And if you’re visiting in the spring, downtown Fort Lauderdale turns into a four-block street fair helmed by the city’s best chefs and restaurants during the Las Olas Wine & Food Festival. In early January, the week-long Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival places the county’s top and emerging chefs and restaurateurs on prime display through poolside BBQs, bar competitions, and grand tastings at the beach. Catch the spectacle in person if you can.

Perhaps the most anticipated event of the year is a Christmas favorite, the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade, dubbed the “Best Show on H2O.” More than a million viewers tune in to watch decorated boats of all sizes, from mega-yachts to barges and paddle boards, parade along the 12-mile route. Greater Fort Lauderdale also knows how to turn up the dial and throw memory-making holiday events, like the 4 th of July Spectacular on Fort Lauderdale beach and Las Olas Oceanside Park (complete with bands, a kids zone, and a 23-minute firework show). Navy Blue Angels, and in October, the largest in-water boat show in the world, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, brings more than 1,500 boats (including pretty swanky superyachts) to marinas and waterways around the city. Fort Lauderdale beach is also the locale of the annual Fort Lauderdale Air Show, starring the U.S. Throughout the year, you’ll find spectacular annual events like Pride Fort Lauderdale, the state’s oldest Pride celebration. In spring, Tortuga Music Festival puts on a three-day concert in the sand at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park to raise money for ocean conservation and research by bringing big-name acts like Tim McGraw and Luke Bryan.

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