The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne reopened on Dec. 8, 2025. It had been closed for a $100 million renovation, which was the resort's first major one since it was built. That date put last year's holidays out of order. The resort's restaurants were still closed at Thanksgiving, and the hotel had been open only about two weeks by Christmas.
This year is the first one with the hotel open the whole season, and the island's calendar now splits in two. The first half belongs to the Village and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. It runs from a 7:40 a.m. start at the lighthouse on Nov. 14 to a park cleanup on Dec. 12, and it costs at most $40. The second half belongs to 455 Grand Bay Drive. It starts with holiday cocktails on Dec. 20 and runs through New Year's Day breakfast. In between, the Ritz has Thanksgiving and Christmas menus, and Winterfest falls on the same weekend that marks a year since the hotel reopened.
The Season at a Glance
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 | 49th Annual Key Biscayne Lighthouse Run | Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, 1200 S. Crandon Blvd. | $40, online only |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Park cleanup, 9 to 11 a.m. | Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park | Volunteer |
| Thanksgiving | La Tavola del Ringraziamento | Luma, Ritz-Carlton | By reservation |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | SPAM Allstars, 4 to 5:30 p.m. | Village Civic Center, 530 Crandon Blvd. | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Winterfest, 4 to 7:30 p.m. | Village Civic Center, 530 Crandon Blvd. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Park cleanup, 9 to 11 a.m. | Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park | Volunteer |
| Mid-December | Winterfest Boat Parade | No Name Harbor | Date to be announced |
| Dec. 20 to Jan. 1 | Holiday cocktails | Dune Beach Bar, with 12 days of cocktails at the Rum Bar, Ritz-Carlton | Per drink |
| Dec. 24 to 25 | Christmas menus | Luma and Paralía | By reservation |
| Dec. 31 to Jan. 1 | New Year's Eve dinners and New Year's Day breakfast | Luma and Paralía | By reservation |
The Village and the park have published firm dates for every community event except the boat parade. The Ritz has listed its menus but not the times or prices for each meal. Book those through the reservation links on the resort's holiday page.
The First Half Starts at the Lighthouse
The season opens at the south end of the island. The 49th Annual Key Biscayne Lighthouse Run is on Saturday, Nov. 14. The 10K starts at 7:40 a.m. and the 5K at 7:50 a.m., both near the base of the Cape Florida Lighthouse. The Village says the course runs through the park and then onto Village streets. A volunteer Lighthouse Run Committee organizes the race.
Registration is $40 for either distance and closes online on Friday, Nov. 13, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. There is no race-day sign-up. Runners get into Bill Baggs free that morning. The organizers say net profits go to the volunteer groups and charities that take part, including MAST Academy Athletics, KB Presbyterian School, KB Soccer Club and the Girl Scouts. The registration fee goes back to island organizations.
The park plans a second event that same morning. Florida State Parks lists a cleanup at Bill Baggs from 9 to 11 a.m. on Nov. 14, at 1200 Crandon Blvd. That's roughly an hour after the 10K starts. You can finish the 5K, or cheer on someone who's running it, and then stay to pick up trash along the same shoreline. The park has a second cleanup on Saturday, Dec. 12, also from 9 to 11 a.m. That one closes out the community half of the season.
Thanksgiving Is the Ritz's First Since the Renovation
Thanksgiving is the date that shows what changed this year. In late November 2025 the resort was still closed for renovation. This year, Luma is serving La Tavola del Ringraziamento, which the Ritz describes as an Italian-inspired Thanksgiving feast.
Neither restaurant existed before the renovation. The Miami Herald reported that Luma replaced Lightkeepers and that Paralía took over the space where Cantina Beach used to be. According to the Herald, Luma serves Italian food, grilled fish, seafood and handmade pasta. Paralía serves Greek and Turkish dishes, grilled seafood, kebabs and Greek wines. In the same article, Gencom's Ignasi Puig said Paralía's tables sit nearly at the foot of the ocean. That makes this the first Thanksgiving with Italian dishes at Luma and the first holiday season with a Greek and Turkish menu at Paralía.
