Miami Spice runs through October as Seafood Festival heads to the beach

Two things are shaping the fall eating calendar in Miami Beach. Miami Spice, the dining program that puts special-priced menus at more than 400 restaurants across Greater Miami and Miami Beach, now runs through October 31, 2026. A week earlier, the South Beach Seafood Festival returns October 21 through 24 for its 14th edition, timed to the official start of Florida's stone crab season.

For a visitor, that overlap is the point. Late October is when the island's restaurant scene is both discounted and at its most eventful.

A longer runway for Miami Spice

Miami Spice has been operating for 25 years, and the 2026 extension is the first extension in the program's history. Participating restaurants offer menus at special prices, which in practice means you can eat at places that would normally be a splurge without the splurge. With more than 400 restaurants taking part across Greater Miami and Miami Beach, the hard part is narrowing the list, not finding one.

The festival side is more concentrated. The South Beach Seafood Festival runs October 21 through 24, 2026, in Miami Beach, and its program includes chef competitions and events held on the beach. It also coincides with the official start of stone crab season, which is why the timing matters to anyone who orders claws with the same seriousness locals do.

Hotels have built packages around the season. Royal Palm South Beach Miami, an oceanfront property on Collins Avenue that operates as a Tribute Portfolio Resort and recently completed a renovation, offers a Fall by the Sea package with breakfast for two each day, welcome cocktails and a reduced nightly resort fee of $35.

At Andaz Miami Beach Resort & Spa, the Taste Journey experience requires a stay of at least two nights and includes a $200 dining credit for use at Aguasal, the restaurant operated by José Andrés Group.

What this means for your trip

If you are arriving before October 31, 2026, book dinner at a Miami Spice participant rather than walking in. Special-priced menus are the whole draw, and the 400-plus restaurant list gives you leverage to be picky about neighborhood and cuisine.

If your dates land October 21 to 24, expect the beachfront to be busier than a normal late-October week. The seafood festival puts chef competitions and events directly on the sand, so plan beach time around it or lean into it.

On the hotel side, the math is straightforward. The Fall by the Sea package at Royal Palm South Beach Miami cuts the nightly resort fee to $35 and adds breakfast for two, which offsets a fee that otherwise adds up. The Andaz Taste Journey only makes sense at two nights or more, since that is the minimum stay to unlock the $200 credit at Aguasal.

Dates and places

Miami Spice runs through October 31, 2026, at more than 400 participating restaurants across Greater Miami and Miami Beach.

The South Beach Seafood Festival runs October 21 through 24, 2026, in Miami Beach, with chef competitions and events held on the beach.

Royal Palm South Beach Miami is on Collins Avenue, oceanfront. Andaz Miami Beach Resort & Spa's Taste Journey requires a two-night minimum stay.

For planning help, the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, chaired by Mohan Koka and appointed by the City of Miami Beach Commission, lists hotels, activities, events and discounts at ExperienceMiamiBeach.com and posts as @experiencemiamibeach on Instagram. The authority's office is at 1701 Meridian Avenue, Suite 403, and the phone number is 305.673.7050.

Before you go

Check the Miami Spice participant list before you book a table, since menus and pricing vary by restaurant. Reserve the seafood festival days early if stone crab season's opening week is your reason for visiting. If a hotel package is part of the plan, confirm the two-night minimum on the Andaz Taste Journey or the $35 reduced resort fee on the Royal Palm's Fall by the Sea package when you book, not at check-in. The free EXP Miami Beach Tours app, available on the App Store and Google Play, offers curated tours of Miami Beach if you want structure between meals.

While you're on the island

Between meals, the Art Deco Historic District is the walk that explains the island, and Ocean Drive runs right through it. Lincoln Road carries restaurants, shops and installations if you want a slower afternoon. The Bass is presenting a new art exhibition, and seasonal performances are scheduled at the New World Center, so a culture stop pairs well with a dinner reservation.

Why the extension matters

Miami Spice has run for 25 years without an extension until now, which makes the 2026 season the longest in the program's history. Pairing that with a seafood festival that opens stone crab season gives late October more dining activity than the island typically sees in the shoulder season.