Halloween lands on Saturday, Oct. 31, this year. The City of Coral Gables has spread the day across three parts of downtown, and the start times are staggered. The first costume event starts at 2 p.m. The last stage performance starts at 8 p.m. Between them, a family trick-or-treat, a Día de los Muertos celebration and a bar crawl either overlap or start right as another ends.
On the city's separate event pages, these look like three different outings. Laid out on one clock, they make a single afternoon-into-evening route of about seven hours. A household that parks once, eats once on the Mile and walks between stops can cover all of it.
The Schedule, in Order
The city's Trick-or-Treat on the Mile page calls the event free and asks for an RSVP so it can estimate attendance. It also notes that the schedule is subject to change. Here is the full day, with the other city events added:
- 2 p.m. The Halloween Doggie Costume Contest starts at the Coral Gables Museum, and Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, puts on The Wizard of Oz.
- 3 p.m. Trick-or-Treat on the Mile begins, with participating Miracle Mile businesses handing out candy until 6 p.m.
- 3:30 p.m. Face painting and a balloon artist set up along the Mile.
- 3:45 p.m. The Actors' Playhouse Musical Miracles give a Spooktacular Performance, followed by the Kiddie Costume Parade at 4:30.
- 4 p.m. The Día de los Muertos celebration opens at Ponce Circle Park, 2810 Ponce de Leon Blvd. The Consulate of Mexico presents it, with traditional Mexican performances, music, dance and food until 9 p.m.
- 5 p.m. A magic show closes out the trick-or-treat programming on Miracle Mile.
- 6 p.m. Drink-or-Treat, the city's self-guided downtown crawl, starts at participating bars and restaurants.
- 8 p.m. Actors' Playhouse stages Jekyll & Hyde, rated PG-13.
The overlaps are what make the route work. The Mile and Ponce Circle Park share the 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. window, so a family can let younger trick-or-treaters finish on Miracle Mile and then head over for the evening performances. The crawl starts as the candy ends. Ponce Circle Park keeps going until 9 p.m.
The Parking Math Favors Staying All Day
A seven-hour day changes the parking decision. The city's garage rates are $1 per 24 minutes or any part of that, roughly $2.50 an hour, with an $18 daily cap. The options are Garage 1 at 245 Andalusia Ave., Garage 2 at 220 Aragon Ave., Garage 4 at 385 Andalusia Ave., Garage 6 at 51 Aragon Ave. and the Minorca Garage at 254 Minorca Ave. On-street meters charge up to $3.50 an hour, and the city enforces them every day from 9 a.m. to midnight, so Halloween night gets no break at the curb.
Parking in a garage from the 2 p.m. dog contest to the 9 p.m. end of Día de los Muertos is 420 minutes, or 18 billing periods once the last partial period rounds up, which comes to exactly the $18 cap. Staying past 9 p.m. for Jekyll & Hyde or a final crawl stop costs nothing more. A car left on a meter for the same stretch can cost noticeably more. Two short visits, one for the kids' events and one for the evening, would mean paying twice for an hour or more of overlap.
You may not need to drive at all. The city's Halloween notice says the Coral Gables Trolley will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 31. The trolley's Ponce de Leon route runs from Douglas Metrorail Station up to Flagler Street. Freebee is the city's free, on-demand electric-vehicle service, booked through its app. It covers downtown and runs until midnight on Saturdays, two hours after the trolley stops. For anyone staying for Jekyll & Hyde or a late last round, Freebee is the ride home.
The city's Halloween pages don't announce any event street closures. Separately, the city's construction projects page shows sidewalk beautification on Biltmore Way between Anderson Road and Segovia Street starting Monday, Oct. 26. Phase 1 is scheduled to run through Nov. 10, so it will still be underway on Halloween. The city asks pedestrians to follow posted signage near active work areas.
The Crawl Already Starts at 3
Drink-or-Treat officially starts at 6 p.m., but several participating restaurants start their specials earlier, timed to the family events. On Miracle Mile, El Ñaño Miami at 339 Miracle Mile runs an extended happy hour from 3 to 9 p.m. with a La Llorona-themed cocktail. On Giralda Plaza, Eating House at 128 Giralda Plaza has a live DJ for happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. These specials overlap with Trick-or-Treat on the Mile.
Drink-or-Treat doesn't need tickets. Participants pick up a punch map card at their first stop and get a punch with each drink purchase. Three punches earn a limited-edition souvenir glass, given out first-come, first-served at select restaurants marked on the city's map. Because the glasses are limited, the earlier stops are where you're more likely to finish a card and get one.
