.

Celebration on a cruise ship

• Location: The event takes place at the Hyatt Regency in the Brickell district or at the Port of Miami.
• Time: You can board the cruise ship at 9 p.m. and disembark at 3 a.m.

Family celebration

• Location: The activity takes place at Santa's Enchanted Forest Park, located at 3100 East 4th Avenue in Miami.
• Time: The park is open from 5 p.m. until midnight.

Every first Saturday in December, Miami welcomes Christmas with a public event that has become the most important event of the season. It involves the lighting of the city's Christmas tree, installed in City Hall Square. Join in this celebration and enjoy an atmosphere full of joy, sounds and colour.

What's more, if you're on holiday with the little ones, you'll have the opportunity to give them a fun time they'll never forget. They'll be able to see Santa Claus and even have their photo taken with him. So, don't think twice about what to do in Miami with children and head to the aforementioned square from 6 pm onwards.

When you arrive at City Hall, you'll have to wait with the crowd for a few minutes until the lighting ceremony begins. You'll be dazzled by the impressive Christmas tree, which has been covered with hundreds of lights and beautiful decorations. The celebration then continues with a parade.

Practical information

• Location: This event is usually held at Miami City Hall.
• Time: You can arrive from 6 p.m. onwards, and the lighting ceremony and parade will take place between 7 and 8 p.m.

December is usually a hot season in the coastal city of Miami, so seeing natural snowfall is completely impossible. However, every year, some shopping centres, such as CocoWalk, take the initiative to place artificial snow on the surrounding streets. This way, both children and adults can have fun all afternoon.

Don't miss the opportunity to take photos and, if you are travelling with your children, make fun snowmen. To do so, just visit on Saturdays in December.

You can also take advantage of your visit to Coconut Grove to stroll through its tree-lined streets, discover its historic parks, sample its cuisine, and visit its famous cafés and shops. These are definitely activities you should add to your list of 10 things to see and do in Miami at Christmas.

Practical information

• Location: This activity takes place at the CocoWalk shopping centre in the Coconut Grove neighbourhood.
• Hours: You can enjoy an afternoon of artificial snow every Saturday in December from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

For more than 30 years, the streets of Coconut Grove in Miami have been filled with colour thanks to the most entertaining and satirical parade of all. This is the King Mango Strut, which takes place annually during the last week of December and brings together hundreds of people of all ages.

To get to the historic neighbourhood of Coconut Grove, you will need to take a bus, which can take up to two hours, depending on where you are in the city. It may seem like a long time, but from the moment you get off the bus, you will know that the trip was worth it.

During the parade , you will see a great display of creativity that will quickly bring a smile to your face. Marching in front of you will be people whose costumes are designed to draw attention to environmental damage, inflation, animal abuse by pharmaceutical companies and other laboratories, among other issues.

Practical information

• Location: The annual King Mango Strut parade takes place in the Coconut Grove neighbourhood.
• Time: This parade starts at 2 p.m. and lasts until approximately 6 p.m.

Miami in December usually has pleasant warm weather, with little rain, low humidity and moderate winds. Temperatures in December reach only 24 °C, which is the sunniest time of day. At night , temperatures usually do not fall below 17 °C, so you will enjoy a fairly cool atmosphere during your nightlife.

For these reasons, if you are escaping the winter cold, you will find this city to be the best option for spending your holidays during the last month of the year and enjoying everything there is to see and do in Miami. You can show off your swimsuit on the beach or walk the streets in light mid-season clothing.

However, it is best to check the weather forecast before travelling through a specialised weather website.

If you go to Miami in December , you should be prepared for large crowds, as this month is high season. Therefore, when you go to the beach, walk through the streets, go into a café, attend an event or visit any of the attractions available, you will encounter large numbers of tourists.

Due to the large number of people in Miami during December, you will need to make some arrangements regarding accommodation. You should make your reservations days in advance at the hotel of your choice to avoid any inconveniences. Also, check your itinerary of activities and see which ones require reservations.