Miami is a sunny respite from too much winter by March and April--but there is nothing laid-back about the city. From its waterfront to its farm acreage, Miami puts on a constant show of prize livestock, award-winning films, racing yachts, ethnic foods and superstar sports competitions. Dance in the streets or set your sails on Biscayne Bay. You can relax on some other vacation.
World-Class Tennis
In March, the Sony Ericsson Tennis Open takes over Miami's Key Biscayne with some of the biggest names in international tennis fighting for millions of dollars in prize money in what has become the fifth largest tennis tournament in the world. The 12-day challenge is a tough, world-class competition and a giant sun-filled party on an island connected by causeway, yacht and powerboat to downtown Miami. There are day and night games and every price point of entry to watch the matches, from grounds passes to luxury stadium suites. The 2011 Open is scheduled from March 21 through April 3.
Under Sail
Miami Sailing Week, scheduled for March 7 through 12, 2011, is six days of regattas, sailing events, demonstrations, serious partying and art and cultural exhibits ranging along the waterfront and out on Biscayne Bay. Historic and stunning Coral Reef Yacht Club is headquarters and host club for the festivities and competitions which include plenty of race starts and the legendary Bacardi Cup Challenge. Key Biscayne Yacht Club, and the Coconut Grove Sailing Club partner in hosting activities and berthing boats. Talk your way onto one as a sailor or a spectator. Enter your own boat or bring the binocs and a camp chair down to the waterfront and cheer for your favorite spinnaker.
International Film Festival
The Miami International Film Festival, hosted by the Miami Film Society and produced by Miami Dade College, presents new and groundbreaking work, from documentaries to indie films, shorts to feature-length movies, retrospectives of acclaimed filmmakers to emerging artists. The festival has been making waves since 1984 and now screens films in theaters all over the city for two weeks of cutting-edge cinema and directors' cuts. Think Cannes---but more casual. See the latest from Latin America and daring films from everywhere else. Packed houses, lots of popcorn, serious cinephiles, celebrities and Miami's social set. Check the website after the first of the year for updates on the season's lineup.
County Fair
The Miami-Dade County Fair and Expo turns 60 in 2011. The annual March fair showcases the work and skills of 50,000 students with competitions, ribbons and prizes. Have some good old-fashioned fun on the carnival rides, eat corn dogs and probably grilled elote, win something you don't need playing games of skill and enjoy the live entertainment---Tito Puente Jr. to master fiddlers to Bengal tigers to pony rides and a petting zoo. It's nearly three weeks of 4-H competition, scholarship presentations and 86 acres of something happening every minute. Check out the fair on Facebook for updates on the annual schedule.
Calle Ocho Festival
The Calle Ocho Festival transforms 23 blocks of Miami's S.W. Eighth Street, Calle Ocho, the heart of the Cuban community, into a colorful, pulsing, crowded carnival. The festival is a live music extravaganza with strolling musicians, top recording artists, multiple stages and people dancing merengue, salsa and reggeaton in the streets. Most of the action is free, some performances are ticketed. The Calle 8 website posts entertainer schedules for the March event in February. Activities for the whole family give you plenty of choices---wear comfortable walking shoes and a sun hat, and sunscreen with very high UV protection.
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