October is the month the Gold Coast comes back outside. Between now and Halloween, the three counties stack up a 52-year-old Oktoberfest in Lake Worth, Caribbean Carnival in Lauderhill, a free art fair on Las Olas, a Pixar exhibit in downtown Miami and the world's biggest in-water boat show. Here are 13 picks, county by county, with the dates, places and what you need to get in.

Palm Beach County

Oktoberfest at the American German Club, Lake Worth (Oct. 9 to 11 and Oct. 16 to 18). The American German Club of the Palm Beaches throws its 52nd annual Oktoberfest over two weekends at 5111 Lantana Road. Expect live bands including Froschhaxn Express and King Guys Band, a keg tapping, folk dancing, a stein-holding contest, carnival rides, and schnitzel, bratwurst and pretzels. Hours are 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Buy tickets online ahead of time; on-site parking is limited and costs $20, and there is free parking at nearby schools with a shuttle.

Taste of West Palm Beach at CityPlace (Friday, Oct. 16). CityPlace debuts a bigger, citywide version of its food festival, with more than 30 restaurants pouring and plating across downtown. General admission is $75 from 6 p.m., VIP is $130 with an hour of early access, and all ticket proceeds go to the Palm Beach County Food Bank.

Jupiter HarbourFest at Harbourside Place (Oct. 16 and 17). The waterfront festival from the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce returns to the Riverwalk at Harbourside Place for its second year, built around coastal country music, local food and vendors. General admission is free; VIP and tasting packages are sold separately. The ticketing page lists 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Two new shows at the Norton (opening Oct. 31). The Norton Museum of Art at 1450 S. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach opens Blazing Light: Photographs by Mimi Plumb and Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery on Halloween. Both run through March 14, 2027.

Broward County

Miami Broward Carnival, Tamarac and Lauderhill (Oct. 9 to 11). Despite the name, Miami Broward Carnival lands in Broward this year. A brand-new Red Road Fete, produced by the City of Tamarac, opens Columbus Day weekend on Friday, Oct. 9. More than 20 J'ouvert bands take over Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill on Saturday, Oct. 10, and the Carnival Day Parade and Fete fills the same grounds on Sunday, Oct. 11, with more than 16 masquerade bands and a Caribbean Food Village.

A Magna-Tiles exhibit, built here first (opens Oct. 9). The Museum of Discovery and Science at 401 SW Second Street in Fort Lauderdale opens The Original MAGNA-TILES Experience, a 2,500-square-foot exhibit it created that will travel to museums around the country after it leaves. It runs through Jan. 4, 2027.

Las Olas Art Fair (Oct. 17 and 18). The 39th annual Las Olas Art Fair sets up at 740 E. Las Olas Blvd. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. It is free, and the artists are there to talk about their work and take commissions.

Riverwalk Fall Festival, Esplanade Park (Saturday, Oct. 17). Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale hosts its 10th annual fall festival from noon to 4 p.m. on the New River, with pumpkin painting, pumpkin bowling, sand art, games, food trucks and vendors. Admission is free, which makes it an easy pairing with the art fair the same afternoon.

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (Oct. 28 to Nov. 1). The 67th FLIBS closes the month across six sites, from the Broward County Convention Center to the Superyacht Village at Pier Sixty-Six. Tickets are sold online only, starting at $48 for one adult day.

Miami-Dade County

The Science Behind Pixar at Frost Science (opens Oct. 10). Frost Science at 1101 Biscayne Blvd. opens a hands-on exhibit with more than 50 interactive stations that walk through how Pixar films get made, with life-size Buzz Lightyear, Dory, Mike and Sulley along the way. It is included with all museum admission tickets and runs through April 11, 2027.

James Turrell's Blue Sea Sky at Superblue. Superblue Miami at 1101 NW 23rd Street in Allapattah is showing a new room-sized light work by James Turrell, which the venue calls one of his largest creations to date. It is on view for a limited time by reservation and included with general admission, which starts at $29 for Florida residents Monday through Thursday.

Zoo Boo at Zoo Miami (Oct. 24 and 25). Zoo Miami at 12400 SW 152nd Street runs its kid-friendly Halloween weekend from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, with trick-or-treating for ages 12 and under, a costume contest, magic shows, inflatables and the zoo's animals getting Halloween treats of their own. It is included with regular zoo admission.

Picasso, Klee and Matisse at PAMM (opens Oct. 29). The Pérez Art Museum Miami opens nearly 100 works from Berlin's Museum Berggruen, the largest showing of that collection on the East Coast. It runs through Feb. 28, 2027.

How to plan the month

The weekend of Oct. 16 to 18 is the crowded one: Oktoberfest, Taste of West Palm Beach, HarbourFest, the Las Olas Art Fair and the Riverwalk festival all overlap, so pick a county and stay in it. For families, the cheapest October is very doable: the art fair, the Riverwalk festival and HarbourFest's general admission are free, and Zoo Boo and the Pixar exhibit cost nothing beyond a normal ticket. Save the boat show and the PAMM opening for the last week, when the season really starts to turn.