07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Heading to Miami's Calle Ocho festival? Avoiding it? Here's how to navigate the roads
The Kiwanis Club of Little Havana's Carnaval Miami has come to define Miami in a way few festive events can manage.
Since its founding in 1978, the multi-event party has celebrated Hispanic culture. The annual festival draws more than a million people to the streets of Little Havana for the closing Calle Ocho Street Festival event.
The 2025 Calle Ocho music bash is Sunday, March 9. If you're going — and even if you're not — you should be aware of what happens to Miami traffic.
Here are the details:
When and where is Calle Ocho 2025?
When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, March 9.
Where: Southwest Eighth Street, stretching from Southwest 13th to 27th avenues.
What roads are closed?
Miami police released the following information about significant road closures starting ahead of the festival and throughout. Traffic patterns begin the day before the Sunday event.
Street Closures:
▪ Saturday, March 8
— 6 p.m.: Southwest 22nd Avenue will be closed between Southwest Seventh and Eighth streets.
— 9 p.m.: Eastbound traffic on Southwest Eighth Street from Southwest 27th Avenue to 13th avenues will be closed.
Detours and traffic routes:
▪ Eastbound traffic on Southwest Eighth Street will be detoured northbound or southbound at Southwest 27th Avenue.
— Alternate routes include Southwest First or 10th streets or Coral Way.
▪ Westbound traffic on Southwest Seventh Street will be detoured northbound or southbound at Southwest 12th Avenue.
— Alternate routes include Southwest Sixth Street, West Flagler Street or Coral Way.
What if you live there? Miami police say residents who live in these areas tied up by Calle Ocho will have local traffic access only to Southwest Seventh Street on the north side or Southwest Ninth Street on the south side. 'Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and use alternate routes to avoid delays in the area,' police said in a statement.
When will roads reopen to regular traffic? All roads and detours that started Saturday evening for the Sunday event will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, March 10.
Weather forecast
With Calle Ocho an outdoor festival, it's imperative Mother Nature cooperates. Call it the Kiwanis Club's pull or persuasive powers but according to the National Weather Service in Miami, Sunday will be Calle Ocho Weather.
That means no rain is forecast. No big chill. It'll be hot, hot, hot, perhaps. On stage and off. So wear comfy clothes and slather on sunscreen.
Meteorologists say the sunny Sunday high will be around 83. The south wind should be a steady 9 to 15 mph, but with some gusts blowing as high as 21 mph.
Who is headlining Calle Ocho?
Now that you got the traffic and weather info, here's some music news: Jay Wheeler is headlining the 2025 music fest.
You may know him from his first hit 'Ahora estoy mejor' or 'La curiosidad,' which netted him two 2021 Latin Grammys in the reggaeton and urban song categories.
KNOW MORE: Reggaeton star Jay Wheeler is king of Miami's Calle Ocho street festival
