From Thursday through Sunday, Key Biscayne's social calendar fits into a few familiar public spaces. A Halloween lunch at the Community Center opens the week. On Friday there is a free concert at Paradise Park, on Saturday a haunted trail at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, and on Sunday a Village-run festival. Two days later, the Village Council holds a workshop on a proposal that would change the one road every one of those guests uses to get here.
The schedule shows how much of island life already runs on shared public ground. Tuesday's question is whether the stretch between the William Powell Bridge and Bear Cut becomes part of that ground as well. Today, the beach along the causeway between the William Powell Bridge and the old Seaquarium covers about 11 acres. The concept on the table for Tuesday proposes about 28 acres of trail and beach area, according to Islander News.
The week at a glance
| Date | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 22 | Lunch & Halloween Celebration: "Nightmare Before Christmas" | Noon to 1 p.m. | Key Biscayne Community Center |
| Fri, Oct 23 | Cornhole Games | 5 to 6:30 p.m. | Paradise Park |
| Fri, Oct 23 | VKB Concert Series: Mad World Orchestra | 7 to 8:30 p.m. | Paradise Park |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Haunted Hike | 6 to 10 p.m. | Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park |
| Sun, Oct 25 | Fall Festival, VKB Parks & Recreation | Noon to 5 p.m. | Village event |
| Tue, Oct 27 | Council Workshop: The Shoreline Concept | 6 to 8 p.m. | Village Council |
All dates and times above come from the Village of Key Biscayne calendar. The Village calendar puts the Haunted Hike on Saturday, and so does Florida State Parks. One local listing printed it as a Friday, so go by Saturday.
Friday belongs to Paradise Park
The free events start in the late afternoon. Cornhole runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m., is free and open to the public, and has neighbors pairing up for a few rounds before dinner. The Islander News weekly roundup lists both Friday events at Paradise Park.
At 7 p.m. the 16th Annual VKB Concert Series brings Mad World Orchestra to Paradise Park, a tribute band that plays the big hits of the 1980s. The concert is free. Bring your own chairs, blankets and snacks, so pack the car the way you would for a beach afternoon. The set ends at 8:30 p.m., which leaves an easy walk or short drive home before Saturday's late night.
Saturday moves to the south end of the island
The Haunted Hike is the only event on the table above that sells its own tickets, and it takes the most planning. Friends of Cape Florida organizes it, and it runs from 6 to 10 p.m. in Area D of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, 1200 Crandon Blvd.
The ticket options, per the Florida State Parks event page and the Friends of Cape Florida listing:
- General admission, $25. Covers the carnival side of the evening but not the trail.
- Haunted Hike ticket, $30 to $45. Timed entry to the trail, with the general admission attractions included.
- Age guidance. The trail is recommended for ages 8 and older. Younger children can stay with the carnival and skip the trail.
The Islander News roundup lists carnival rides, a pumpkin patch, spooky tram rides, face painting, illuminated performers, jugglers, music and food trucks alongside the walk. Because entry is timed, households with both a trail-age child and a carnival-age child can book a hike slot and spend the rest of the evening on the rides. Check parking on the event listing before you go, since the park normally charges a per-vehicle entry fee.
Sunday stays local
On Sunday the Village's own Parks & Recreation Department runs the Fall Festival from noon to 5 p.m. The Village calendar is the place to check the day's programming and location as Sunday gets closer. On a weekend where Saturday is the late night, an afternoon event makes for an easy last stop.
The full stretch from Thursday to Sunday is run by the Village, its Community Center and a park nonprofit, on grounds the island already has. Tuesday's workshop is about the land you cross to get here.
Tuesday, the causeway takes the floor
The Council Workshop on "The Shoreline Concept" runs from 6 to 8 p.m. on October 27. The Shoreline is a proposal championed by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado. It would build a split-level viaduct along the Rickenbacker Causeway and turn asphalt into new public beach. Islander News reported that an estimated 28,000 vehicles use the causeway each day.
The design firm Plusurbia posted an update on May 7, 2026 describing the concept, developed with HDR Engineering and Friends of The Underline, with a split-level viaduct, more beach space and better access. The update said a feasibility study was underway. Key Biscayne has money in the study. The Village Council authorized up to $950,000 for a seven-step feasibility analysis of whether construction and funding could work. Mayor Joe Rasco argued that the causeway is Key Biscayne's issue and that the island needs to invest in solutions. Islander News also noted that the plan has skeptics on the council.
At an earlier virtual meeting, Eulois Cleckley, CEO of Friends of the Underline, which serves as project manager, described the study's progress this way, as quoted by Islander News:
"We should be wrapping up this study by late fall. We're on track."
That puts Tuesday's workshop right at the end of the window the project team named. Officials in the same report placed the full project timeline at about 10 years, counted from the concept's introduction, and Regalado said a final timeline depends on environmental factors and funding mechanisms that are not yet known.
What the concept would put at the island's entrance
The design details reported so far build directly on the 11-acre baseline. Per the Islander News account of the project team's presentation:
- More beach. About 160 percent more beach area, on land reclaimed from asphalt.
- Two road levels. Through traffic, including cycling pelotons, would travel at 45 mph from the William Powell Bridge. A lower road at 30 mph would serve access points for Miami Marine Stadium and MAST Academy, possibly with a couple of roundabouts before Bear Cut Bridge.
- Public amenities. Plusurbia's Juan Mullerat showed tiers of open space for food trucks, playgrounds, courts, kiosks, recreational rentals, bike repair stations and shelters.
- Natural edges. Natural dunes and multimodal paths similar to the Underline, for walkers and cyclists.
- A fixed constraint. HDR's Javier Manso noted that a 102-inch sewer line runs parallel to the causeway and cannot be moved, which limits where viaduct columns can go.
Several of those amenities are the same kinds of things on this week's Village calendar. Food trucks show up at the Haunted Hike, and a public park hosts Friday's concert. Under the concept, those uses would also sit along the drive onto the island.
The run-up to the workshop has already brought the concept into public view. On October 15, the Key Biscayne Community Foundation hosted a free Shoreline Pop-Up from 1 to 4 p.m. at 3602 Rickenbacker Causeway, across from MAST Academy. Visitors could see project boards and a scaled sandbox model, and talk with members of the design team. Questions about the project can go to Commissioner Regalado's office at [email protected], the address Islander News published with its coverage.
The workshop is listed on the Village calendar for Tuesday, October 27, from 6 to 8 p.m., two days after the Fall Festival closes the weekend.
For owners and renters, it is helpful to know which island conversations are still years from a decision and which affect daily life now. If you would like to talk through what the Shoreline discussion could mean for your building or your plans on Key Biscayne, LENI GIRALDO is glad to help. Let's Connect.
