Why are Miami roads so jammed? How to navigate the boat show, arts fest and other events
There seems to be as many big events in Miami leading up to Presidents Day Weekend than the number of U.S. presidents.
There’s the jam-packed 2024 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show in downtown Miami and Miami Beach. The 60th anniversary Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Art Wynwood. And concerts and a musical at the Arsht Center.
Our roads and traffic will feel it all.
The biggest event? Five days of the Discover Boating event that combines the Miami International Boat Show and Miami Yacht Show that begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday and runs daily through Sunday.
There are more than 500 boat exhibits on the water at the Herald Plaza site along Biscayne Bay. Then there’s SuperYacht Miami at Yacht Haven Grande Miami. And new offerings in Miami Beach like a pickleball court in partnership with the 2024 Miami Open.
With all of this going on, here’s a guide to getting around town, with information on parking, driving and road shutdowns:
Boat show locations
There are six official locations for the 2024 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show:
▪ Miami Beach Convention Center (1901 Convention Center Dr.) offers powerboats up to 49 feet, engine manufacturers, marine accessories, electronics, retail pavilions.
▪ Herald Plaza (One Herald Plaza, downtown Miami between the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways on the bay) features larger powerboats, motor yachts ranging from 50 feet to 125 feet, yacht tenders, engines, marine accessories, retail pavilions.
▪ Venetian Marina & Yacht Club (1635 N. Bayshore Dr.) offers vessel test-drives, and boat and engine manufacturers.
▪ Museum Park Marina (801 Biscayne Blvd.) gives an up-close look at the latest sailboats, catamarans, sailing accessories.
▪ Yacht Haven Grande Miami (838 MacArthur Cswy. at Watson Island Park) showcases SuperYacht Miami, billed as “the largest and most luxurious yachts” at the boat show. Access requires a SuperYacht Miami ticket or Windward VIP pass.
▪ Pride Park (just outside the Miami Beach Convention Center). Progressive Boat Show Experience event. Access is included with general admission to the show.
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What roads are closed?
Not everyone in Miami this week and Presidents Day Weekend is here for the boat show. Some of you may be going to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Attending Chris Botti’s smooth jazz concert at the Arsht. Or heading to your friend’s Biscayne condo for dinner. Here’s where some roads will be closed during the boat show’s run from Wednesday through Sunday:
▪ Downtown Miami: The Herald Plaza roadway is closed on 14th Street from Bayshore Drive east to One Herald Plaza on Biscayne Bay.
▪ Miami Beach: Near Miami Beach Convention Center on Convention Center Drive from 18th Street to Dade Boulevard. Also, the eastern portion of 19th Street between Meridian Avenue and Convention Center Drive.
How to get to boat show events
Drive, or take Uber or Lyft, public transportation including Metrorail and Brightline, or water taxis.
Water Taxi: It’s a boat show. Perhaps a water taxi ride could be the most convenient means of navigating within the show or put you in the spirit. Tickets for the water taxi are priced at $10 for the day and free for children younger than 12. The route starts one hour before the show’s start and concludes one hour after its end.
Tickets must be purchased in advance at https://www.eventspass.com/event/miamiboatshow24?pr=WEB/#/buyTickets.
Board the water taxi at these two locations to connect to and from the Boat Show’s six locations:
▪ Maurice Gibb Memorial Park. Embark here to get to and from Herald Plaza and the Museum Park Marina on its loop.
▪ For ticketholders of the Windward VIP and Superyacht Miami the water taxi will whisk you to and from Herald Plaza and Yacht Haven Grande.
Brightline: For guests coming from Aventura, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton or Orlando, they can board the Brightline and take a complimentary shuttle to the boat show show from Brightline’s Miami Central Station.
Uber or Lyft:
Ride share pickup and drop off locations:
▪ Herald Plaza pick-up/drop-off is at Bayshore and 14th Street.
▪ Miami Beach Convention Center.
▪ Ride Share drop-off: 18th Street between Convention Center Drive and Meridian on Miami Beach.
▪ Ride share pick-up: 19th Street and Meridian.
Bus shuttle connections: Free for those going to the boat show. The shuttle route begins an hour before and an hour after the show ends. The boat show will have four routes along a loop:
▪ Red Route: Brightline Shuttle goes to Herald Plaza and Miami Beach Convention Center/Pride Park.
▪ Green Route: Kaseya Center Shuttle goes to Herald Plaza, Venetian Marina and Museum Park Marina.
