Free water taxis and art shuttles run Nov. 30 to Dec. 6 for Art Week Miami Beach. Here is where they stop, which garages serve them and what the city has planned.

Free water taxis will cross Biscayne Bay every seven to nine minutes during Art Week Miami Beach, which runs Monday, Nov. 30, to Sunday, Dec. 6. The City of Miami Beach set out the service, a fleet of free art shuttles and the week’s public program in a release Monday.

Art Basel Miami Beach is the anchor. The city said 272 galleries from 40 countries and territories will show at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Preview days are Dec. 2 and 3, and the public days are Friday to Sunday, Dec. 4-6. Ticket prices and fair rules are in our Art Basel guide.

“Art Basel sets the stage, and our city fills it with bold public art, museums, local artists and live performances in our parks and hotel lobbies,” Mayor Steven Meiner said in the release.

The free water taxi

The city’s release gives these details:

  • Route: Maurice Gibb Memorial Park, 1790 Purdy Ave., in Miami Beach, to the Venetian Marina and Yacht Club, 1635 N. Bayshore Drive, in Miami
  • How often: every seven to nine minutes
  • Hours: 10 a.m. to midnight Monday, Nov. 30, to Saturday, Dec. 5; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6
  • Parking: the Sunset Harbour Garage, 1900 Bay Road, serves the Miami Beach stop; the Omni Garage, 453 NE 15th St., serves the Miami stop

A Water Taxi Shuttle links the Purdy Avenue stop with the convention center at Convention Center Drive and 18th Street. The city puts the walk at 20 to 25 minutes.

The free art shuttles

The shuttles run every 10 to 15 minutes, on the same hours as the water taxis. The city said they can be tracked live through the Art Week Miami Beach website. There are three routes from the convention center:

Route Where it goes
South Beach Collins Avenue between 10th and 11th streets
Mid Beach Collins Avenue at 22nd, 32nd and 46th streets, and Royal Palm Avenue between 41st and 42nd streets
Design District NE 38th Street and NE 1st Court in Miami, using the Julia Tuttle Causeway’s inside shoulders

The city named these Park and Ride garages for the Miami Beach shuttle stops:

  • 42nd Street Garage, 4049 Royal Palm Ave., for the Royal Palm Avenue stop
  • 17th Street Garage, Pennsylvania Avenue Garage and City Hall Garage for the stop at Convention Center Drive and 18th Street
  • Sunset Harbour Garage, 1900 Bay Road, for the stop at Purdy Avenue and 18th Street

The city published a map of the water taxi, shuttle routes and Park and Ride garages.

The free Miami Beach Trolley will run more often, from 8 a.m. to midnight, Wednesday, Dec. 2, to Saturday, Dec. 5. The city reminded riders that e-bikes and e-scooters are not allowed on the beachwalk, sidewalks or other shared paths.

Free and public events

Most of the week’s program is open to anyone. From the city’s listing:

  • No Vacancy: 12 artists show new work in 12 hotel lobbies from Nov. 12 to Dec. 19, with a $10,000 public prize and a $25,000 juried prize. See our No Vacancy story for the hotels.
  • The Bass: free community day noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, and a Public Art Fund paddle event in Collins Park from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30.
  • New World Symphony: a free Wallcast and live performance by its fellows at SoundScape Park, 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5.
  • The Wolfsonian-FIU: free Art Week admission daily from 10 a.m.
  • Lincoln Road: two public installations, including 14 endangered-animal sculptures by Gillie and Marc from Drexel Avenue to the 1100 block.
  • REEFLINE: a beach performance with Miami City Ballet, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, outside the Andaz Miami Beach, 4041 Collins Ave.

Residents pick the city’s next artwork

The city’s Legacy Purchase Program returns for an eighth year. The Art in Public Places Committee picks three works by emerging artists at Art Basel. The public then votes for one, and the city buys it for permanent display in the convention center. The city said voting runs Nov. 20-23 and the winning work will be unveiled Dec. 1.

What it means for you

  • Leave the car: if you are going to the fair from the mainland, the water taxi and the Design District shuttle are free and skip the causeway traffic.
  • Park once: the Sunset Harbour, 17th Street and 42nd Street garages each sit on a free route.
  • Plan for busy streets around the convention center from Dec. 2 to 6. Our getting around guide has trolley routes and parking.
  • Vote Nov. 20-23 if you want a say in the city’s next public artwork.

More this season: things to do this month and holiday lights and Christmas events.