Guide · official Miami-Dade Parks data
Everyone in this business says “we handle the permit”. Nobody tells you what the park actually requires. Here it is, with the figures and a link to every official document, so you know what the vendor knows when you talk to them.
Is your party in your own backyard? Then none of this applies: no permits, no fees, no closing time. See the backyard guide →
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What the park charges
The rules, one by one
Picnic shelters are available from 10 a.m. Arriving earlier requires prior approval from that park’s manager. There is also a hard end: the shelter must be cleaned, vacated and cleared of vendor equipment 30 minutes before sunset. That is why a park party is planned around midday, not at six in the evening.
No. Every vendor — inflatables, catering, tables — has to be on the Miami-Dade Parks Registered Party Vendors list that the park itself hands out. If the one you booked is not on it, park staff can turn them away on the day of the party. The current list is dated March 1, 2026 and holds around 150 vendors, sorted by what each one is cleared to bring: bounce houses, catering, food trucks, DJs, décor, animals, game trucks.
Not necessarily. Each vendor on the list carries its own registration expiry date, and the list holds current and already-expired registrations side by side. Being in the PDF does not mean being current on the day of your party: you have to check that specific vendor’s expiry date. That is exactly the check we run before booking anything at a park.
One. The shelter rental agreement allows a single large vendor item — the bounce house — per shelter, with a $26.75 impact fee. A second item moves you to the open area fee: $292.11. That is why, for a park party, one good inflatable almost always beats two small ones.
No. The Crandon Park agreement expressly bans water equipment, amusement rides, ponies and petting zoos. If you want a water slide, the party goes in a backyard, not a park. It is the first thing we rule out when someone tells us “it’s at the park and I want water”.
No. Shelters have no electricity and no running water, and personal generators are not allowed in the park: the generator has to come from the vendor and it has to be a silent one. If someone tells you they will just plug the bounce house in “at the park”, they have never set up in one.
The park reservation is not rescheduled for rain or forecasted bad weather. The only exception is a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning issued for Miami-Dade. Date changes must be requested 14+ days ahead and you only get one. Note this is the park reservation, not the equipment rental — two separate things with separate policies.
No glass and no Styrofoam — foam cups, plates and coolers included — with a $100 fine at Crandon. No propane, and no alcohol except beer. Tents larger than 10 by 10 feet are not allowed, and from 10 by 12 the county requires a Short Term Event permit. No DJs: music has to come from a battery-powered source and must not carry more than 50 feet. Confetti piñatas are out too. And selling food or anything else inside the park is prohibited.
You can book up to a year ahead, and the county asks for at least a week so the park has staff assigned. In practice the good Saturday shelters in spring and summer go months in advance. Cancelling 14+ days out costs $26; with less notice the full fee is forfeited.
What we do with all this
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Where each figure comes from
Fees and rules are set by the county and they change. The ones on this page come from the Crandon Park rental agreement and the department rules; every park has its own agreement, so always confirm yours. If you spot something out of date, write to us and we will fix it.