What to do on 4th of July in South Beach

Ahhhh…..4th of July. That time of year when we celebrate the birth of this great nation by grilling up more meat than humanly possibly and watching stuff explode in the sky. Or, if you’re in Miami, watching South Americans play soccer. But if you’re not trying to sepnd all day over an open flame, and want to get out and let someone else run the party, South Beach has a ton of options. Here are 8 great events to hit up in South Beach this Independence Day.

How much did you spend on your 4th of July barbecue last year? And did you have Kobe burgers, shrimp kebabs and a full Bloody Mary bar? If your answers were “More than $49” and “No,” then you’ll be far better off saving yourself the grill cleaning and hitting up the James Royal Palm where they’ve got all that stuff, plus steaks, brats and chicken kebabs, plus a front-row seat to the Miami Beach fireworks.

Because nothing says “Celebrating America’s independence” like consuming ungodly amounts of pork products, Nikki Beach is turning its 4th of July beach party into “Bacon Beach,” where for $25 you can eat stuff like bacon deviled eggs, beer candied bacon, bacon crab cakes, bacon mac and cheese, bacon BBQ chicken drumsticks and bacon beef franks. Get tickets here.

Cedric Gervais holds up his part of the Independance Festival - which goes all weekend- by headlining a poolside set (some might call this a “pool party”) with Michael Woods, Digital Lab, Damaged Goods & Andres Fresko at the Raleigh Hotel. Get tickets here for the party goes from 12 p.m. - 11 p.m. rain or shine. Which, as well all know, are equally probable.

You heard about the new waterpark at Jungle Island, right? There’s a new waterpark at Jungle Island. There’s also a mega country music concert from 99.9 KISS Country with Casey James, Craig Campbell and line dancing. Yes, line dancing. And a chance to win a new 2014 Corvette. It’ll go from 2 p.m. - 9 p.m., $34.95 for adults, $26.95 for kids.

If you’re that rare breed of Miamian who actually enjoys a daytime party with music that’s NOT coming from a live-DJ, The National Hotel will be featuring live jazz and blues music by The Lenard Rutledge Band, who’ll be playing while the National grills up burgers, hot dogs and apple pie, right up until the Miami Beach fireworks start at 9 p.m.

If watching South Americans play soccer really is your idea of the perfect American holiday, head over to Balans on Lincoln Road where they’ll yellow card you (no, seriously, they give you a yellow card) which is good for a free Armdadillo Mojito shot, and a few lucky guests will get red-carded, which gets you $25 bar tab. And you don’t even have to bite anybody.

South Beach’s best weekly pool party takes it act from Sunday to Friday when local British favorite DJ Ollie Sanders headlines the Reload pool party at the Shore Club. They’ll be grilling too, but chances are if you’re at the Shore Club, the pool party the crowd’s gonna make you afraid to eat. You can get tickets here.

But really, let’s be honest, who wants to be OUTSIDE on 4th of July in Miami. If it’s not raining, it’s going to be ungodly hot. Or, more likely, ungodly hot, then raining, then ungodly hot AND humid. Why not enjoy the AC, and open bar, and tons of food in the 3-story, private-pooled penthouse of the Shore Club, then catch a birds-eye view of the fireworks at 9? $50 says you can.

Related Categories: Miami: Local News, Miami: Things to Do, About the Author: Matt Meltzer is a featured columnist at Miami Beach 411. See more articles by Matt Meltzer. See more articles by Matt Meltzer Was This Post Helpful? Please Share It With Others! Tweet

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