Here is the participating list by area, from the city's page:
| Area | Participating spots | Specials worth timing |
|---|---|---|
| Miracle Mile | 450Gradi, Ami Ami, Armstrong Jazz House, Benihana, El Ñaño Miami, Francesco, FUKU, John Martin's, La Birra Bar, Salumeria 104, Sushi Sake | 450Gradi: all drinks $10 from 6 to 9 p.m. Francesco: $12 Inka Blood pisco cocktail all day. John Martin's: its themed Halloween Bar |
| Giralda Plaza | Aromas del Peru, Cebada Rooftop, Costazul, Coyo Taco, Eating House, The Bar | Cebada Rooftop: happy hour 5 to 8 p.m. Costazul: extended happy hour until 9 p.m. and a $15 Jalea de Corvina |
| Elsewhere downtown | Americana Kitchen, Bay 13, Bouchon Bistro, Five Iron Golf, Fleming's, Fogo de Chão, Hotel Colonnade Lobby Bar, Mister O1, Morton's, Pizza Bear, Sushi Maki | Morton's: Power Hour 6 to 10 p.m. Five Iron Golf: $8 Final Injection margarita and a DJ. Americana Kitchen: Phantom Fizz, a nonalcoholic option |
The city says participants and specials may change and that more locations will be announced as they're confirmed. Check the map again on Friday before you plan your stops.
Along the Route, Places That Weren't Open Last Halloween
A lot of downtown restaurants and shops have changed since last October, and several new ones sit along the route.
Imoto, the Japanese and Asian sister restaurant to Buccan, opened in mid-October at 100 Miracle Mile, after The Burn Miami reported an Oct. 12 opening date. The Infatuation said its opening completed the Buccan group's lineup on the Mile. It serves dinner only, from 5 to 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Its 5 p.m. opening fits between the magic show and the start of the crawl. A new restaurant on Halloween Saturday is a good reason to book ahead.
Bonsai Sushi opened at 111 Miracle Mile, in the former Chicken Kitchen space, according to The Burn Miami.
Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop took over the former Candle Land space at 154 Giralda Ave., The Burn Miami reported. This is its first Halloween on Giralda, a short walk from the Mile.
Zuccaly, an 8,000-square-foot Italian food hall at The Plaza, 111 Palermo Ave., has six food stations, an Italian market and a bar, according to the Miami New Times. Its soft-opening hours are over. The Zuccaly website now lists noon to 10 p.m. daily. With six stations, a mixed group can order different things and still eat together before the evening events.
A few changes go the other way. Sra. Martinez at 2325 Galiano St. served its last meals in late September, and its owners told The Burn Miami they may eventually use the space for another concept. Canelita Cheesecake closed its shop at 374 Miracle Mile and is moving to Miami proper, The Burn Miami reported.
The Weekend Before, and What Follows
The post goes up on the Thursday before Halloween, and the weekend in between has its own lineup. The city's Halloween Spooktacular is Friday, Oct. 23, at 1 p.m. at the Adult Activity Center, 2 Andalusia Ave. The first Morocco Days in Miami takes over 2810 Ponce de Leon Blvd., the Ponce Circle Park address, on Oct. 23 and 24. On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Coral Gables Country Club at 997 N. Greenway Drive hosts its Pumpkin Float, with family pumpkin carving, snacks and floating jack-o'-lanterns. Carving pumpkins a week early means they'll be ready for porches on Oct. 31.
After Halloween, downtown slows down. Gables Gallery Night falls on the first Friday of each month from 6 to 10 p.m., so the next two are Nov. 6 and Dec. 4. Friday, Nov. 13, is a double night. The free 18th Annual William M. Schiff Art Show runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Palace, 1 Andalusia Ave., and Art in the Park starts at 7 p.m. at Ponce Circle Park.
The restaurant openings continue too. Haute Living reports that La Pecora Bianca is still aiming for a November opening at 360 San Lorenzo Ave. in the Shops at Merrick Park, which would be its first location outside New York. Havana Harry's at 4612 Le Jeune Road is promoting a refurbished return this fall without an exact date, according to The Burn Miami. Lira House has said it will open at 223 Valencia Ave., the former Maroosh space, and an H&H Bagels is planned for 2614 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Neither has announced an opening date.
Halloween shows how much of downtown Coral Gables you can reach on foot between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. If the day has you wondering which Gables streets put Miracle Mile and Ponce Circle within walking distance, the team at Juliana Savoia Group knows these blocks well and is happy to talk them through with you. Request a Private Consultation.
