The gate charges nothing
The Miami Friends of the Japanese Garden hold a free fall festival on Sunday 1 November 2026 at the Ichimura Miami-Japan Garden on Watson Island. Festival hours run 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Park hours run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and park admission is free.
A group pays at the stops inside the gate. The Friends publish one payment rule for the day: cash only. The ticket page asks visitors to bring small bills for food and drink.
That rule sets the cash float for a delegation. A delegate carrying a card alone cannot buy lunch.
Set the arrival for 10:30 a.m.
The programme starts at 10:30 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m., which gives a group five and a half hours on site. The park opens at 9 a.m., so an early coach puts the group inside a garden with the programme still ahead of it.
The 11:15 tea ceremony is the anchor stop
The Friends cap tea ceremony seating at 25 ticket holders at 11:15 a.m. A second seating at 1:30 p.m. takes 25 more. A seat costs $10, and masks are required during the ceremony.
A group of 25 fills one seating. A group of 40 splits across both, and the two halves sit two hours and fifteen minutes apart. The tickets page sells 1 November seats in advance.
Ikebana runs free on a reserved ticket
Ikebana International Miami Chapter 131 runs two free sessions in the first tent, 11 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. A group reserves seats online for the session it wants, and the front desk holds additional tickets on the day.
The 1:30 ikebana session overlaps the 1:30 tea seating. A group taking both splits the day: ikebana at 11 a.m., tea at 1:30 p.m.
What the inside stops cost
The paid items run $10 to $20. A tea seat costs $10. A sushi sample plate costs $10, and a live sushi chef demonstration runs free beside it. A yukata session costs $10 for children and $20 for adults, runs 15 minutes, and sits behind the refreshment tent.
Free on the day: bon-odori, a cosplay contest with cash prizes, taiko drumming by Fushu Daiko, a martial arts demonstration, Japanese guitar and flute, a haiku discussion and the sushi-making demonstration.
The garage and the $15 day
Parking sits in the Jungle Island garage. The garage charges $20 for the day, and the garden hands out a $5 coupon during a festival, which brings the day to $15 per vehicle.
The directions page publishes one rate and no coach rate. A coach party confirms drop-off with the Friends before booking. The garden address is 1101 MacArthur Causeway, Watson Island, Miami 33139, and the park ranger dispatch line is 786-385-7609.
The rain term and the refund position
The Friends bill the festival as a live event that runs rain or shine, with a schedule that is approximate and subject to change. The event carries no rainchecks and no refunds.
Both lines belong in the group agreement. A planner booking a coach and a tea seating writes against both.
Booth space for a partner
A group that wants a presence at the gate buys vendor space. Inside spaces cost $45 each, and outside entrance spaces 23, 24 and 25 cost $25 each. Space sells first come, first served, with no refund and no raincheck. Vendors supply their own tent and table, and the spaces carry no electricity. Rick DelVecchio handles booth and sponsorship enquiries at 305-992-0703.
What a group leader takes away
A 10:30 a.m. start, a 25-seat tea seating at $10, free ikebana on a reserved ticket, a $15 garage day and a cash-only rule at the gate. Any payment made after 11 p.m. on Saturday 31 October needs a phone receipt shown at the front desk.
The Friends list three festival dates for 2026: 1 February, 3 May and 1 November. The fall date is the remaining one.