Every October, Miami officially welcomes stone crab season with one of its most anticipated culinary traditions: the South Beach Seafood Festival.

Returning October 21 through October 24, 2026, the four-day festival goes far beyond the typical food-festival formula. Instead, the week brings together some of South Florida's most recognized chefs, restaurants, and hospitality names for a series of distinct experiences ranging from intimate collaborative dinners to an all-out beachfront seafood celebration.

The festival also supports the EAT SMART program, which provides healthy meals and nutritional guidance to Florida youth.

Here's what to know about each event and how to plan your South Beach Seafood Festival week.

Wednesday, October 21: Made in Miami

7 p.m. | Phuc Yea | $235 per person | Tickets Here

The festival kicks off away from the sand with Made in Miami, a one-night-only collaborative dinner celebrating the chefs and flavors that define the 305.

Hosted at Phuc Yea by Chef Cesar Zapata, Chef Jose Mendin, and GOYA Chef Fernando Desa, the four-course pairing dinner brings together a lineup of Miami culinary talent that also includes chefs Mike Beltran, Eileen Andrade, and Eduardo Lara.

Rather than a traditional chef's dinner, Made in Miami is designed as a celebration of the city's culinary personality: bold flavors, creative collaborations, and plenty of surprises. The evening promises a four-course taste of Miami, paired beverages, and entertainment that continues after dessert.

For diners who prefer their festivals seated, plated, and chef-driven, this is the week's most intimate opening act.

Phuc Yea
7100 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

Thursday, October 22: An Evening in Miami Beach

7 p.m. | Rao's Miami Beach and Macchialina | Tickets Here

Thursday shifts the focus to two of Miami Beach's most beloved Italian dining rooms for An Evening in Miami Beach, a pair of highly curated multi-course dinners built around food and beverage pairings.

Each restaurant hosts its own experience, giving guests two very different ways to spend the evening.

Rao's Miami Beach

$500 per person

With only 40 seats available, Rao's offers the week's most exclusive dinner.

The evening features a multi-course Italian menu rooted in the legendary Rao's tradition, paired throughout with selections from Glenfiddich. Expect a meeting of old-school Italian-American hospitality and polished Scotch pairings, all served within an intimate private-room setting.

For anyone who has ever tried to score a table at Rao's, this may be one of the festival's most compelling splurges.

Rao's Miami Beach
1601 Collins Ave., Miami Beach

Macchialina

$250 per person

At South Beach favorite Macchialina, Chef Michael Pirolo will create an exclusive four-course dinner highlighting the restaurant's rustic yet refined approach to Italian cooking.

Each course will be paired with premium Jack Daniel's cocktails and selections from Macchialina's award-winning wine program, offering a more intimate neighborhood feel without sacrificing the sense of occasion.

Macchialina
810 Alton Rd., Miami Beach

Friday, October 23: VIP Chef Showdown

7 p.m. | Lummus Park | $175 VIP Admission | Tickets Here

Friday night is where the festival's competitive side takes over.

The VIP Chef Showdown transforms Lummus Park into a beachfront culinary arena, bringing together 20 chefs for 10 head-to-head battles spanning categories including tacos, crab, sushi, surf and turf, salmon, shrimp, ceviche, seafood pasta, tuna, and the Ultimate Champions Surf & Turf Battle.

Before chefs take the stage, guests can make their way through 20 restaurant battle stations to taste each competition dish and vote for their favorites. Those votes matter: alongside a panel of culinary and media judges, guests help determine the night's champions.

The $175 ticket is all-inclusive, covering the competition tastings as well as full bars and beverage activations featuring brands including Tequila Herradura, Jack Daniel's, Hendrick's Gin, Pacifico, and more.

The evening also includes bartender competitions, additional seafood bites, brand activations, and music from DJ PaulE on the Jack Daniel's Live Stage.

Think less formal cooking competition and more chef showdown meets Miami beach party.

Lummus Park
1130 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach

Saturday, October 24: Seafood Slam

1 p.m. | Lummus Park | $160 All Access | Tickets Here

The festival culminates Saturday afternoon with its biggest event: the Seafood Slam, Best of the Fest.

If Friday night is about chef-versus-chef competition, Saturday shifts the spotlight to South Florida's restaurants.

Guests can sample dishes from an expected 40 to 50 hand-selected restaurants from across South Florida, with each participating team competing to earn the title of Best of the Fest.

And once again, attendees aren't simply spectators—they're the judges.

The all-inclusive ticket grants access to restaurant tastings, cocktail stations, wine and spirits sampling, interactive brand experiences, live music, DJs, culinary programming, and the festival's signature beachfront atmosphere.

Expect everything from shellfish and ceviche to creative fish dishes, tacos, sushi, lobster, and other seafood-driven bites from some of the region's most recognized kitchens.

Unlike a traditional tasting festival built around tiny samples, the South Beach Seafood Festival has long positioned itself as an eating festival, giving restaurants room to showcase dishes that feel substantial enough to make the afternoon a meal.

Guests can also visit the Premium Stone Crab Pavilion, where fresh stone crabs will be available for purchase at festival-friendly pricing. It's a fitting finale for a festival built around the unofficial start of South Florida's stone crab season.

Saturday also brings culinary demonstrations, beverage experiences, live entertainment, beach clubs, DJs, and a college football watch party, turning the final day into as much a Miami Beach celebration as a food festival.

Lummus Park
1130 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach

More Than a Seafood Festival

What makes the South Beach Seafood Festival stand out is the way the week changes shape from night to night.

Wednesday is intimate and chef-driven. Thursday is built around luxurious restaurant pairings. Friday brings competition and nightlife to the beach. And Saturday turns Lummus Park into an all-day seafood playground.

Across four days, diners can experience some of South Florida's leading culinary talent without committing to a single style of event.

Add beachfront views, live music, cocktails, stone crab season, and Miami's particular talent for turning dinner into a celebration, and the South Beach Seafood Festival remains one of the city's most distinctive ways to kick off fall dining season.