A family of four holding Sunny Isles Beach Resident ID Cards pays $80 to attend both nights of Winter Fest 2026 at Gateway Park. Four guests paying the non-resident rate pay $400. The city charges admission per person, per day: $10 for Resident ID Cardholders and $50 for non-residents. The card itself costs nothing.
The cost comes from the calendar. Every Resident ID Card expires one year from the day it was issued, and the city asks applicants to allow 7 to 10 business days for notice of approval. Winter Fest wristbands go off sale Friday, November 20. An application sent in during the last week before that cutoff can still be waiting on approval when wristband sales close.
The countdown to the wristband cutoff
A card that has lapsed, or a household member who never applied, can be fixed. The process is short, but approval does not happen while you wait. The city's Resident ID Card page puts the timing plainly:
"Please allow 7-10 business days to receive notice of Sunny Isles Beach Resident ID Card approval."
Renewals ask for less paperwork than new cards. To renew, you need a government-issued photo ID and a current deed. Renters need a lease of at least one year plus a letter from the condo or management office stating who lives in the unit. New applicants bring those same documents plus two of the following: current vehicle registration and insurance together, a utility bill from the last three months, or a credit or debit card statement from the last three months. Mobile phone bills are not accepted. Every document has to show the same address as the application.
You can apply online through the city's application form or in person at three city facilities, which are also where cards are picked up:
- Government Center, 18070 Collins Avenue, Visitor Center Desk: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Pelican Community Park, 18115 North Bay Road: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Gateway Center, 151 Sunny Isles Boulevard: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The first thing to do this week takes ten seconds. Look at the issue date on every card in the household. A card issued last November is due now.
What the card prices across town
Winter Fest is the most visible place the card matters this month, but the same split between cardholders and non-residents shows up across nearly everything the city runs. The figures below are the city's posted rates as of November 2026.
| City amenity | Resident ID Cardholder | Non-resident rate |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Fest 2026, per person, per day | $10 | $50 |
| Intracoastal Sports Park court reservation | Free; a resident's guests pay $5 per hour each | $30 per hour, per person; in person only |
| Racket or basketball rental at Intracoastal Sports Park | Free | $5 per hour |
| Fishing at Newport Fishing Pier | Free | $10 |
| Sunset Series charcuterie workshop, November 13 | $25 | $50 |
The card also gets residents advance registration for city programs and events, reduced pricing on camps and athletics, and access to Gateway Center amenities. The charcuterie workshop runs Friday, November 13, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Gateway Center. It is open to adults 21 and older.
Winter Fest weekend, step by step
Winter Fest 2026 opens the holiday season at Gateway Park, 151 Sunny Isles Boulevard. The annual park lighting ceremony is Saturday, November 21, and the festival continues Sunday, November 22. Both nights run 5 to 9 p.m., and the city's listing promises entertainment, interactive experiences and seasonal activities.
There are two deadlines, and the second one is easy to miss. Wristbands are bought online through the city's recreation portal. They then have to be picked up in person before the event, and each pickup location stops handing them out at a different time on Friday, November 20:
- Gateway Center is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Final pickup is Friday at 4 p.m.
- Government Center is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Final pickup is Friday at 5 p.m.
- Pelican Community Park keeps the longest hours: 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday inside the gym office. Final pickup is Friday at 8:30 p.m.
Gateway Center is the closest pickup point to the festival grounds, but it closes first, four and a half hours before Pelican Community Park. If your workday runs past 5 p.m. on November 20, North Bay Road is the only pickup point still open.
Free event parking is available at Gateway Garage and at Bella Vista. Bella Vista Bay Park, at 500 Sunny Isles Boulevard, is listed by the city as closed for maintenance until further notice. Arriving drivers should follow event signage. For questions about the festival, the city's Cultural and Community Services Department answers at 305.792.1706.
The card's year-round return: Intracoastal Sports Park
Winter Fest lasts one weekend. The newest reason to keep a card current is open every day of the week. Intracoastal Sports Park, at 15800 Collins Avenue, held its grand opening on Thursday, September 3, 2026, with a ribbon cutting, tennis and fitness demonstrations and live music. It has multi-use courts for tennis and basketball, outdoor exercise equipment, restrooms and a pedestrian walkway along the water. Mayor Larisa Svechin described the walk as a chance to "just take a walk along the water and enjoy the view," as quoted in the city's opening announcement.
Only residents with a valid Resident ID Card can reserve courts online, at sibfl.gov/activities. How the reservations work:
- Bookings open up to seven days ahead. Slots are one hour long and start on the hour.
- Each household gets three reservations per week, no more than one per day, and one court at a time.
- Basketball reservations run daily from 5 to 8 p.m.
- Each reservation has a ten-minute grace period. After that, the court is forfeited.
- A resident can bring up to three guests for tennis or nine for basketball. Guests do not have to live in Sunny Isles Beach, pay $5 per hour each and need waivers on file.
- Any court without a reservation is first come, first served after checking in with staff.
Everyone checks in at the office before stepping onto a court, and staff assign the court. The park itself is open sunrise to sunset. The courts follow a split schedule, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m., so midday play is not available. Parking is limited to park users from 6:45 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. through PayByPhone at location 34045. The rate is $5 per hour, or a discounted $3 per hour for residents registered through Code Compliance. Beach parking and overnight parking are not allowed. Pets, bicycles, scooters and private tennis lessons are not permitted.
A resident who books a tennis court with three guests pays $15 in guest fees for the hour. Four non-residents booking the same hour in person pay $120.
Getting around town for the rest of November
The Florida Department of Transportation's S.R. A1A/Collins Avenue improvement project covers the stretch from south of NE 163rd Street to north of NE 178th Street. The work includes new signals, markings, curb ramps, bicycle signals and repaving. It was scheduled to start June 30, 2026, with an estimated six-month duration, and the city's project notice anticipates night lane closures on Collins Avenue in both directions and on eastbound Sunny Isles Boulevard, with signed detours. Intracoastal Sports Park and Newport Fishing Pier, at 16501 Collins Avenue, both sit inside that corridor.
A daytime single-lane closure at 221 186th Street is listed through Sunday, November 29, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On the beach side, Regalia Beach Access at 19575 Collins Avenue is closed because of erosion until further notice. Ellen Wynne Beach Access, at 19333 Collins Avenue, is the meeting point for the city's free monthly Beach Cleanup on Saturday, November 14, from 8 to 11 a.m. No registration is needed.
Newport Fishing Pier opens at 7 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends, and at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It closes at 9 p.m. every day. Walking the pier is free for everyone, and fishing is free with the card.
At GK Group, we follow the details that shape daily life in Sunny Isles Beach, down to which counter is still handing out wristbands at 8 p.m. on a Friday. If you're weighing a move within Sunny Isles Beach or a sale, request a confidential luxury market consultation and we'll walk you through the town as residents actually live in it.
