The floral umbrellas over the 100 block of Giralda Avenue come down after Saturday, Oct. 31. That same Saturday, Miracle Mile hosts an afternoon of trick-or-treating, and the city's Drink-or-Treat crawl starts at 6 p.m. Six days later, on Friday, Nov. 6, Giralda Live brings a Latin band to the plaza for the first time this season. Each of these was booked months ahead, and each has an end date posted.
That is how Coral Gables runs Giralda Plaza now. The city plans the block one season at a time, with art overhead and events on the pavement, each in its own time slot. This week the art comes down and the restaurants and the monthly music night take over as the reason to go.
The ceiling had a contract term
The art over the plaza this year was planned as a series with a set number of pieces. The City of Coral Gables announced the 2026 Giralda Sky Series in April. The plan called for two installations, one for May through July and one for August through October.
- Cielo Tejido: A Woven Sky covered the plaza from May through July. It used colorful handwoven textiles made by artisan women from Etzatlán, Mexico.
- Giralda in Bloom: A Floral Canopy replaced it with umbrellas printed in bright floral designs. Mayor Vince Lago led the dedication on Aug. 14.
The money behind it followed the same calendar. A Gables Gazette preview of the March 10 commission agenda reported a contract with Aver Productions for the temporary truss system holding up both installations. The estimate was $183,829.40 for six months. The Gables Courier noted that the figure covered the support structure only, not the full cost of the artwork. Six months of truss lines up with May through October, the two three-month pieces back to back.
The Gables Courier also reported that the city posted a reminder on Oct. 9 urging people to see the canopy before it comes down. The city's series page lists only the two installations and does not name a third or a 2027 series. Last year, a city holiday notice from Nov. 25, 2025, described banners, twinkling lights and a decorated Christmas tree on Giralda Plaza.
Why the umbrellas look familiar
Giralda in Bloom comes from Impact Plan, the Portugal-based creative agency behind the original Umbrella Sky Project. According to the Gables Courier, the same team hung more than 700 umbrellas over the plaza in 2018. That made Coral Gables the third U.S. location to host the concept. Coral Gables Magazine quoted Lago at the August dedication: "This was created by Impact Plan, the same team behind the Umbrella Sky sensation that captured everyone's attention here in 2018."
Lago called the installation a partnership with local retailers, meant to bring people downtown to shop and eat, as the Gables Courier reported. That partnership explains why the canopy's last day falls on one of the busiest restaurant nights on the city's calendar.
The block itself only became this kind of space in 2017. That year the city closed Giralda between Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Galiano Street to regular car traffic. Seeing the canopy is free and needs no reservation.
Saturday, Oct. 31, hour by hour
The city has scheduled the canopy's last day in two parts, one for families in the afternoon and one for adults after dark.
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Daylight | Last day to see Giralda in Bloom | 100 block of Giralda Avenue |
| 3 to 6 p.m. | Trick-or-Treat on the Mile, free | Miracle Mile |
| 3:30 p.m. | Face painting and balloon artistry | Miracle Mile |
| 5 p.m. | Magic show | Miracle Mile |
| 6 p.m. on | Drink-or-Treat, self-guided crawl | Restaurants and bars across downtown |
For Trick-or-Treat on the Mile, participating businesses hand out candy. Drink-or-Treat needs no ticket, though the city asks people to RSVP so it can estimate the crowd. Visit three participating stops and you earn a limited-edition souvenir glass. Pick up a punch map card at your first stop and get a punch with each drink you buy. The glasses are first-come, first-served and only available at certain restaurants, which are marked on the event map.
Six Giralda addresses are on the city's participant list, so you can get all three punches without leaving the pedestrian block:
- Aromas del Peru, 110 Giralda
- Cebada Rooftop, 124 Giralda
- Coyo Taco, 126 Giralda
- Eating House, 128 Giralda
- Costazul, 160 Giralda
- The Bar, 172 Giralda
Miracle Mile has its own stops on the list. 450Gradi at 130 Miracle Mile is pouring every drink, signature cocktails included, for $10 from 6 to 9 p.m. Ami Ami at 318 Miracle Mile has two seasonal wine drinks. One is the Blood Moon, made with red wine, blackberry syrup and citrus zest. The other is the Maple Murder, white wine with apple cider and maple. Armstrong Jazz House at 271 Miracle Mile is serving a Halloween take on an espresso martini. El Ñaño Miami at 339 Miracle Mile is stretching its happy hour from 3 to 9 p.m. That makes it easy to start the evening on the Mile and finish under the umbrellas while they're still up.
The newest table on the block
The newest restaurant on the plaza opened under the canopy without much notice. Bar Zorro, a Spanish tapas and cocktail bar at 146 Giralda, took over the former Clutch Burger space. The Burn Miami reported on Aug. 20 that it had started service "with no fanfare," while its website still said "coming soon." The same report said it belongs to the same restaurant family as Calista Taverna, the Greek seafood restaurant a couple of doors down.
Coral Gables Magazine's October roundup gives the details. The room has exposed brick, dark wood and vintage-style lighting. The menu is still growing, with more Spanish dishes being added next to the Tortilla de Patata and Pan con Tomate. The magazine listed these prices:
- Jamón Ibérico: $40
- Bacalao Croquetas: $15, three flattened croquetas topped with orange aioli
- Cocktails: $18, from fruit-forward spritzes to bourbon, mezcal and gin drinks
- Daily happy hour, 5:30 to 7 p.m.: $8 wines, $5 beers, $10 cocktails
During that happy hour, a cocktail costs $8 less than at full price. If you're heading to the Nov. 6 Giralda Live, getting to the plaza by 6:30 leaves time for a drink before the music starts at 8.
Friday, Nov. 6: the plaza's monthly event comes back
With the canopy gone, Giralda Live becomes the plaza's recurring city event. It runs on the first Friday of each month through May, from 7 to 11 p.m., with live music from 8 to 10 p.m. The city and Diageo put it on together.
The Nov. 6 performer is Pamir y La Pachanguísima, led by Grammy-winning Venezuelan flutist, saxophonist and vocalist Pamir Guanchez. The city describes the band's sound as a blend of salsa, tropical rhythms and jazz.
The season skips December. That leaves Nov. 6 as the only Giralda Live before the first Friday in January. No later performers have been announced yet.
Getting there and getting home
The trip home is where these two nights differ. The city's free trolley runs Monday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Halloween, a Saturday, that covers the family afternoon and the early part of Drink-or-Treat. On Nov. 6, the last trolley leaves an hour before Giralda Live ends.
Freebee's Coral Gables service runs Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to midnight, within its service area. Ride requests have to come in at least 30 minutes before closing, so 11:30 p.m. is the last call on both nights.
If you drive, the Gables Courier points to Garage 6 at 51 Aragon Avenue, a short walk from the plaza. The garage is on the city's list of parking garages.
At Silverleaf Realty Group, we keep track of what's changing in downtown Coral Gables, from new spots like Bar Zorro to the city's event calendar. If you're weighing a condo within walking distance of Giralda Plaza or thinking about selling one, Contact Us to talk through what that location means for your plans.
