At 6:50 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, a Coral Gables Fire Department truck will pull into the courtyard at the Shops at Merrick Park with Santa aboard. Ten minutes later he and Mayor Vince Lago will light the center's 50-foot tree. Lili Estefan, co-host of Univision's "El Gordo y La Flaca," hosts the evening. The event opens the season in the Gables. For most of the calendar, though, the action moves a short distance to City Hall at 405 Biltmore Way and to Miracle Mile. Over three days, Friday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 6, nearly everything the city hosts for the holidays happens at once.
The schedule below follows the season as it builds. It also covers the restaurants that opened along the route this fall, since a parade or a Santa line ends better with somewhere to eat.
The Thursday the season starts
The Shops at Merrick Park tree lighting starts at 5:30 p.m. at 358 San Lorenzo Ave. It's held in partnership with Nicklaus Children's Hospital, and the program is a local roster. Performers include the Coral Gables Senior High School Gablettes, the Miami Royal Ballet, and the Belles of Harmony and the Candy Cane Crew from Christmas Wonderland at Tropical Park. Miami Mom Collective runs the free children's activities: face painting, holiday crafts, a jumbo snow globe bounce house and an Elf Factory. A Holiday Makers Market brings local makers, artisans and food vendors into the courtyard.
Dinner can be right next door this year. La Pecora Bianca is now open at 360 San Lorenzo Ave., according to the Shops at Merrick Park. Haute Living reported that the 300-seat restaurant, with indoor and outdoor seating, is the New York brand's first location outside the city. Its founder is Mark Barak. Culinary Director Ed Scarpone leads the Coral Gables kitchen. He pairs the brand's signatures, like Vodka Rigatoni and Tiramisu for Two, with dishes written for South Florida, including a giant Carbonara Raviolo and Lobster Spaghetti "Fra Diavolo." The restaurant serves lunch and brunch as well as dinner. A private dining room seats up to 20, which matters for anyone planning a December group dinner.
Two dates fill the rest of November. On Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the city hosts Adventure Day, a street festival celebrating disability acceptance and inclusion. The Biltmore Hotel's Thanksgiving program on Thursday, Nov. 26, spreads across Fontana, Fairways and Cascade, plus a Grand Thanksgiving Brunch, according to the hotel's holiday dining announcement.
December 4 to 6 on Biltmore Way and Miracle Mile
The Merrick Festival Caroling Competition, now in its 40th year, opens the week on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 550 Biltmore Way and runs through Sunday, Dec. 6. Before it ends, the rest of the season's big pieces arrive.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Dec. 4, 6 p.m. | Holiday Park opens to the public | City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way |
| Fri, Dec. 4, 6 to 10 p.m. | Gables Gallery Night | Downtown galleries and art venues |
| Sat, Dec. 5, 2 to 10 p.m. | First Photos with Santa session | City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way |
| Sun, Dec. 6 | Junior Orange Bowl Miracle on the Mile Holiday Parade | Miracle Mile |
| Sun, Dec. 6 | Final day of the Merrick Festival Caroling Competition | 550 Biltmore Way |
Holiday Park opens the same Friday as Gables Gallery Night, the city's monthly evening of live music and fine art. The park opens at 6 p.m., and Gallery Night also starts at 6 and runs until 10, so one downtown walk can take in both.
The parade is the anchor. The Junior Orange Bowl is celebrating the parade's 78th year and calls it the founding event of its International Youth Festival. The lineup includes marching bands and drum corps, community floats, walking units and mounted equestrian units on Miracle Mile. City Hall plans around it. Photos with Santa are paused on Sunday, Dec. 6, because of the parade, so families aiming for both should book the photo for Saturday.
The caroling competition's awards show is on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Holiday Park's hours
After opening weekend, Holiday Park stays open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., through Jan. 5, 2027. The Santa schedule is less regular. Each photo costs $10 and includes a full-color photo in a framed postcard, and visitors can take their own pictures after buying one. Sessions:
- Dec. 5: 2 to 10 p.m.
- Dec. 10 and 11: 5 to 10 p.m.
- Dec. 12 and 13: 2 to 10 p.m.
- Dec. 17 and 18: 5 to 10 p.m.
- Dec. 19 through 23: 2 to 10 p.m.
Weeknight sessions start at 5 p.m. and weekend sessions at 2. The five-day stretch before Christmas, Dec. 19 to 23, runs the full afternoon and evening every day. The city's own guidelines say Santa takes breaks, and staff may close the end of the line early on busy nights.
Two Saturdays work differently. On Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, Holiday Park opens at noon instead of 10 a.m. to make room for Hot Chocolate with Santa. The event offers crafts, photos with Santa and a warm cup of hot chocolate, and it is limited to Coral Gables residents.
The new tables along the route
The Gables' fall openings sit close to the holiday calendar. The Infatuation's guide to new Miami restaurants, updated Nov. 5, lists several in the city.
Imoto, 100 Miracle Mile. Sushi and Asian small plates right on the parade route. Miami New Times reported that chef Clay Conley brought his Palm Beach restaurant here, next door to Buccan, with a sushi counter and an eight-seat bar.
Zuccaly, 111 Palermo Ave., Suite 112. An Italian food hall with stations for pizza, prosciutto sandwiches, pasta and dessert. A group with mixed appetites after the parade can split up and still eat together.
D's Rooftop, 1500 San Ignacio Ave. Daniel's has turned its rooftop into a bar with cigars, sports on screens and bar snacks. It's an evening stop for adults after Gallery Night or a Holiday Park visit.
The Screaming Parrots, 2626 Ponce de Leon Blvd. A café serving fluffy pancakes and matcha lattes, plus crepes, onigiri and cheesecake. It suits a Saturday morning before a 2 p.m. Santa session.
One familiar name has left the Ponce corridor. Pascal's on Ponce has closed, and its team now runs Lolailo Taberna, a Spanish wine and tapas spot at 266 NE 1st St. in Downtown Miami. Ibérico ham croquetas and osso buco-stuffed piquillo peppers are on the menu.
After the parade, the calendar spreads out
Once the first December weekend passes, events move away from City Hall and space out.
On Sunday, Dec. 13, from 1 to 4 p.m., Merrick House at 907 Coral Way holds its free Holiday Open House with Santa, caroling, crafts and performances. A week later, on Sunday, Dec. 20, the Coral Gables Museum lists a holiday celebration of the city's religious and architectural diversity, and it invites participants to decorate their bikes.
The Biltmore Hotel carries the season to the end of the year. On Christmas Eve, Fontana serves La Vigilia, a four-course Feast of the Seven Fishes, from 5 to 10 p.m. with live Spanish guitar. On Christmas Day it moves to Natale, a five-course dinner. That morning, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the hotel hosts a separate Brunch with Santa. On Thursday, Dec. 31, Fontana hosts its Capodanno dinner and Fairways offers a prix-fixe menu. A separately ticketed dessert soirée and fireworks follow.
Holiday Park stays open past New Year's Day and closes after Jan. 5, 2027.
If you're hosting family in the Gables this December, or thinking about a second home near Miracle Mile for the seasons ahead, the team at Luxury Living Realty can help you match a residence to the way you'll spend these weeks. Contact Us.
