Miami Beach Celebrates New Year’s Weekend with Fireworks, Free Concerts and a Holiday Festival of Lights

Miami Beach, FL – The City of Miami Beach will host multiple free New Year’s Day weekend celebrations, including free concerts, a holiday festival of lights and two New Year’s Eve firework extravaganzas to ring in 2024. The weekend festivities wrap up with a special New Year’s Day performance by the Miami Beach Classical Musical Festival Orchestra along iconic Ocean Drive.

“Significant planning has gone into this weekend so that our New Year’s Day celebrations will be fun and safe for the entire family,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner. “Ocean Drive will be closed to motor vehicles all weekend long and there will be an enhanced police presence throughout our city.”

Presented by the city and the Ocean Drive Association with the support of local businesses, fireworks will be launched from 10 Street and the beach beginning at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31.

Further north, Orchestra Miami’s String Quartet will be featured at 8 p.m. along the Collins Park beachfront followed by the Latin Divos and a midnight fireworks display. The full orchestra will join the Latin Divos for a 10 p.m. performance prior to the fireworks at 2100 Collins Ave. The orchestra is presented by the city in partnership with the Collins Park Neighborhood Association.

The holiday weekend kicks off on Friday, Dec. 29 and Saturday, Dec. 30 with the free Holiday Festival of Lights outside The Gabriel South Beach at 640 Ocean Drive. Performances are at 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on both nights. Presented by the Miami Beach Classical Music Festival and produced by Artistic Director Michael Rossi, the dazzling event offers a blend of live musical performances and projection mapping displays that will turn some of South Beach’s most iconic building façades into interactive displays with vibrant imagery.

The Miami Beach Classical Music Festival Orchestra will also close out the holiday weekend with a free outdoor concert as part of the Miami Beach OnStage! program. Visitors can bring chairs and blankets to enjoy this family-friendly concert on Monday, Jan. 1 at 5:30 p.m. The event takes place in Lummus Park at 12 Street and Ocean Drive.

Transportation and Parking

The city’s free trolley service will operate an expanded schedule on New Year's Eve into New Year’s Day. Trolleys will run from 8 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31 until 2 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1.

The following municipal parking garages will offer free shuttle services to holiday events at intervals of approximately every 20 minutes (10-minute intervals from the Alton Road and 5 Street location) starting at 4 p.m. on New Year’s Eve through 2 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1:

• Sheridan Avenue and 42 Street (G6).
• 23 Street and Liberty Avenue (G12).
• 17 Street and Convention Center Drive (G5).
• Alton Road and 5 Street (G8).

Parking shuttles will drop off and pick up passengers at Washington Avenue and 11 Street. Parking shuttles for the G8 garage will depart from Lenox Avenue and 6 Street. All city-owned parking garages will be staffed with ambassadors to assist visitors with directions and answer any questions.

The city will charge a $20 flat fee at four South Beach garages beginning on Friday, Dec. 29 at 5 p.m. until Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 6 a.m. with the exception of access card holders. Miami Beach residents paying via ParkMobile will pay a $10 half-price rate. The flat fee will be in effect for the garages at 7 Street and Collins Avenue (G1), 12 Street and Washington Avenue (G2), 13 Street and Collins Avenue (G3) as well as the garage at 16 Street and Collins Avenue (G4).

Additional parking enforcement officers will be assigned to discourage illegal parking in residential areas and to maintain parking availability for residents.

Traffic Closures 

Ocean Drive will be closed to motor vehicles starting at 7 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 29 through 7 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2.

Public Safety

The Miami Beach Police Department will implement an enhanced staffing plan to patrol the entertainment district over and above its regular contingent of officers during the weekend. The department plans to assign license plate reader details along the Fifth Street corridor over the weekend. The Miami Beach Fire Department will conduct night inspections to monitor compliance with life-safety codes and also provide enhanced staffing along Ocean Drive on New Year’s Eve. Miami Beach Park Rangers will have expanded service hours and increased personnel assignments. The Code Compliance Department will activate all operational personnel on New Year's Eve and provide enhanced citywide staffing for New Year's Day with a focus on excessively loud music, short-term rentals, illegal commercial events and continuous coverage at the Miami Beach Marina.

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