Jingle and Mingle: Holiday Parties at Hotels, Restaurants & Venues
As groups start to meet in-person again, there has been an uptick in holiday party planning. Catering companies, hotels and restaurants are gearing up to provide the perfect holiday party comeback, giving groups all they need for the ultimate “jingle and mingle” this winter.
Bill Hansen Catering + Villa Woodbine + Hot Chocolate Bar
Bill Hansen Catering has brought back its hot chocolate bar, which can be incorporated in small or large gatherings for a cozy treat with toppings like crushed candy canes to choose from. Villa Woodbine is a venue located in Coconut Grove, which can accommodate 400 guests.
Grateful Palate Catering & Events in Fort Lauderdale, has over 4,000 square feet of event space to host holiday parties featuring themed menu items. The waterfront location overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway.
With specialty holiday culinary offerings like its Holiday Cranberry Mojito, Constellation Culinary Group provides a customized experience catered to any party at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits’ SGWS Wynwood. This venue has a total of four different event spaces and can seat around 230 guests.
Tropical Holidays + The Marker Key West Harbor Resort
The newly-updated event spaces at The Marker Key West Harbor Resort, which totals 1,400 square feet, The Marker provides a slice of paradise and true holiday retreat for any group. Even though the views of Duval street and Mallory Square are breathtaking, the event space ties the entire aura of the hidden sanctuary of lush tropical grounds together.
Hotel Effie was made for a one-of-a-kind holiday event. Ideally located in north Florida along the Emerald Coast, Hotel Effie is located at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, which transforms into a holiday wonderland during the festive period. The property boasts a 13,000 square-foot ballroom located on the first floor which can be converted to six individual rooms.
With holiday cocktail offerings as well as pool and beach access, there is no better way to ring in the holiday season -- the Miami way. Located in Miami Beach, the iconic Shelborne South Beach boasts Art Deco design details and has a playful modern touch throughout with over 30,000 square feet of event space for festive gatherings.
There’s nothing quite like a holiday party among the beautiful Miami skyline at The Gabriel Miami. With 12,000 sq. ft. of flexible indoor and outdoor event space, featuring two expansive pool decks and incredible city views, The Gabriel Miami provides a unique backdrop for intimate holiday gatherings.
The Gabriel South Beach is the new jewel open on Ocean Drive. With a secret rooftop glass pool in addition to indoor and outdoor event spaces, the hotel embodies holiday magic. Its lounge spaces and jaw-dropping view of South Beach makes it an ideal spot for a true Miami holiday party or cocktail reception.
The Balfour Hotel boasts an intimate courtyard and flex space suitable for a holiday celebration of at least 75 people. With an ode to its Latino roots, coquito and other holiday cocktails can be requested at the bar.
THesis Hotel Miami, located in the heart of Coral Gables, has over 20,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space. With an expansive, breezy Paseo decorated by string lights, the flexible spaces and culinary offerings by Food & Wine’s Best New Chef 2020 Niven Patel makes for a special holiday party.
Holidays @ Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
The Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science holds celebrations and ceremonies within their 16 event spaces totaling 1000,000 square feet. This holiday season, Frost Science has created holiday party packages featuring daytime and evening receptions, museum passes and holiday cocktails created by Constellation Culinary Group. The main space fits 5,000 guests standing and 430 guests seated. You can capture your event under the stars of the Frost Planetarium, on the Rooftop Terrace, next to the Gulf Stream Oculus and you can even live-stream it for guests.
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) has an exclusive partnership with Constellation Culinary Group, which offers customizable holiday menus and decor for groups large and small. It features sweeping views of Biscayne Bay, outdoor plazas with lush vegetation cascading from the canopy's overhang, and a variety of modern indoor and outdoor spaces for various events and meetings totaling 200,000 square feet and accommodates up to 500 guests.
From cooking demo offerings to curated holiday menu items by Constellation Culinary Group, Bistro at Sarasota Art Museum will accommodate any holiday party needs. The Sarasota Art Museum is the place to dine and dance into the night surrounded by replicas of ancient Greek, Roman and Baroque statuary on magnificently manicured lawns with four different event spaces that can fit 570 people maximum.
Whether the event is corporate or social, holiday food and beverage packages are provided by Constellation Culinary Group. The Norton Museum of Art has brought in dynamic indoor and outdoor spaces that allow for jaw-dropping views with over six acres of land, 19,750 square feet of event space, and 10 different spaces to choose from.
Known for its array of live shows, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County boasts a massive entertainment space for the intimate or large holiday party. Accommodating anywhere from 50 to 2,400 guests, the gorgeous venue -- in partnership with Constellation Culinary Group -- has many options for holiday celebrations, including dinner and a show.
Award-winning sushi restaurant, Uchi, located in Miami’s arts and entertainment Wynwood district, has a private dining room which seats up to 28 and can be split into two separate rooms, perfect for an intimate holiday gathering. The maximum capacity for Uchi’s half-room PDR is 14 and 28 guests in the full room. The restaurant was designed by Miami artist and textile designer Elan Byrd who designed woven wall hangings that celebrate the texture, and organic natural forms found in nature. The restaurant's menu consists of hot and cool tastings, sushi and sashimi, makimono, yakimono, tempura, specials and changing omakases based on seasonal items. PHOTO CREDIT: Chase Daniels
Host Events with an Oceanfront View at Café Americano
Café Americano’s Ocean Drive location provides oceanfront terrace dining throughout their spacious patio and second story deck. The Terraza By Café Americano (Second Floor) Ocean Drive offers a beautiful outdoor terrace that overlooks the beach. A cocktail event can host up to 150 people and a sit-down dinner can host up to 100 people.
Get Festive @ EST. 33 Thai Craft Brewery & Kitchen
EST. 33 Thai Craft Brewery & Kitchen is a dining experience inspired by a harmonious blend of Eastern and Western cultures and the confluence of heritage and innovation, located in Brickell City Center. EST. 33 features 93 seats nestled indoors and an expansive covered outdoor patio with 62 seats overlooking Brickell City Centre’s atrium. The full space of the restaurant is 5,000 sq ft with a whole buyout capacity of 160 and the half space is 3,000 sq ft, including the patio with a buyout capacity of 100 maximum. Photo Credit: 52 Chefs
Villa Azur, Miami Beach’s South of France-inspired dining destination, features a versatile, yet stunning 8,000 square-foot dining room, adorned with the glamour and charm of the French and Italian Rivieras. The atmosphere is a culmination of culture and design, set in an open format for added adaptability, and is capable of accommodating up to 280 guests for a seated dinner and 400 standing guests.
A Fort Lauderdale landmark since 1982, the recently renovated Shooters Waterfront Restaurant just launched a trio of new private event and meeting spaces totaling 6,000 square feet and can seat up to 175 guests on their second floor. Floor-to-ceiling windows conveniently slide open to offer an unobstructed view of the Intracoastal Waterway allowing guests the salty air feel with the luxury of air conditioning and safety from inclement weather. The attendees will enjoy the option to arrive by boat or yacht.
