The 14th annual South Beach Seafood Festival runs October 21 through 24, 2026, in Miami Beach, marking the start of Florida’s stone crab season with four days of chef dinners, cooking competitions, and a beachfront tasting at Lummus Park. More than 40 South Florida restaurants are set to take part in Saturday’s Seafood Slam.
Key Takeaways
- Florida’s 2026–27 stone crab season opened October 15 and runs through May 1, 2027.
- Six chefs who helped shape modern Miami dining share one table at the festival’s opening Made in Miami dinner at Phuc Yea.
- Friday’s VIP Chef Showdown features 18 chefs in nine head-to-head battles, including new Battle Burger and Battle Fish Sandwich categories.
- Florida provides 99% of the U.S. stone crab supply, according to UF/IFAS.
- Festival proceeds support CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program for local schoolchildren.
Stone Crab Season Sets The Calendar For Miami Dining
For Miami’s restaurant scene, stone crab season is more than a menu change. It marks the start of the city’s busy hospitality months, and the South Beach Seafood Festival has built its identity around that moment. The festival describes itself as a showcase of South Florida’s chefs that kicks off stone crab season each October.
The 2026–27 Florida stone crab season opened Thursday, October 15, and runs through May 1, 2027. The fishery works differently from most. Stone crabs are harvested for their claws only, and keeping a whole crab is illegal. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission encourages crabbers to take a single claw, since a crab with one claw can still feed and defend itself while the other grows back.
That system gives Florida an outsized role nationally. Florida provides 99% of the U.S. stone crab supply, according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. When the season opens, the claws return to Miami menus after nearly six months away, and the festival arrives a week later to mark it.
South Beach Seafood Festival Opens With A Six-Chef Miami Dinner
The 2026 festival opens Wednesday, October 21, with Made in Miami at Phuc Yea, a multi-course dinner that brings together six chefs whose work helped define the city’s dining identity. Chefs Cesar Zapata and Jose Mendin host alongside GOYA chef Fernando Desa, joined by chefs Mike Beltran, Eileen Andrade, and Eduardo Lara.
The festival says it is the first time it has seated six of the chefs who built modern Miami dining at one table. The lineup reflects the range of Miami’s food culture, from Cuban and Latin American traditions to the chef-driven restaurants that have reshaped the city’s neighborhoods over the past two decades.
Thursday, October 22, moves to An Evening in Miami Beach, a series of collaborative dinners at partner restaurants including Rao’s Miami Beach and Macchialina. At Macchialina, chef Michael Pirolo is preparing an exclusive four-course dinner built around the restaurant’s rustic approach to Italian cooking.
Miami Chefs Compete In Friday’s VIP Chef Showdown
The festival turns competitive on Friday, October 23, at Lummus Park. The VIP Chef Showdown, the largest in the festival’s history, features 18 chefs in nine head-to-head battles. Seven categories return from past years, and two are new for 2026: Battle Burger and Battle Fish Sandwich.
Returning champions are back to defend their titles. Billy G returns as champion in Battle Seafood Pasta, and chef Generric Kyles of Golden Rule Seafood returns as champion in Battle Shrimp. Guests taste the dishes, watch the chefs cook live, and vote for their favorites, which puts the audience in the role of judges.
Seafood Slam Brings More Than 40 Restaurants To Lummus Park
The festival closes Saturday, October 24, with the Seafood Slam, its main public event, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Lummus Park on Ocean Drive. More than 40 South Florida restaurants serve tastings on the sand, and guests vote for the Best of the Fest. The event is hosted by the City of Miami Beach.
For anyone looking for things to do in Miami Beach this week, the Seafood Slam is the festival’s most accessible event, held outdoors on one of the city’s best-known stretches of beach.
Beyond the food, the festival supports a local cause. Proceeds benefit CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program, which serves local schoolchildren. That connection ties a week of high-profile dining back to the community the restaurants serve.
FAQs
When Is Stone Crab Season?
Florida’s stone crab season runs from October 15 to May 1. The 2026–27 season opened Thursday, October 15, 2026, and closes May 1, 2027.
When Does Stone Crab Season End?
Stone crab season in Florida ends May 1. Fresh claws are not available during the closed months, which is why the October opening is closely watched by restaurants and diners.
Is It Stone Crab Season In Florida?
Yes. The season opened October 15, 2026, and is open now. Only the claws are harvested, and keeping a whole stone crab is illegal under state rules.
What Is The South Beach Seafood Festival?
The South Beach Seafood Festival is an annual Miami Beach event marking the start of stone crab season. Its 14th edition runs October 21–24, 2026, with chef dinners, a chef competition, and the Seafood Slam at Lummus Park.
