[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s the New Year begins, there’s much to celebrate on Miami Beach for travelers, foodies, culture vultures, and those who love great events and fun activities. Miami Beach will be bursting with new hotels, restaurants and events that will have plenty of places to stay, eat and visit for any intrepid traveler this year. The social season is here and there’s much to look forward to in 2015.
Hotels
In terms of hotels, many have recently opened or are opening on Miami Beach including the Miami Beach Edition, a collaboration between Marriott and hotel developer, Ian Schrager as well as the Thompson hotel, the Metropolitan by COMO, Aloft South Beach and Hyatt South Beach. One of the most anticipated openings is the new Faena Hotel Miami Beach at 32nd and Collins Avenue which will be a spectacular 3 property combination of hotel, residences and cultural center.
The hotel site, which also includes the Saxony Hotel, will have décor designed by famous Hollywood director Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge) and his wife Catherine Martin. 1 Hotel & Homes South Beach will also be open soon. Located at 2399 Collins Avenue, the world’s second 1 Hotel (NYC is the first) is positioning itself as a nature-focused retreat in the heart of Miami Beach. The environmentally friendly property will include four swimming pools, a spa, 600 feet of private beach and 161 private residences that will range from spacious one bedrooms to penthouses.
Foodie
On the “foodie” side there are quite a few restaurants and events to sample in 2015 including Sienna Tavern (404 Washington Ave.), STK (2301 Collins Ave.), Drunken Dragon (1424 Alton Road), Iron Chef Morimoto at the Shelbourne South Beach (1801 Collins Avenue) and Bagatelle (2000 Collins Ave). Along with the always popular South Beach Wine & Food Festival, residents and visitors can also check out the 2015 Miami Beach International Foodies Festival on February 22nd which touts itself as the new affordable food festival. Festival goers can expect to sample some of the best foods from all over the world, from local restaurants, cafes and bakeries in Miami Beach. There will also be a Comedy Lounge as well as a Motorcycle/HotRods display. This “locals food festival” will also feature a Chef Pavilion with cooking demonstrations as well as over 25 wine/beer/liquor companies sampling their products all day long.
Entertainment
As for cultural offerings and entertainment, the choices are endless. They include the Miami International Boat Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Winter Party in March, as well as the always fun and out there, Florida Supercon Comic Book convention at the Miami Beach Convention Center in June which bills itself as the largest Comic Con in Miami- Dade County.
The 10th annual Florida Supercon is South Florida’s Comic Book, Anime, Animation, Video Game, Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Pop Culture Convention. It’s four days of fun featuring celebrity guests, comic book creators, voice actors, industry guests, cos-players, artists, writers, panels, Q&A’s, films & shorts, costume and cosplay contests, vendors, parties, anime, workshops, video gaming and more!
There will also be all the usual offerings at Miami Beach cultural institutions including the New World Symphony, the Colony Theater, the Bass Museum, South Florida Art Center, Peter Lik Gallery and other venues which will have dynamic programs for the new year. And don’t forget Miami Beach’s 100 year celebrations which will take place all year long in 2015 with special events planned every month.
2015 will be a year of entertainment, extraordinary openings and special events on Miami Beach. Cheers!