Winterfest Lands on the Ritz's Reopening Weekend
The middle of the season belongs to the Village. The Village describes Winterfest as a two-day celebration in early December. This year the two days are split:
- Saturday, Dec. 5: SPAM Allstars play a free concert at the Village Civic Center from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The show is part of the Village concert series.
- Sunday, Dec. 6: The main Winterfest runs from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the Village of Key Biscayne Civic Center, 530 Crandon Blvd. It has Santa's arrival, the lighting of the Village Christmas tree, amusement rides, performances by local community groups and food from Key Biscayne restaurants. The Village and the Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce present it together, and admission is free.
That Sunday is two days before the Ritz's first reopening anniversary. The Key Biscayne Independent's listing also puts the 2026 event at the Civic Center. The Village's general special-events page still describes Winterfest on the Village Green. The listings for this year give the Civic Center address.
The Village also lists a Winterfest Boat Parade at No Name Harbor in Bill Baggs, held each year in mid-December. No 2026 date has been posted, so check the Village's special events page closer to the holidays. If the parade follows its usual mid-December timing, it will fall between the Dec. 12 cleanup and the start of Dune Beach Bar's holiday cocktails on Dec. 20.
From Dec. 20, the Second Half Moves to Grand Bay Drive
Once the Village events wrap up, the Ritz's calendar takes over:
- Holiday cocktails. The Rum Bar is running "12 days of cocktails," with a different drink each day. Dune Beach Bar is pouring its own list of holiday drinks from Dec. 20 through Jan. 1. The Herald reported that the redesigned Rum Bar stocks 90 rums from the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Luma is serving Natale Sotto le Stelle, a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner from Chef Patrizio La Gioia, alongside its regular menu. It also has Natale a Tavola, a Christmas brunch of dishes from across Italy. Paralía is serving an Aegean Christmas Feast of holiday specials alongside its regular menu.
- New Year's Eve. Luma's "A Starry Night of Italian Elegance" is a four-course tasting menu with a midnight toast to 2027 and one bottle of Prosecco for every four guests. Paralía's Aegean New Year's Eve Family Feast comes as a prix fixe menu or as individual dishes.
- New Year's Day. Luma serves an Italian breakfast on Jan. 1.
The Ritz has posted menus but not prices. To compare the Luma and Paralía options for the same night, open each experience's reservation page.
A New Stop Before the Season Starts
One opening this fall gives the island one more place to eat. AMAND Café & Bistro held its grand opening at the Galleria Mall on Wednesday, Oct. 7, with a ceremony from noon to 1 p.m. and a ribbon cutting at 6 p.m., according to the Key Biscayne Independent's event listing. That puts a new café on Crandon's commercial strip between the lighthouse at one end of the season and the Ritz at the other.
The Causeway After Dark
Everything above happens on the island. The second half of the season runs late, though, and that puts anyone driving home from the mainland on the Rickenbacker Causeway after dinner. In March, WLRN reported on a nearly $4.1 million project to rehabilitate the West Bridges and William Powell Bridge, with P & P Contracting doing the construction. Work was set to start in spring 2026 and take about two years, with completion estimated for spring 2028. Closures were expected only overnight on weekdays, with each bridge down to one lane in each direction. WLRN noted that similar past projects scheduled that work between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve both fall on Thursdays this year, which are weeknights inside that work window. Miami-Dade's public notice for the project is the place to look for current lane-closure information.
Bear Cut Bridge is a separate, longer-term project. On Oct. 6, the County Commission adopted Resolution R-814-26, which approves an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for the bridge's Project Development and Environment study. The county's Bear Cut Bridge project page says the study will weigh rehabilitation and replacement options, with completion expected by March 2027. Design work comes after that. The study involves no construction this season.
At The Paiz Group, we follow the details of Key Biscayne's calendar, from the reopened Ritz to the Rickenbacker bridge work, because they shape island life all year. If you're thinking about what your Key Biscayne home is worth heading into this season, request your home value and we'll talk you through the numbers.
