No matter what type of fun you enjoy or when you plan to be here, there is almost always an amazing event or festival happening somewhere in the Sunshine State.
Whether you are looking for art and music festivals or prefer to spend your time among foodies and nature enthusiasts, Florida serves up more than a few options every single month of the year.
Keep in mind with Covid-19 still around, you should check the websites of any of the events you might be interested in just to be sure they are still in fact happening. You'll also notice some websites, particularly for events later in the year, still have their 2021 information featured, so you'll want to check back for updates if any of those interest you.
You can scroll through this entire post or use the links below to jump to the month that interests you the most:
January
South Beach Jazz Festival
The South Beach Jazz Festival takes place in multiple locations all over Miami each year in early January. This event was started by disabled community leaders, and it continues to feature disabled musicians celebrating the power of jazz music.
Uncorked Key Largo and Islamorada Food & Wine Festival (Canceled for 2022)
Early January is also a fantastic time for a trip down to the keys, which just happens to be when Uncorked: The Key Largo & Islamorada Food & Wine Festival is usually happening. The highlight of this event is known as “The Grand Tasting,” but it is actually just one of anywhere from 30 to 40 different food and wine events happening all over the islands during this 11-day extravaganza.
St. Augustine Film Festival
Most people don’t need any specific reason to spend a few days in historic St. Augustine, but if you are thinking about a little excursion in mid-January, the St. Augustine Film Festival is a perfect excuse to visit for a few days. This exciting festival has been happening for more than a decade now, and it typically features a couple dozen films shown across a number of venues.
Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival (Canceled for 2022)
With keynote speakers, group field trips, and a ridiculous amount of exhibits to explore, the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival is one of the largest birding festivals in the entire country. It happens every January in Titusville, not far from the famous Kennedy Space Station.
Lakeland Pigfest
If BBQ is your passion, then you absolutely cannot miss out on all of the fun of the Lakeland Pigfest towards the end of January. This massive BBQ competition has been drawing somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 teams to Lakeland for more than 20 years now, and the experience for spectators gets better and better every year.
Naples Winter Wine Festival
Anyone looking to round out their January bucket list with a little bit of vino will want to be sure they head down to Naples for the annual Naples Winter Wine Festival. Between the luncheon with Master Sommeliers, the high-end wine auction, and the dinner prepared by world-class chefs, this three-day event is a wine lover’s paradise.
January Honorable Mentions:
- Original Miami Beach Antique Show
- Everglades Birding Festival
- Art Deco Weekend in Miami
- South Florida Fair
- Florida Manatee Festival
- Annual Homestead Rodeo
February
Everglades Seafood Festival
The Everglades Seafood Festival is always one of the most popular early-February events here in Florida. This one usually features more than 100 different vendors serving up everything from shrimp and stone crab to alligator bites. If you plan on visiting the Everglades at all throughout the year, this is the time to do it.
The Daytona 500
While you might not think of it as a festival, there is no denying that the Daytona 500 is one of the biggest events to come to Florida all year long. This Super Bowl of NASCAR happens every year in the middle of February, and racing fans from around the globe flock to Daytona just to celebrate.
Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Everyone loves food and wine festivals, there they don’t come any bigger or more extravagant than the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which happens every February. This event always brings out tons of celebrity chefs for exciting showcased all over both Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
St. Augustine Spanish Wine Festival
Another great event happening at the end of February is the St. Augustine Spanish Wine Festival. Few pairings go together better than delicious Spanish wine and the historic setting of St. Augustine, and there are always more than 100 wines available for tasting at this annual festival.
February Honorable Mentions:
- Mount Dora Arts Festival
- Edison Festival of Light
- Swamp Cabbage Festival
- Lake Worth Street Painting Festival
- Delray Beach Fashion Week
- Mount Dora Scottish Festival
March
Daytona Bike Week
One of the biggest events of the entire year here in Florida is the world-famous Bike Week in Daytona Beach. This massive event is the type of spectacle that you are going to want to see for yourself even if you aren’t a motorcycle enthusiast.
The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass
Another huge event that will bring national attention to Florida in March is The PGA Tour’s Players Championship, which is held at the iconic TPC Sawgrass course in Ponte Verde every year. There is nothing quite like seeing the best golfers in the world take their cuts at hitting that famous island green at 17.
