The beach is dotted with rainbow flags near each lifeguard station. Bring your towel and sunblock it gets hot on the sand. Miami Beach Pride uses the park around 12th Street for the Pride Festival, which over the past 10 years has grown into one of the largest celebrations of gay pride in the region. 12th Street Beach is also home to the famous beach parties thrown each year by the Winter Party Festival and the White Party. It’s smack dab in the middle of the city’s Lummus Park, a green space that runs along Ocean Drive with volleyball courts, weightlifting equipment and public restrooms. In Miami, no beach is more popular with the LGBTQ+ crowd than 12th Street Beach. Of the two, 12th Street is known as the more raucous beach, but both are welcoming and beautiful places to spend the day soaking up the sun with friends. The city boasts two “semi-official” gay beaches: 12th Street Beach, with its rainbow flags, and Haulover Beach, with a designated “clothing-optional” area. It’s no wonder that the beaches here are equally inviting. With its vibrant nightlife, bars and party scene, Miami has long been a hotspot for the LGBTQ+ community.
