November in Florida: 11 can’t-miss events
November’s biggest events are bringing mouthwatering food, one-of-a-kind art, environmental education, and the best music performances to Florida this year.
Between rising political tensions and a slew of natural disasters, it seems like our fair Florida can’t catch a break this year. The good news is that November is offering up a heaping list of events you can get out to take your mind off of things, and they all offer something unique. There are culinary festivals for all the foodies out there and artsy events for those who prefer a more cerebral outing. Others still focus on animal preservation, live music, and written media.
Sadly, some of our favorite events aren’t returning this year, potentially due to this fall’s natural disasters, including the annual Orchid Sale and Symposium and Santa’s Enchanted Forest. Still, there’s plenty to do this November—just make sure you get out and vote on Tuesday, November 5, as it’s the most can’t-miss event of the month.
With that established, let’s delve into 11 events that are sure to brighten up The Sunshine State this November.
1. Florida Seafood Festival
Date: Friday-Saturday, Nov. 1-2
Location: Battery Park (1 Bay Ave, Apalachicola, FL 32320)
Cost: Free Friday, $5 on Saturday
The 61st Annual Florida Seafood Festival will see thousands of people gather at Battery Park for two days of nonstop seafood goodness, ranging from lip-smacking treats to riveting events like blue crab races, an oyster shucking contest, and an oyster eating contest. Soundtracking all of this will be live Christian music, and with so much fresh, Florida-caught seafood to go around, you’ll no doubt leave the event full and happy both days.
Remember to look into any additional fun you want to have, including running the event’s 5K, watching the annual parade, entering the photo contest, and learning about why the festival came to be in the first place—something the event’s organizers are very passionate about.
Overall, this event is a great way to get out and breathe some fresh air after all of Halloween’s festivities, and you won’t be disappointed by the seafood options at your disposal.
2. Seminole American Indigenous Arts Celebration
Date: Friday-Saturday, Nov. 1-2
Location: Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum (34725 West Boundary Rd, Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation)
Cost: $10
Defined as “a place to learn, a place to remember” in the Seminole language, Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki is the perfect name for this museum, which hosts an annual Indigenous arts festival on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation.
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days of the event, attendees will bear witness to beautiful live music from Indigenous musicians, alligator wrestling handled like true professionals, several types of dance performances from different Indigenous tribes, and so much more. You’ll even have the chance to take a photo with an alligator. On top of this, you’ll have plenty of time to peruse Indigenous art at a number of booths, as well as taste authentic Native American dishes from the event’s food vendors. If that weren’t enough, the event provides attendees with free admission to the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum for the first time ever, giving you even more to see and experience during your time on the reservation. You only have to pay the admission price to the event to gain access to the museum, and parking is free, too.
Put all of this together, and you’ve got a weekend that you’re bound to not only learn a lot from but also remember for so many years to come.
3. Right Whale Festival
Date: Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 2-3
Location: Main Beach Park (32 N. Fletcher Ave, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034)
Cost: Free
The 2024 Right Whale Festival is blending fun and function this November, giving attendees a fun weekend out while simultaneously educating them on animal conservation.
Here’s the short of it: Right whales give birth across the Atlantic coast each fall, and they stay for a while to nurse. The Right Whale Festival, then, gives folks a glimpse at the whales to help them witness and understand them, which, in turn, ideally helps folks realize that there are tangible ways to prevent further ocean damage—especially considering that there are fewer than 400 right whales left in the world.
Of course, you can also go for the food, arts and crafts, an array of athletic events, and educational exhibits that will be spread across the park, but weather permitting, don’t miss your chance to see the right whales from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on November 2 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on November 3. You never know when you’ll get to see them again.
4. Country Bay Music Festival
Date: Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 9-10
Location: Miami Marine Stadium (3501 Rickenbacker Cswy, Miami, FL 33149)
Cost: $199.99+
The sweet sounds of guitar plucking and Southern twang will reverberate out of Miami Marine Stadium this November thanks to the Country Bay Music Festival’s star-studded lineup. Headlining the country-music celebration are Carrie Underwood and the Zac Brown Band, with each artist closing the festival on their own day. The good times don’t stop with them, though. Plenty of other country artists are set to perform, including Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Redferrin, and more.
The event will be held from 1 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. each day, though we recommend arriving early to secure good spots since it’s a general admission event. Note that the stadium has free water-filling stations so everyone can stay hydrated throughout both days of the festival. So, grab your favorite cowboy hat and boots, and dance the day away to some classic country tunes this November.
5. Downtown Festival & Art Show
Date: Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 9-10
Location: Bo Diddley Plaza (111 East University Ave, Gainesville, FL)
Cost: Free
The 43rd Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show is Gainesville’s premier fall outing, and you can catch it early this November—just in time to have something to say come Thanksgiving dinner when your extended family asks you what you’re thankful for this year. And there’s plenty to be grateful for here: From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day of the event, attendees will be treated to more than 200 artists displaying and selling their art, including paintings, photography, culinary confections, glass creations, statement jewelry pieces, and so much more. Of course, music is art, too, which is why live performers are set to soundtrack both days of the event.
The city is a celebration of everything that makes Gainesville special, but even if you’re not from Gainesville, there’s a whole lot to love in this town’s annual art festival.
6. Flutterby Arts Festival
Date: Sunday, Nov. 10
Location: The Pavilion at Watersound Town Center (5 Origins Main St, Watersound, FL 32461)
Cost: Free
Another art festival happening the same weekend as Gainesville’s is the Flutterby Arts Festival, which is entering its 32nd celebration of butterfly migration.
