Events

The Best Places to Spend New Year’s Eve in South Florida

December 30, 2015 by Olivia Lancaster Leave a Comment

Updated as an evergreen New Year’s Eve planning guide (2026+). South Florida does New Year’s Eve the way it does most celebrations: outdoors when it can, loud when it wants to be, and split across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach so you can pick your vibe instead of one mega-party.

Venue lineups, ticket prices, and road closures change every year. Use this as a menu of ideas, then confirm the current year’s details on official city, venue, or ticket pages before you go. We are not inventing hours or covers here.

Pick your New Year’s Eve style

Beach / bay fireworks: Miami Beach and other coastal cities often plan public countdowns and fireworks. Expect crowds, parking headaches, and bag checks — arrive early and plan your exit.
Downtown / riverfront energy: Fort Lauderdale’s downtown and Las Olas scenes lean toward bars, restaurants, and hotel parties. Book dinner early if you want a seat.
Neighborhood classic: Coral Gables, Delray, West Palm, and similar walkable downtowns often host smaller festivals or restaurant specials that feel less chaotic than South Beach.
House party + early fireworks: Totally valid. Watch a local display, then toast at home with friends who do not want to Uber at 1 a.m.
Hotel staycation: Many hotels package rooms with late dining or lobby entertainment. Great if you want a designated driver… you (by elevator).

County-by-county starting points

Miami-Dade

Think South Beach public celebrations, Brickell/downtown nightlife, and Coconut Grove or Coral Gables for a slightly softer landing. Search the current year’s City of Miami Beach or Miami-Dade event listings rather than relying on last year’s flyer.

Broward

Fort Lauderdale beach and downtown, plus Hollywood Broadwalk energy, are common anchors. Craft-beer and Intracoastal restaurant scenes often run special menus — call ahead.

Palm Beach County

West Palm’s waterfront, Delray’s Atlantic Avenue, and Boca’s hotel/restaurant corridor give you options from dressy to casual. Palm Beach County tourism and city pages usually publish updated NYE roundups in December.

Practical South Florida NYE tips

Decide rideshare vs. parking before midnight surge pricing.
Hydrate — humid nights + champagne sneak up on you.
Screenshot tickets and meeting spots; cell networks get spotty in dense crowds.
If you are bringing kids, prioritize official family countdown events over open bar zones.

Looking for daytime ideas the same week? Browse things to do, beaches, and our food starter guide.

Listings and venues change. Confirm dates, tickets, and safety rules with organizers each December.

The Python Challenge

December 6, 2012 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

Updated 2026 — the Florida Python Challenge™ is an ongoing FWC program, not a one-off 2013 event.

Florida Python Challenge awareness — Credit: Pat Lynch – South Florida Water Management District (historic event imagery)

Invasive Burmese pythons remain a serious pressure on the Everglades food web. The Florida Python Challenge™, hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) with partners such as the South Florida Water Management District, continues as a public awareness and removal competition in designated south Florida locations.

What the Challenge is (and is not)

It is a registered, rules-based event with required online training and a quiz. It is not a casual weekend snake hunt on random public land. Participants must follow FWC rules, location lists, and humane-removal guidelines. Always use official sources — not social-media rumors — before planning anything.

2026 snapshot (completed)

Per FWC announcements, the 2026 competition ran roughly July 10–19, 2026, with hundreds of registered participants and hundreds of pythons removed during the event window. Prize categories and partner locations (including Everglades National Park in recent years) are published by FWC and on FLPythonChallenge.org.

We are not reprinting prize amounts or next year’s calendar here as if they were permanent — they change. Check the official site for the current registration window, fees, training, and maps.

Year-round context for locals

FWC also discusses year-round removal pathways (including contractor programs). Regular folks should still treat wild pythons as a professional/conservation issue: do not improvise captures, and report sightings through official FWC channels when appropriate.

Official hub: FLPythonChallenge.org
FWC newsroom for results and registration notices: MyFWC.com

Exploring Everglades-edge outdoors the responsible way? Start with our locals’ things-to-do guide and give wildlife space.

Program existence verified via FWC / FLPythonChallenge.org materials around the 2026 event cycle. Always confirm live rules before participating.

News: Red Bull Flugtag Miami Prepares for Liftoff: Teams Selected

September 14, 2012 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

FINAL TEAMS SELECTED TO TAKE FLIGHT NOV. 3

Chosen Aviators for 2012 Event Announced at Unveiling Party

To prepare for Red Bull Flugtag soaring back to Miami this year, Red Bull hosted an unveiling party on Sept. 6 to give “wiiings” to 34 teams chosen to participate in South Florida’s flight and fight event on Saturday, Nov. 3. The main event at Bayfront Park will launch at noon to welcome thousands of Downtown Miami residents and visitors to its beautiful waterfront to watch as the avid aviators compete in the flying spectacle that awes millions around the world.

Rock With U Entertainment’s Ross Bielejeski kicked off the unveiling party at Bongos Cuban Café by announcing the selected teams as they revealed their imaginative aircraft sketches and team names, as well as took part in a little smack-talking with their competitors. This year’s participants are from all over the southeastern United States, with many living locally and around the state, but some hailing from as far as Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia. From art students and firefighters to engineers and self-proclaimed “pirates,” the mix is sure to please the crowd as their crafted handiwork makes its way into the air…before splashing into the sea below.

