The South Beach Seafood Festival is always a fun one, and this year’s lineup has a few of our favorites in it. The festival returns October 21–24 for its 14th year, with dinners at some our favorites like Phuc Yea and Macchialina, chef battles, and unlimited seafood tastings and drinks on the sand.
Erin once called Matt a fisherman, which was a fantastic title for him considering he doesn’t love seafood. For those of us who do, there’s plenty to get excited about here — you can make a night of one of the chef dinners or spend the weekend eating your way through Lummus Park with a drink in hand.
First up is Made in Miami on Wednesday, October 21, at Phuc Yea, another favorite of ours. Cesar Zapata, José Mendin, and GOYA’s Fernando Desa are hosting, with Eileen Andrade, Michael Beltran, Eduardo Lara, and Max Santiago joining them. We love Mendin and Andrade, so getting to eat their food at the same dinner is a big part of the appeal for us.
And the menu has plenty to get excited about: Think oysters al pastor with charred pineapple mignonette, Andrade’s key lime shrimp aguachile, and Zapata’s grilled Florida fish with green curry and cashew chili crunch. Santiago is handling dessert, natch, with guava con queso doughnuts coated in crushed Maria cookies. The five-course dinner includes Herradura beverage pairings and surprise entertainment after dessert. Tickets are $235, and dinner starts at 7 p.m.
Thursday, October 22, is An Evening in Miami Beach, with separate dinners at Macchialina and Rao’s, both starting at 7 p.m. Macchialina is one of our favorites, and Michael Pirolo’s Italian food is an easy sell around here. He’s serving a four-course menu with cocktail pairings for $250, including tuna crudo with Italian chili crisp, a seafood stew with mussels, shrimp, branzino, and scallops, and spaghetti alla peperonata. Over at Rao’s, the $500 dinner has only 40 seats, with dishes including baked clams, shrimp fra diavolo, and red snapper with lemon and fennel. Wines are available by the glass.
Then on Friday, October 23, the chefs get competitive. The VIP Chef Showdown takes over Lummus Park from 7–11 p.m., with head-to-head seafood battles and guests tasting the dishes and voting for their favorites. Expect categories like crab, sushi, shrimp, ceviche, and seafood pasta, plus live cooking battles onstage. Bartenders have their own competitions, too, including a mystery-ingredient challenge for the Herradura finalists. The $175 ticket includes unlimited seafood bites and drinks, with a DJ and the Hendrick’s Gin Garden Party.
Saturday’s Seafood Slam is the big daytime beach party, from 1–5 p.m. on October 24. More than 40 restaurants will serve tastings at Lummus Park, and your $160 ticket includes food, drinks, live music, and a vote for Best of the Fest. There are also chef demos, an oyster-shucking competition, and a home-chef competition if you want to watch someone else cook between rounds of eating.
One detail for the stone crab crowd: claws from the festival’s stone crab pavilion cost extra. They’re available at special festival pricing, but they aren’t part of the all-inclusive ticket. Saturday is open to all ages, so this is also an option if you want to bring the family.
For anyone who wants to do both beach events, the $275 weekend pass includes Friday’s Chef Showdown and Saturday’s Seafood Slam. That saves $60 compared with buying the two tickets separately, before taxes and fees. Wear shoes you can walk in on sand. I’d save the heels for the dinners.
The festival also supports CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program, which provides healthy meals and nutrition education to local youth.
The South Beach Seafood Festival takes place October 21–24, 2026. Prices listed exclude taxes and processing fees. Browse the events and purchase tickets here.