Must-See Miami Music Festivals

Festivals are back in full swing, and where better to attend one than in Miami, the Magic City, a favorite hub for cultural and musical gatherings thanks to its lovely weather, beautiful beaches, and excellent nightlife.

Live in Miami or looking to travel there soon? Here are three festivals to put on your calendar:

Art With Me

November 26-28, 2021 | Virginia Key Beach Park 

Ready to dance off those Thanksgiving calories? Art With Me will make its Miami debut the weekend after Thanksgiving, and if its success down in Mexico is any indication, it is sure to be a great kickoff to the holiday season. Operating under six core pillars – art, music, culinary, wellness, culture and education – Art With Me will have more than 200 activations, including large scale art and interactive events. “When we say art, we mean large scale art activations, interactive art, body art, classic art, art classes, live art, laser art, digital art, an art fair, art in all its varieties,” the festival explains. There will also be a wellness program with yoga, and oh yeah, about 65 artists across 4 stages, with music until 3 a.m. each day. The line-up includes Lee Burrige presents All Day I Dream, Tycho: ISO50, Sublime with Rome, and Cultura Profética, among others. The venue, Virginia Key Beach Park, provides a setting of sandy beaches and green spaces.

GroundUP Music Festival

February 11-13, 2022 | North Beach Bandshell   

If you’re looking for a small local festival that packs a big punch, check out the GroundUP Music Festival taking place in North Miami Beach. It draws support and attendees from 54 countries, resulting in a diverse, interesting, and passionate crowd. Main performances take place at the cozy and charming North Beach Bandshell, where proximity to the stage is inherent, but guests can get even closer at GroundUP’s intimate side sessions, which bring Miami’s beautiful natural offerings into the fold with things like acapella by the sea.

“GroundUP breaks the traditional festival mold by eliminating the separation between artists and audience, and creating a platform where musicians can learn from and interact with their favorite artists with intimate workshops and beachside talks,” the festival says. Now in its fifth year, the 2022 event is headlined by four-time Grammy Award-winning music collective Snarky Puppy, who will debut their new album at the festival.

III Points Miami

October 2022 | Mana Wynwood  

You just missed this one, but if you’re searching for a hip urban festival in an artistic neighborhood, put III Points on your calendar for 2022. The lineup won’t be announced until next summer, but rest assured it books major national and international bands each year; this October, The Strokes, Rufus Du Sol, Khruangbin, Three 6 Mafia, and Wu Tang Clan were among the headliners. Multiple stages are strung across a series of city blocks in Wynwood, setting up a seductive urban vibe, with mural-covered warehouses serving as the backdrop for the stages, community spaces, and vendors. While the large crowd (approximately 40,000 over the course of the weekend) is mostly due to the notoriety of the national acts, there is strong local representation, with up to a dozen Miami and South Florida acts mixed in as well.