What’s up with traffic in Miami? See what could delay you right now
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Miami traffic sees delays, detours and street closings from Boat Show and Arts Festival.
- South Beach and Collins Ave congested; use Alton Road or Pine Tree Drive.
- TomTom: Miami-area trips were nearly 50% longer on an average day last year.
Traffic in Miami can be challenging on routine days. So what happens when you add two major events to the mix, drawing tens of thousands of visitors and locals?
That’s where we are through the holiday weekend with the Miami International Boat Show and the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in town.
Expect delays, detours and street closings in Miami Beach and the Grove — whether you’re heading to and from the events, or just trying to pass by.
Here’s what to know:
Miami International Boat Show
Traffic choke points
The boat show stretches across four venues in 2026, with the Miami Beach Convention Center the main site. If you think South Beach is packed on a good day, expect the worst through Sunday. And the yachts return to the docks off Collins Avenue, just north of the Fontainebleau. With cars hemmed in by Indian Creek on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, it’s best to find alternate north-south routes including Pine Tree Drive and Alton Road. Expect heavier traffic on the MacArthur Causeway as well, which connects South Beach to downtown Miami. For people attending the boat show, shuttles are the way to get from venue to venue. But for the rest of us, take note of boat show times and locations.
More traffic details
Going to the Miami boat show? See how to get to and from the four sites
How bad will Miami traffic be near the boat show? Bad enough to share this
Coconut Grove Arts Festival
Traffic choke points
Getting in and out of the Grove isn’t easy the 51 other weekends each year when the art festival isn’t around. South Dixie Highway backs up, as does 27th Avenue. And Bayshore Drive can be a challenge. So if you’re not heading to Coconut Grove this Presidents Day Weekend through Monday, you may want to bypass the area. Luckily, work traffic will be thinner on the days of the festival, but several streets will close beginning Friday when vendors start setting up.
More traffic details
How to get in and around the Coconut Grove Arts Festival
Traffic in Miami
It’s not your imagination (or your road rage kicking in): The Miami area is the second most traffic-congested metro region in the United States. We trail only Los Angeles, according to a new report by location technology company TomTom. That means longer commutes. And bigger headaches. On an average day last year, traffic made Miami-area trips nearly 50% longer than they would have been on clear roads — up almost 20 percentage points from 2019, according to data from TomTom. During rush hour, drivers crawled along at an average speed of just under 19 miles per hour.