The county's calendar is built around a handful of large annual events, most of them between January and May. Book accommodation early for SunFest and the boat show weekends.
The short answer
The biggest annual festivals in Palm Beach County are the South Florida Fair in January, Garlic Fest and ArtiGras in February, the Palm Beach International Boat Show and Festival of the Arts BOCA in March, the Delray Affair in April, and SunFest in West Palm Beach in late April or early May.
Local's pickFlorida's largest waterfront music and art festival, taking over the West Palm Beach downtown waterfront over four days each spring with two stages of national acts and fireworks. Buy the multi-day pass and take the Brightline in.
Local's pickA three-day April street festival that closes 12 blocks of Atlantic Avenue for art, crafts, food and live music — the largest arts and crafts event in the Southeast. Free to attend, brutal for parking; use the shuttle lots.
A 17-day January fair at the Expo Center with rides, livestock barns, headline concerts and an absurd amount of fried food. Weekday afternoons are far quieter than weekend nights.
A President's Day weekend juried fine art festival in Palm Beach Gardens with 300 artists, a youth art gallery and live music. Consistently ranked among the best art fairs in the country.
A February weekend of rare and exotic cars on the lawn of The Boca Raton resort, with an auction and a black-tie gala attached. Sunday's field is the part to see.
Ten days of orchestral concerts, chamber music and author talks each March at Mizner Park Amphitheater and the Boca Raton Museum of Art. Lawn seating is the cheap and pleasant option.
A February weekend in Lake Worth Beach devoted entirely to garlic — garlic ice cream included — with three stages of live music and a chef throwdown. Go hungry and accept the aftermath.
One of the top five boat shows in the United States, filling the downtown West Palm waterfront each March with everything from centre consoles to 200-foot superyachts. Worth a ticket even if you are only looking.