Illustration by Alvaro-Diaz Rubio/@operationunderwear
Audio By Carbonatix
The most wonderful time of the year has arrived. No, we don’t mean World Cup season, though you can’t walk two steps in this city lately without someone sporting their favorite team jersey. And no, we’re not any closer to finding relief from this brutal Miami heat just yet.
Still, for hundreds of local creatives, businesses, restaurants, athletes, and attractions, June brings one major perk: learning whether they’ve been named among New Times’ Best of Miami winners.
In 2026, editors and contributors bestowed honors to locals in 340 distinct categories, and our audience voted more than 192,000 times to declare 141 winners in the Readers’ Choice poll.
About this year’s theme
In a year when Moon missions have us looking up, New Times took inspiration from the stars for an astrology theme. Illustrator Alvaro Diaz-Rubio, who has created several memorable Best of Miami covers (peep his 2018 DJ Khaled and 2019 circus editions), designed this year’s imagery.
A glimpse inside the print edition will reveal an Aries ram as a showgirl to introduce the Arts & Entertainment winners, a rollerblading Sag centaur for Sports & Recreation, a blazed Libra dealing out Shopping & Services awards, and a ravenous Taurus signaling the best places to Eat & Drink in Miami.
Music and culture journalist Kat Bein, a longtime member of the New Times family, came back into the fold to edit the issue. Don’t miss her astrologically-minded editor’s letter, in which she introduces herself as a “III Points sun, The Corner moon, and Croissan’Time rising.” (What’s your Big Three? I’m a Bill Baggs Sun, Zipodes Moon, and The Globe rising.)
We’re so excited to finally have this issue out after about four months of planning, deliberating, commissioning, writing, and illustrating. In tough economic times, it’s a privilege to spotlight the people and places who make Miami the world-famous cultural metropolis we know today. We hope you’ll go out and support these homegrown artists, businesses, and organizations.
You can see it here: Miami New Times’ Best of Miami® 2026.
Best of Miami® 2026 was written by Juliana Accioly, Grant Albert, Celia Almeida, Frank Alvarado, Kristin Björnsen, Elisabeth Campbell, Alex DeLuca, Carolina del Busto, Edysmar Diaz-Cruz, Asha Elias, Osvaldo Espino, Flor Frances, Carlos Omar Gardinet, Shanae Hardy, Jane LaCroix, Samuel Loetscher, Nicole Lopez-Alvar, Shawn Macomber, Genna Mark, Doug Markowitz, Isabel Maza, Scott McLendon, Sophia Medina, Yuval Ofir, Mario Rodriguez, David Rolland, Jesse Scott, Katie Sipes, Victoria Stanzione, Michelle Solomon, Liz Tracy, Caroline Val, Kearra Weiting, and Isabel Wilder. Art direction and design by Kristin Björnsen.
