Miami 2021: The Comeback
Miami 2021 was the year the city came back — vaccines, reopening, a tech boom, the Surfside tragedy, and a restaurant scene that emerged from the pandemic stronger and more ambitious than ever.
Part of our ongoing curation of what it means to live, love, and play in the Magic City.
Miami 2021 was the year of the comeback — and it was one of the most extraordinary comebacks any city has ever made. The vaccines arrived, the case counts fell, the restrictions lifted, and the city that had been silenced by the pandemic began to find its voice again. The return was not instant, and it was not without setbacks. But it was real, and it was unmistakably Miami.
The tech boom that had been building since 2020 reached its most visible phase in 2021. Venture capital was flowing. Crypto companies were relocating. Hedge funds were moving from New York. The Brickell neighborhood, already established as a financial center, was developing the density of talent and capital that defines a genuine tech ecosystem. Miami Tech Week became a real thing. The city was becoming something it had never quite been before.
The Surfside tragedy in June cast a shadow over the year that no amount of recovery could fully lift. The collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium killed 98 people and left a community, a city, and a nation in shock. The grief was profound and public. The questions it raised about building safety, about deferred maintenance, and about the responsibilities that come with living in aging structures would reshape how Miami thought about its built environment for years to come.
The restaurant scene's comeback in the second half of 2021 was extraordinary. Carbone opened in South Beach. Sexy Fish arrived from London. The Design District, Wynwood, and Brickell all saw significant new additions. Miami's dining scene was being described in national food media as one of the most exciting in the country — a recognition that felt earned after years of building and, finally, a year of proving what the city was capable of.
Formula 1 officially confirmed the Miami Grand Prix for 2022. The Wynwood Walls and Art Basel returned in person. The Heat made the playoffs with fans in the building. SOBEWFF came back in a modified form. One by one, the things that made Miami Miami were returning. The comeback was real. The city was back. And Premier Guide Miami was there to document every step of the return.
The PGM Edit
Miami 2021 was the year the city came back — vaccines, reopening, a tech boom, the Surfside tragedy, and a restaurant scene that emerged from the pandemic stronger and more ambitious than ever.
Premier Guide Miami
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama Visits Miami
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, made several stops in South Florida as part of his United States and Canada tour, culminating in a lecture to over 7,000 guests at the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center.
The Naughty Volvo Tour Stops in Miami
Known for their traditional, reserved and conservative image, Volvo created a new campaign to lure a younger demographic — The Naughty Volvo Tour. Premier Guide Miami got behind the wheel of the all-new 2011 S60.
You're the Jury: This Interactive Courtroom Show at the Manuel Artime Theater Puts You in the Deliberation Room
The Jury Experience — a 60-minute live theatrical show by Fever where the audience becomes the jury — is running at the Manuel Artime Theater in Miami through the end of the year. No two performances are the same because the room decides the verdict.
Brightline's Buzzer Beater Is Back for the Miami Heat Season — Skip the Traffic, Catch the Game
Brightline's game-day train service returns for the 2026–27 Miami Heat season, connecting fans from Orlando, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Aventura to MiamiCentral Station — a 15-minute walk from Kaseya Center. The Heat open at home October 21 against the Timberwolves.
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