11 OctOber 8-14, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | Iced out Doral cancels its Oktoberfest celebration amid immigration raids. BY VICTORIA STANZIONE D owntown Doral was supposed to be filled with bratwurst, beer and live music for a weekend earlier this month. Instead, or- ganizers canceled the city’s three-night Oktoberfest celebration, saying now is no time to party as members of the surrounding community live in fear. The event was scheduled to take over Downtown Doral’s Pocket Park from Thurs- day, Oct. 1, through Saturday, Oct.3. Event-go- ers had expected three nights of Bavarian-inspired food, beer, and perfor- mances by the Groove Brothers. Although the event was free, passes including food and drink perks cost as much as $119.99. The pre- mium passes included vouchers redeemable at food stands and participating Downtown Doral restaurants. But on Thursday, Sept. 24, Downtown Doral released a statement in both English and Spanish announcing that the celebration would no longer take place. “It is with a heavy heart that we watch the terrible challenges facing our South Florida community, as we feel deeply for those living in fear.” Organizers said Oktoberfest was intended to bring the community together. However, “in light of the current circumstances, we have decided that now is not the time to bring everyone together.” The statement said it re- funded all ticket holders in full. Downtown Doral did not identify immigra- tion enforcement or U.S. Immigration and Cus- toms Enforcement (ICE) in its announcement and disabled comments on its Instagram posts. However, other local community Insta- gram accounts shared the news on their own pages. On @doral.social, the comments sec- tion quickly filled with partisan debate over the decision. The cancellation comes amid mounting fear over immigration enforcement in Doral, where roughly 70 percent of residents are foreign-born and about 40 percent are of Venezuelan origin. Recent immigration oper- ations have become increasingly visible in the city, with residents reporting arrests and local businesses saying customers and employees are increasingly afraid to leave their homes. Doral’s restaurants and small businesses are feeling the effects most strongly. Some lo- cal business owners say sales have fallen sharply as customers stay home amid fears surrounding immi- gration enforcement. Doral Mayor Christi Fraga has pub- licly expressed con- cerns about how federal immigration enforcement is being conducted in the city while maintaining that the city cannot control federal ICE operations. Meanwhile, Doral itself is facing growing pressure over a separate agreement its city council unanimously approved in April 2025 under the federal 287(g) program, which al- lows trained local police officers to perform certain immigration enforcement functions under federal supervision. On Tuesday, Sept. 22, elected officials, ac- tivists, and community members gathered outside Doral City Hall to call for the city to withdraw from that agreement. They urged Mayor Christi Fraga and the City Council to cancel the city’s 287(g) immigration enforce- ment agreement with ICE. Just two days later, Downtown Doral can- celed an event meant to bring those same res- idents together. Oktoberfest had been planned as a neigh- borhood-wide celebration. Pocket Park would host specialty food “Hauses” serving pretzels, bratwurst, pretzel dogs, popcorn and sweets, while participating restaurants throughout Downtown Doral would serve featured beers to guests redeeming festival vouchers. Live music was scheduled each night from 7 p.m. to midnight. The organizers’ statement also acknowl- edged the vendors who had been preparing for the three-day festival. They expressed “deep regret” over the financial burden and conse- quences of canceling so close to the event. Downtown Doral ended its announce- ment by looking ahead to the city’s normally busy holiday season. “Our hope is that, like every moment, this too will have its turning point,” the organiza- tion wrote, “and that very soon we will be able to come together as an entire community for the holidays — a season free of worry and filled with hope.” For a city where restaurants and gathering places are already reporting the economic ef- fects of residents staying home, canceling a festival designed to bring thousands of people outside is another visible sign that Doral’s current climate of fear is spilling beyond poli- tics and into everyday community life. [email protected] ▼ Café Café Provided by Oktoberfest Doral’s Oktoberfest has been abruptly canceled as fears over increased ICE presence ripple through the community and impact local businesses. “OUR HOPE IS THAT, LIKE EVERY MOMENT, THIS TOO WILL HAVE ITS TURNING POINT.” ▼ NORTH BEACH BEACH BOUND For Giorgio Rapicavoli, opening a restau- rant in North Beach feels a little like com- ing home. This fall, the Miami chef behind Eating House and Luca Osteria will expand his Italian restaurant beyond Coral Gables with Luca Trattoria opening in Normandy Isle. But the location isn’t simply another pin on the map for Rapicavoli and his longtime business partner, Alex Casanova. Years be- fore Luca Osteria became a Coral Gables favorite, the two called North Beach home. “Alex and I lived in North Beach for many years as we started our careers to- gether and opened Eating House in 2012, so this area is very special to us,” Rapica- voli tells New Times. More than a decade later, they’re re- turning to the neighborhood with a restau- rant that Rapicavoli describes not as a copy of Luca Osteria, but as its slightly more relaxed sister. “Luca Trattoria will have a slightly more laid-back feel due to its proximity to the beach and neighborhood atmosphere,” he says. “But overall, the restaurant will have the same level of cuisine and service we have become known for.” Luca Trattoria isn’t intended to reinvent the award-winning restaurant that inspired it. (Luca Osteria won New Times’ Readers’ Choice Best Italian in 2024.) In fact, Rapi- cavoli is refreshingly straightforward about the plan: Take what people already love about Luca and bring it somewhere new. The menu will remain largely familiar to Luca Osteria regulars, with a handful of ad- ditions giving Trattoria its own personality. Rapicavoli says diners can expect a stuffed pasta or two, additional cuts of steak, and a delicate fish preparation alongside many of the dishes associated with the original restaurant. Drinks begin with several cocktails fa- miliar to Luca regulars, then con- | TASTE TEST | >> p12 Miami chef Giorgio Rapicavoli will bring his popular Coral Gables restaurant, Luca Osteria, to North Beach this fall with a more casual vibe. Photo by Cleveland Jennings