The Ocean Drive Promenade Music Series runs three more Sundays — July 12, 19, and 26 — with free outdoor classical music at Lummus Park, and all you need is a blanket and a free evening.

The Miami Beach Classical Music Festival is performing opera arias, Broadway selections, chamber music, and orchestral works at the park between 14th Street and 14th Place along Ocean Drive. Concerts run from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The series opened Sunday, July 5. Three performances remain on the schedule:

  • Sunday, July 12 — Opera Concert 2 (opera arias and Broadway selections)
  • Sunday, July 19 — Chamber Music
  • Sunday, July 26 — Festival Finale

No tickets, no registration, no cost. Bring a lawn chair, a picnic, or just show up.

Ceci Velasco, executive director of the Ocean Drive Association, is the point of contact for the series. The association presents the concerts with support from the City of Miami Beach, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, and The Betsy Hotel. The Betsy, owned and operated by the Plutzik Goldwasser family at 1440 Ocean Drive, serves as both a sponsor and the rain backup venue.

The GMCVB lists the concerts as part of Ocean Drive Arts, a broader series of free cultural events on the promenade that also includes visual art fairs and literary programming. The weekly series has featured artists beyond the classical festival, but the July lineup belongs entirely to the festival's emerging musicians.

For residents who want even more live music on Ocean Drive, The Betsy's daily jazz series runs seven days a week with no cover charge. On Friday, July 10, vocalist Carole Ann Taylor performs alongside the Angel Perez Trio starting at 6 p.m. Perez, a Miami-born pianist who earned his jazz degree from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, is joined by upright bassist Renee Cruz, a Cuban-American musician with a master's degree from Juilliard.

Upcoming community events on Ocean Drive

  • Friday, July 10, 6 p.m. — Jazz at The Betsy: Carole Ann Taylor w/ Angel Perez Trio, 1440 Ocean Drive (free)
  • Sunday, July 12, 6 p.m. — Ocean Drive Promenade Music Series: Opera Concert 2, Lummus Park (free)
  • Sunday, July 19, 6 p.m. — Ocean Drive Promenade Music Series: Chamber Music, Lummus Park (free)
  • Sunday, July 26, 6 p.m. — Ocean Drive Promenade Music Series: Festival Finale, Lummus Park (free)