The Christmas spirit in Miami is one of a kind, combining the classic holiday spirit with the tropics. On snowy evenings, Miami makes up for it with celebratory events and boulevards dotted with palm trees. Among the many highlights is the vibrant Miami production of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker,” a beloved Christmas ballet known for its Art Deco costumes and settings. At the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, you can have a North Pole Breakfast that includes elf arts and crafts, storytelling, and a Santa wishlist station. Lighted boat parades, festive drinks, and tours of illuminated gardens perfect for the whole family are part of Miami’s Christmas mood.
See also: Christmas in America
Christmas Traditions in Miami
Below is a rundown of some of Miami’s most distinctive holiday customs. Each of these customs makes Christmas in Miami that much more memorable.
Tinsel-Covered Palm Trees
As part of this one-of-a-kind custom, the palm trees of the city are decorated with tinsel, which brings a special air to the tropical scenery. These trees create a mood that is distinctively Miami, especially when seen in conjunction with the South Beach lifeguard towers with sparkly garlands. Even though it won’t be a white Christmas, these palms decked up in tinsel will make you feel as welcome as the Miami sun.
Snowmen Made of Sand
Throughout the history of recorded weather data, Miami has never formally reported snowfall accumulation. The classic snowman gets a tropical twist in Miami. The natives construct their festive figures out of sand instead of snow. Like tinsel-covered palm trees and garland-wrapped lifeguard towers, the sand snowmen add to Miami’s unorthodox Christmas vibe.
The Nutcracker
One of Miami’s most beloved Christmas traditions is George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Despite Miami’s tropical environment, the Miami City dance brings a winter city to life with this elaborate dance. With lively Tchaikovsky music, staging, and a hundred dancers, this is sure to be worth seeing. This is an annual family tradition and Miami’s capacity to provide its own special brand of Christmas cheer is impressive.
Noche Buena
Good Night, or Noche Buena, is the most important holiday in Hispanic cultures. It occurs on Christmas Eve. More rural relatives still use traditional methods, such as roasting the pig outside in a “caja China” (to roast a pig in a box), while their city cousins either purchase the pig already roasted or use their ovens to cook hog butt from the grocery store.
Spiked Coquitos and Stiff Eggnog
The Christmas season in Miami is complete with spiked coquito and stiff eggnog, two tropical staples. Using rum, coconut cream, condensed milk, egg yolks, and cinnamon, the Puerto Rican Spiked Coquito is a beverage that is compared to eggnog. Another popular choice is stiff eggnog, which is served with a significant amount of alcohol.
North Pole Breakfast
At the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, you can enjoy a North Pole Breakfast that has a Santa wishlist station, storytelling, arts and crafts with elves, and more. Among the many breakfast highlights are the freshly baked Christmas pastries, an artisanal doughnut wall, and a hot chocolate bar.
Caroling on a Boat
One of the distinctive Christmas traditions in Miami is boat caroling, which celebrates the city’s nautical background. Rather than going door-to-door, Miamians take to the canals in Christmas boats, belting out Christmas songs. As it makes its way around the Intracoastal Waterways, this boat parade showcases sailboats, megayachts, and other vessels with thousands of lights. This custom is a new level of fun for Christmas caroling.
Christmas Foods in Miami
Everything from gingerbread ice cream to alcoholic nibbles is available in the Magic City over the holidays. Miamians celebrate this day with a combination of traditional sweets and specialties:
- Noche Buena Feasts: On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, you may find traditional Noche Buena feasts served at Miami’s Cuban eateries.
- Feast of the Seven Dishes: Patate fritte, pasta al limone, and short rib bolognese are the dishes served at Luca Osteria’s “Feast of the Seven Dishes” Christmas feast.
- Coquito Bites: With the addition of crunchy coquito bits, Dos Croquetas elevates your beloved Christmas drink. Then, cinnamon sugar and coconut flakes are sprinkled on top, and then Bacardi rum, coconut cream, and condensed milk are combined together.
- Holiday Cookies: Pumpkin cheesecake, sesame-tahini shortbread, triple chocolate chip, pecan blondie, fudge, Miami Milano, and Christmas Dunkaroo are the Christmas cookies available in the city.
- Edible Ornaments: Some Miamian shops make your Christmas decorating fantasies come true with delectable decorations. Some of these ornaments are made with 60% dark Venezuelan chocolate and decorated by hand.
Places to Visit in Miami at Christmas
With so many Christmas-themed activities and attractions, Miami is the spot to spend the holiday season. The most popular top Christmas activities in Miami include:
- Santa’s Enchanted Forest
- Winterfest Boat Parade
- Deering Estate
- Bayfront Park
- Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
- George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
- North Pole Breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove
- Mistletoe & Martinis at the Deering Estate
- Zoo Lights at Zoo Miami
- Christmas Lights at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
- Ice Skating at the InterContinental Miami
- Christmas Day Bar Crawl
- Christmas dinner at various restaurants in Miami
History of Christmas in Miami
Miami has a long history of winter traditions, including sleds placed on grass, lights around palm trees, and reindeer perched on snowless roofs. Traditionally, the city’s central business district was decorated like a winter town in shirt sleeves.
On the route from Hialeah to Miami Shores, participants competed with nativity scenes and plastic snowmen. The U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory near Broward International Airport had a Christmas display, and the castle in Hialeah Triangle Park was also decorated. Chairs were scattered around the grounds for anyone who wanted to remain for the Christmas concert on the nights of December 21, 22, and 23.
For more than 37 years, visitors to the southern Florida area have celebrated the holidays at Santa’s Enchanted Forest, a Christmas theme park near Miami. The Deering Estate’s Stone House has also recently become a popular place to decorate for the holidays in a style reminiscent of the early 20th-century jazz and cinema periods.
Having said that, Christmases aren’t always filled with pleasant weather. The 1983 Christmas cold wave caused mishaps and fires caused by space heaters and stoves in Florida. No matter how chilly it gets, Miami still throws a one-of-a-kind Christmas party.