The teams participating in the 2012 Red Bull Flugtag Miami are: $2.50; Angry Flamingos; Bacon Soldiers; Bakerized; Banana Pelada; Cublice MADNESS!; Da Avincineers; Despicable Me; Dragon Riders; Fins of Fury; Flyin Shiners; Flying Cox; Go Batty; Hurricane Engineers’ Angry Birds, I Love LA Eats; La Vaca Roja; Magic Carpet Ride; Mars Attack; Pirates of the Care Free Being: Return of the Castaways; Slamacow; Snow Birds; Space Cadets; Spacecoast Flugtag Associates; Team DarkWing; Team Pirate’s Palette; Team Popow with the Flying Chaparro; Team Signal 20s; Team Venezuela; The Iron Manning Iron Men; The Oatmeal Effect; The Shock Guys; Tobacco Road’s Band of Road Warriors; Twisted Sister; and UNF SAME.

“After the thrill of traveling to compete in Red Bull Flugtag Tampa last year, we knew we had a to make a second go of it this year now that it’s back in our hometown of Miami,” said Mitch Phillips of the Hurricane Engineers’ Angry Birds. “We’re even more excited about this year and plan on using our engineering knowledge to create something that’s set to take home the prize, all while having a blast and making sure everyone knows it.”

Teams of four flight crew members and one pilot will not only compete in their distance from the launch pad, but also on innovation of their crafts and costumes to impress the judges. Before watching the teams fly – at least for a few seconds – guests will also have the opportunity to meet participants, view their aeronautical inventions and vote for their favorite to win the “People’s Choice Award.” Each team will also perform a 30-second skit to win over the judges and crowd.

AIM FOR THE SKY

Flugtag, German for “flying day,” is a competition that dares the brave and tests the brainy to design, build and pilot homemade aircrafts off a 30-foot high ramp in hopes of achieving human-powered flight. All aircrafts are entirely human-powered – no motors or stored energy such as slingshots or catapults are used.

Since the first Red Bull Flugtag in Vienna, Austria, in 1991, more than 100 Flugtags have been held around the world, attracting up to 300,000 spectators for a single event. The record for the farthest flight-to-date in the United States currently stands at 207 feet and was set at Red Bull Flugtag Saint Paul in 2010 by team Major Trouble and the Dirty Dixies. The pressure is on for this year’s Red Bull Flugtag flyers to blow these records off the charts! The Red Bull Flugtag in Miami will be the third of four Flugtags held this year, with other competitions occurring in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Red Bull Flugtag is free and open to the public. For more information, visit redbullflugtagusa.com. Select photos are attached, but for additional images and video from past Red Bull Flugtag events for editorial use, visit redbullcontentpool.com.

9/11 Ceremonies in South Florida

September 11, 2012 by I Love South Florida 1 Comment

The 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks will be remembered by South Floridians throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties on Tuesday. Here are some events that have been scheduled:

Miami-Dade

• Miami Shores: Commemoration Mass with Archbishop Thomas Wenski, 11:45 a.m. at St. Martha Catholic Church, 9301 Biscayne Blvd.

• Miami-Dade: Ceremony of Remembrance, 9:30 a.m. at Tropical Park, 7900 SW 40th St.

• Miami-Dade: Memorializing a steel beam from the World Trade Center, 11:30 a.m. at Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 3, 3911 SW 82nd Ave.

BROWARD

• Margate: 9/11 Ceremony, 8:30 AM at Firefighters Memorial Park, 2500 Rock Island Rd, Margate, FL

• Coral Springs: Memorial Service, 6 p.m. at Northwest Regional Library, 3151 University Dr.

• Hollywood: Memorial Concert, 7:30 p.m. at ArtsPark at Young Circle, Federal Highway and Hollywood Boulevard.

• Fort Lauderdale: All Wars End film premiere, 8 p.m. at Cinema Paradiso, 503 SE Sixth St. Cost: $25. Activities include color guard, poetry reading, and Q&A with cast and crew.

• Fort Lauderdale: 9/11 Ceremony, 9:30 a.m. at Fort Lauderdale Fire & Safety Museum, 1122 W. Las Olas Blvd.

• Fort Lauderdale: 9/11: A Conversation with Bob Graham, 5:30 p.m. at Museum of Art, 1 E. Las Olas Blvd. General admission: $30.

• Fort Lauderdale: Patriot Day Ceremony, 8:30 a.m. at Ron Cochran Public Safety Building, 2601 W. Broward Blvd.

• North Lauderdale: Wreath Laying Ceremony, 1:30 p.m. at North Lauderdale Veterans Memorial, Rock Island Road and Kimberly Boulevard.

• Parkland: Remembrance, 5 p.m. at Parkland YMCA Family Center, 10559 Trails End. Activities include Broward Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, Trade Center steel display and reading by children.

• Pembroke Pines: Patriot Day Remembrance Ceremony, 8:30 a.m. at Pembroke Pines City Center, 10300 Pines Blvd.

Resources:

Ceremonies to remember 9/11 happening in Southwest Florida – http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-09-11/Ceremonies-to-remember-911-happening-in-Southwest-Florida#.UE8rvI1lQf4

NBC Miami: 9/11 Remembrance Events in South Florida – http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/911-remembrance-events-in-south-florida-169286546.html

The Miami Herald: Here are some commemorations scheduled for Tuesday to remember 9/11 – http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/10/2995947/here-are-some-commemorations-scheduled.html

CBS Miami: Guide To 9/11 Anniversary Observances In S. Florida – http://miami.cbslocal.com/guide/guide-to-911-anniversary-observences-in-s-florida/