▪ Yellow Route: Herald Plaza Shuttle goes to Venetian Marina, Museum Park & Convention Center/Pride Park.
▪ Brown Route: Maurice Gibb Park Shuttle goes to Miami Beach Convention Center/Pride Park.
Metromover stops.
▪ Herald Plaza and the Venetian Marina. The nearest Metromover stop for both sites is the Adrienne Arsht Center station across the street.
▪ Museum Park Marina, which is sandwiched between the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science and the Kaseya Center. The nearest Metromover stop is the Park West station.
Golf cart shuttles. These are new this year. Golf cart operating hours are noon-7 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; and, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
The complimentary golf cart shuttles to all Boat Show ticketholders travel the following routes:
▪ Maurice Gibb Park Golf Cart Shuttle goes to Miami Beach Convention Center/Pride Park.
▪ Kaseya Center/Museum Park Marina goes to Herald Plaza and Venetian Marina.
Parking at the boat show
The boat show has partnered with SpotHero, a parking service that connects people to reserved parking spaces with parking lots, parking garages and valet services.
Miami Beach parking details:
The following municipal parking garages will offer free shuttle services to and from the Miami Beach Convention Center to 17th Street and Convention Center Drive from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday:
▪ Sheridan Avenue and 42nd Street.
▪ 23rd Street and Liberty Avenue.
▪ Alton Road and Fifth Street.
Downtown Miami parking:
Miami Parking Authority has these lots to help accommodate Boat Show guests.
Park at the College Station garage at 190 NE Third St. or the Knight Center garage at 100 SE Second Street for the Herald Plaza and Venetian sites. Ride the free Metromover, which has a stop on Northeast 15th Steet east of Biscayne Boulevard.
▪ The College Station garage is $10 for up to four hours and $15 after four hours.
▪ The James L. Knight Center garage is $10 for up to four hours and $20 after four hours.
Want to walk and get your steps in for the day? Municipal Lot 19, at the center of Biscayne Blvd. between Flagler Street and Northeast Fourth Street, or Municipal Lot 5 at Maurice A. Ferre Park at 1075 Biscayne Blvd. can put you near the downtown Miami Boat Show venues.
▪ Lot 19 is $5 per hour. Maximum rate is $30.
▪ Lot 5/Ferre is $5 per hour. Maximum rate is $25.
Coconut Grove Arts Festival
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Some of you may want to spend a day at the Miami International Boat Show and another at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, which runs on Presidents Day Weekend from Saturday through Monday. The Grove Arts Festival runs along McFarlane Road, South Bayshore Drive and Pan American Drive.
▪ Street closures begin at 11:30 p.m. Thursday through 11:30 p.m. Monday, Miami police said.
▪ No cars will be allowed on South Bayshore Drive from Aviation Avenue to McFarlane Road and from McFarlane to Grand Avenue during the festival.
▪ Expect heavy traffic due to the closures and construction along Southwest 27th Avenue, from US1 to Tigertail Avenue, police said.
▪ Alternate routes to get to the festival include 22nd or 32nd Avenues from South Dixie Highway.
If you’re doing the arts fest, you can park at the Regatta Harbour garage at 3351 Pan American Dr. and Municipal Lot 6 — the Coconut Grove Playhouse lot. Both are $20. There is on-street parking and other lots, too. Fair organizers suggest taking the Metrorail to the Coconut Grove Station.
Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts at 1300 Biscayne Blvd. is across the street from the Herald Plaza site and near the Venetian marina and there are numerous shows running at the same time as the boat show.
Among them: the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Thursday night and Area Stage’s presentation of “Oliver!” running through Feb. 25 and there are 1 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday for that classic musical. The Arsht is also host to a Chris Botti concert at 8 p.m. Friday and one by Julieta Venegas at 8 p.m. Sunday.
The boat show ends at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday — so there could be some overlap.
The theater staff suggests that patrons “plan ahead when coming to an Arsht Center performance.” The recommendation is to pre-purchase valet or self-parking. Self-parking options include designated lots, street parking meters and garages that are within a 5-to-10-minute walk. Parking information can be found at www.arshtcenter.org/parking.
Art Wynwood
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Art Wynwood’s VIP Preview runs 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and regular viewings are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The event takes place at The Art Wynwood Pavilion at One Herald Plaza right near the boats on Biscayne Bay.
