Burgerliscious is scheduled to return to Alhambra Circle on Thursday, February 4, 2027, for an event organizers are billing as the festival’s 15th anniversary.
The festival, presented by the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, has grown into one of the city’s most anticipated culinary traditions, according to Miami’s Community News, which reports the event began as an initiative to support Coral Gables restaurants during a challenging economic period. The outlet dates Burgerliscious’s founding to 2011, though the City of Coral Gables offers a different account, stating the Chamber founded the event in 2010 as a way to help local restaurants recover from an economic downturn, according to the City of Coral Gables. Either way, the event has clearly stuck around, evolving from its early days into a full-fledged block party that challenges participating restaurants’ chefs to create their best burgers for the crowd.
A Night of Food, Music and Friendly Competition
Burgerliscious combines a restaurant competition with live music and entertainment, according to Miami’s Community News. The City of Coral Gables lists awards including Best in Bun and People’s Choice. The community newspaper says the event also gives participating restaurants a chance to present their food to attendees.
The City of Coral Gables describes Burgerliscious as an annual February event and says it has welcomed nearly 1,200 guests from across South Florida in some years. Coral Gables Magazine describes it as the Chamber’s annual fundraiser and burger competition, according to Coral Gables Magazine.
A Timeline of Editions and Venues
The City of Coral Gables identified the February 13, 2025, event as Burgerliscious’s 13th edition. It ran from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. as a block party on Alhambra Circle. The following year, the 14th edition returned to the same stretch on Thursday, February 5, 2026, also from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. It featured a DJ and Mad World Orchestra, which performed two sets, according to the Coral Gables Gazette. The Gazette described crowds from across South Florida but did not give an attendance figure.
Coral Gables Magazine reported that the 14th annual event drew more than 1,000 attendees to Alhambra Circle, where 17 restaurants competed for the night’s honors. Earlier editions took place at Fred B. Hartnett Ponce Circle Park. More than 1,200 people attended the second annual Burgerliscious there on November 8, 2012, to sample creations from 25 local restaurants, according to Community Newspapers’ coverage at the time. The Dome Restaurant & Bar won the People’s Choice award, while Shula’s 347 Grill won Best in Bun. Organizers set aside part of the proceeds to help create a Coral Gables Community Foundation fund supporting locally owned small businesses.
Earlier Editions at Ponce Circle Park
The festival remained at Ponce Circle Park for at least a few more years. Community Newspapers reported that a 2013 edition was scheduled for November 7, with more than 20 Coral Gables restaurants expected to serve burgers. Miami New Times also covered an earlier Ponce Circle Park edition featuring burgers from more than 20 Gables restaurants. By 2022, organizers were describing the event as a decade of Burgerliscious; that year’s edition was scheduled for February 3, according to a Community Newspapers announcement.
What the Edition Numbers and Street Plans Show
The City of Coral Gables identified the February 5, 2026, event as the 14th edition, a recent reference point for the 2027 anniversary designation. The City’s event listing also said Alhambra Circle from Ponce de Leon Boulevard to Salzedo Street would be closed to traffic for the 2026 event, according to the City of Coral Gables. That past closure does not establish traffic plans for 2027.
The record shows a festival that has changed venues and been counted in annual editions, while published accounts differ on whether it began in 2010 or 2011. Organizers are now billing the February 2027 event as Burgerliscious’s 15th anniversary.
