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When to Visit - Arts and Events

Miami is a city that loves festivals with the nine-day 'Carnaval Miami' at the beginning of March being the largest. There are smaller festival celebrations and contests going on throughout the Carnaval period, including concerts at the Orange Bowl, the 'Miss Carnaval' contest and the 'Calle Ocho' cooking competition in Little Havana. From the end of May through to the middle of June, The International Hispanic Theater Festival presents productions by theater companies from all over Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

In August the Annual Miami Reggae Festival takes place in Bayfront Park and in November the Miami Book Fair attracts writers and publishers from all over the world. Finally, to bid goodbye to the old year and welcome in the new, the spectacular 'Orange Bowl Parade' is followed by the 'Big Orange' celebration and a fantastic fireworks display over the city.

Miami Dining

Miami's cuisine is an exotic mixture of classical food and tropical tastes. Here, as in many places throughout the USA, the city's mixed population has given rise to an enviably effective fusion of food styles. How about minced quail and bamboo shoots or tangled shrimp with jungle curry? If you don't find the local cooking to your taste, there are many other options ranging from burgers to classical French cooking to Vietnamese specialities; in Miami, there's something for everyone.

Miami Tipping Advice

Throughout America tipping is more or less compulsory. In restaurants waiters expect around 10 to 20 percent, as do taxi drivers and hairdressers, while porters and bellboys anticipate around one US dollar or two US dollars per piece of luggage. You are not expected to tip in fast-food restaurants or cinemas.