Naples Flower Show
There is never really a bad time to visit Naples or stroll through the Naples Botanical Garden, but in late March this already popular attraction kicks things up to the next level by hosting the Naples Flower Show, which is one of the largest flower shows in Florida.
March Honorable Mentions
April
Sandestin Wine Festival
In addition to more than 500 wines available for tasting, the Sandestin Wine Festival also includes fun excursions like a seafood and champagne voyage, yoga with mimosas, and gourmet wine dinners. With all of that on tap, Sandestin is definitely the place to be in April.
Stringbreak Music Festival
Some people come to Florida for Spring Break. Others come for Stringbreak. Music fans head to the Nature Coast in mid-April for this rugged outdoor music fest featuring everything from bluegrass to rock tunes.
Tortuga Music Festival
Fort Lauderdale Beach hosts one of the biggest events of the month when the Tortuga Music Festival comes to town in mid-April. The headliners for this event change from year-to-year, but there are always big names from a wide range of genres featured.
Pompano Beach Seafood Festival
It seems like not a month goes by without a spectacular seafood festival of some sort here in Florida, and one of the big ones in April is the Pompano Beach Seafood Festival. In addition to great seafood, there will also be plenty of live music and fun attractions to see here.
Romanza Festivale of Music & the Arts
St. Augustine will be winding down the month of April and dipping into the month of May with their Romanza Festivale of the Arts. This event features more than 75 different art events all over town, which makes it the perfect time to appreciate the oldest city in the country.
Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival
The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival has been returning to Fernandina Beach every spring for more than half a century. Locally caught shrimp are the focal point of this fun festival, but there is always plenty of local art on display, as well as live music.
April Honorable Mention
May
Key West Songwriters Festival
One of the most popular music festivals to attend in May is the Key West Songwriters Festival, which is usually held in Key West in early May. There are live music performances from artists known for writing their own material all over Key West over this long weekend.
Jacksonville Jazz Fest
If jazz music is your passion, then you won’t want to miss out on the Jacksonville Jazz Fest taking over Jacksonville at the end of May. This event features a wide range of jazz performances from iconic names happening all through the city over the course of a four-day weekend.
New Smyrna Beach Jazz Festival
Another can’t-miss music festival in May is the annual New Smyrna Beach Jazz Festival, which will take place at multiple locations around New Smyrna. Every year, the lineup features a star-studded list of jazz musicians who will be performing for free all over town throughout the entire weekend.
Up Up And Away Florida
Another exciting festival happening in May is the Up Up And Away Florida Hot Air Ballon Festival. Hot air balloons from all over the country will make the journey to Lakeland for this exciting weekend, but you don’t have to have your own balloon to enjoy the sites, sounds, and tastes of this festival.
May Honorable Mentions:
- National Senior Games
- Hyundai Air and Sea Show
- Sarasota Seafood and Music Festival
- World Equestrian Center Blueberry Festival
June
St. Armand’s Circle Craft Festival
South Florida crafters and artisans will be heading to Sarasota in June for the St. Armand’s Circle Craft Festival. Visitors to the area this weekend will have the opportunity to browse through the wide variety of handmade items that will be occupying the historic streets of St. Armand’s Circle.
Downtown Venice Craft Festival
Another crafting festival coming to South Florida in June will be the Downtown Venice Craft Festival, which usually takes place the weekend after the St. Armand’s Circle Craft Festival. This event will have vendors lined up and down Miami Avenue in Venice with an entire section of the street dedicated to green products.
Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic
The Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic is a huge Gulf Coast fishing competition that happens every June in Sandestin. The event runs for eleven straight days, starting around the middle of the month. Organizers of this event typically expect more than 100 boats to enter, and the prizes have exceeded $2.5 million.
June Honorable Mentions
July
Hemingway Days
Most people don’t need an excuse to visit Key West, but anyone who is into writing or fishing will enjoy the festivities of Hemingway Days in mid-July. The festivities for this event include a wacky Hemingway look-a-like contest, as well as numerous poetry and prose reading around town throughout the week.