For those who don’t know, monarch butterflies are the sole butterfly species that act like birds when it comes to their migration patterns—that is to say that monarchs have two-way migration seasons just like their avian cousins. Thus, the Flutterby Arts Festival, held by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, honors them by gathering the community for a day full of food, games, and a butterfly parade. More specifically, you can expect to get down and dirty with exciting lawn games, try some of the best local cuisine thanks to on-site food trucks, peruse local art at the event’s artist market, and dance to live music throughout the day.
So, if you’re in the area, mark your calendar for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 10, because this is an event you won’t want to miss.
7. Asian Lantern Festival: Into the Wild
Date: Friday-Sunday, Nov. 15-Jan. 19
Location: Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens (3755 W. Seminole Blvd. Sanford, FL 32771)
Cost: $22 for one ticket or $70 for four tickets
According to the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon—more specifically, the Wood Dragon—and the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens is celebrating this regal beast during its Asian Lantern Festival this winter.
The exhibit is called “Into the Wild” this year, and it immerses you in intricate lanterns that are lit up with LED lights, which help bring them to life right in front of your eyes. The exhibit is ¾ of a mile long, and all of the lanterns you see are made and displayed by hand, making the zoo’s Asian Lantern Festival a truly heartfelt ode to traditional Asian lantern festivals. The “Into the Wild” display is only available to view on certain days, so be sure to book your tickets in advance online so that you’re guaranteed admittance.
That said, we recommend going twice this year, once for the traditional experience and a second time for the “Holiday section” that the zoo notes is coming this year. Oh, and did we mention Santa will be at the exhibit for a few days in December? Altogether, this is going to be a cheery, colorful time—just don’t forget to wear your walking shoes.
8. Miami Book Fair
Date: Sunday-Sunday, Nov. 17-24
Location: Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus
Cost: $12 for one day, $18 for multiple days
Each fall, the Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus becomes inundated with readers, booksellers, presses, writers, and everything in between. In fact, the Miami Book Fair’s website notes that thousands and thousands of people, ranging from consumers to businesspeople and authors themselves, bring this literary festival to life—and that’s about as close to heaven on Earth as you can get, if you ask us.
Here, you can roam the streets and interact with countless writers and presses, which is perfect for any aspiring authors in Florida who want to get out and make new connections. But readers aren’t left in the dust—you can connect directly with the people who bring your favorite stories to bookstore shelves, as well as buy a whole slew of new-to-you books. (Pro tip #1: Bring an empty backpack or tote bag for all the books you’re inevitably going to buy.) The Miami Book Fair is also littered with talks, autograph sessions, and other events, so be sure to keep an eye on the official schedule so you don’t miss anything. (Pro Tip #2: Definitely don’t miss this if you work or study at Miami Dade College, as faculty and students get free access to the street fair.)
9. P!nk concert with three special guests
Date: Monday, Nov. 18
Location: Camping World Stadium (1 Citrus Bowl Place, Orlando, FL 32805)
Cost: $31+
P!nk is bringing her Summer Carnival Tour 2024 to Florida this November, and it comes with three show-stopping supporting acts that are sure to electrify Orlando’s Camping World Stadium: Sheryl Crow, Maren Morris, and KidCutUp.
The tour originally started in early June 2023, with the “What About Us” singer galavanting across Europe for more than a month before returning to the U.S. Since then, she’s announced new batches of tour dates, including this fall’s stop in Orlando. Some stops even get a surprise duet with P!nk and her daughter, Willow Sage Hart, to the song “Cover Me in Sunshine”—a moment sure to make everyone emotional. Plus, P!nk is known for her aerial acrobatics while performing, so you’re bound to experience a show full of not only emotion but also pure, unadulterated entertainment.
Make sure you get a snippet of P!nk’s stunts for your Instagram Story—everyone will be jealous they missed it.
10. 2024 American Sand Sculpting Championship
Date: Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 21-24
Location: 2000 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931
Cost: $5
Florida’s perimeter largely consists of beaches, which gives it unique and fun art opportunities like sand sculpting. Sand is a fickle medium, and factors like moisture content can potentially change one’s sculpting outcome with little recourse. However, masters of the craft always pull through, and this year, they’re gathering on Fort Myers Beach for the 2024 American Sand Sculpting Championship. Tickets are already on sale, and they only cost $5 for adults, while children under 2 can attend for free.
The event’s website provides a sample of the phenomenal sculpting that these artists are able to pull off, including giant and intricate birds, castles, and humans, and if this year’s sculptors pull off sand sculptures even half as impressive as these ones, you won’t want to miss witnessing them in person. Live music and delicious food will be the perfect cherries on top of a fun weekend under the November sun. Plus, the championship has children’s activities, so the kiddos in your life won’t be bored for a single second.
11. Shopapalooza
Date: Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1
Location: Vinoy Park (701 Bayshore Drive NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701)
Cost: Free
November picks up on the heels of Halloween, and it ends on the cusp of the Christmas season, which is precisely why Shopapalooza swoops into St. Petersburg on the last weekend of the month and gives you a fun weekend to kickstart your holiday shopping. This year, Shopapalooza is the day after Black Friday, so you’ll want to plan ahead and make sure to save some of your hard-earned cash to support local businesses during this two-day shopping spree.
The best part of Shopapalooza is the sheer number of businesses that take part. Attendees will be able to peruse a vast majority of goods and services, including food, clothing, art, photography, wellness products, home decor, books, and so much more. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days, but we recommend arriving right when it opens so you have the full day to walk around.
You never know what you’ll find, and you won’t want to be rushed, especially with the event’s website noting that more than 350 businesses typically partake in the festivities. So, if you’re going to be thankful for one thing on Thanksgiving weekend, let it be Shopapalooza.