Shark Con
The Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa hosts the epic Shark Con every year in July. This massive two-day celebration of sharks includes everything from education on marine life to a 22-foot shark slide. There is also a complete schedule of expert speakers discussing a wide range of shark-related topics.
July Honorable Mention:
August
Key West Lobsterfest
Key West Lobsterfest is an annual event that kicks off the month of August with a massive lobster boil and then continues with lobster events all over town throughout the rest of the weekend, which makes it a perfect time to get your fix of the keys.
Coke Zero Sugar 400
The eyes of the entire racing world will be focused on Daytona at the end of August when the engines get fired up at the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Every NASCAR event is a massive event that features excitement all over town, and this one will be no different.
September
I Like it HOT! Festival
Spicy food fanatics will be flocking to Minnreg Hall in Largo for the annual I Like it HOT! Festival in mid-September. Those visitors can participate in events like a hot pepper eating contest, an amateur salsa contest, an amateur BBQ sauce contest, and the Voodoo Chicken Bones Challenge.
In addition to the main events, there is live entertainment throughout the weekend and one of the largest hot sauce markets you have ever seen in one place.
Island Hopper Songwriter Fest
The Island Hopper Songwriter Fest will kick off on Captiva Island in mid-September before “hopping” over to Downtown Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach throughout the rest of the month. This 10-day music festival will feature more than 80 country music songwriters taking the time to explain the writing process behind some of their favorite hits.
September Honorable Mentions
October
Oktoberfest Tampa
It’s hard to make it through the months of September and October without attending at least one German Oktoberfest celebration, and one of the big ones to focus on each year is Oktoberfest Tampa at Curtis Hixon Park in Tampa. This fun event will feature all of the cold German beer and traditional German dances you can handle, plus plenty of delicious bratwursts.
Naples International Film Festival
The Naples International Film Festival takes over various locations in Downtown Naples on a weekend near the end of October. In addition to showing the premieres of a number of international films, the festival also features unique opportunities like a screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark that will be accompanied by a live orchestra performance.
Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
Fort Lauderdale is the place to be at the end of the month when more than $4 billion worth of boats are displayed at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. This five-day event is hosted at the Bluewild Ocean Adventure Expo with related events happening all over the city.
Miami Smooth Jazz Festival
Anyone interested in jazz music will want to be in Miami for the Miami Smooth Jazz Festival at Zoo Miami in late October. The main stage for this event features dozens of popular jazz musicians throughout the festival, and there is always plenty of amazing food as well.
October Honorable Mentions:
November
Stone Crab Jam
November marks the first full month of stone crab season here in Florida, and the Stone Crab Jam in Crystal River in early November is all about those delicious claws. In addition to vendors selling stone crab claws, there will also be live entertainment, games, and other refreshments available.
Key West Film Festival
There are a few different film festivals around Florida during the month of November, but the one that is worth a special trip is always the Key West Film Festival, which usually takes place towards the end of the month. Just like everything else in Key West, this one is always a non-stop party!
November Honorable Mentions:
December
St. Augustine Nights of Lights
Nights of Lights has been listed among the top ten holiday light displays in the world by National Geographic. During Nights of Lights, St. Augustine glows with holiday magic – from the ground to the rooftops. St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights features millions of tiny white lights that create a magical atmosphere in the Nation’s Oldest City, and it's free of charge.
St. Petersburg Holiday of the Arts
Anyone looking for holiday-themed crafts will find more than they can handle at St. Petersburg Holiday of the Arts. This two-day festival will take place in Williams Park right in downtown St. Petersburg in the middle of December.
Three Ball Drop Hot Spots
New Year’s Eve serves as an inspiration for parties all over the state of Florida, but three of the hottest spots to be on December 31 are Destin, Panama City Beach, and Key West. Destin and Panama City ring in the new year with a “Beach Ball Drops” while the people at Sloppy Joe’s down in Key West have their own version: “The Conch Shell Drop.”
December Honorable Mentions
Whether you are planning a short visit or a long retirement here in Florida, there is no denying that the Sunshine State is practically bursting with opportunities to enjoy yourself all year long.
That means the only question left to ask is, “What are you going to do next?”
start planing our move to florida when my desides to retire