It's the first weekend of 2018, and you want to start the year right. You've most likely recovered from last weekend's New Year's Eve hijinks and endured yet another workweek after the holiday rush. With low-key events such as screenings of Creature From the Black Lagoon and The Color Purple, laser light shows, free music, and the grand opening of a Miami record store, we've got you covered with a rundown of the best things to do in Miami this weekend.
Friday
Keith Johns will take some folk to the folks when he kicks off his monthly first-Friday residency at the Wynwood Yard. The evening begins at 8 with a sultry performance by Roberta Burke before Johns brings it home with two distinct sets. Johns, a former physicist, has been riding the wave of his latest album, Grateful Fool, since late 2016 and continues to be a mainstay at cozy venues in South Florida and beyond. 8 p.m. Friday at the Wynwood Yard, 56 NW 29th St., Miami; thewynwoodyard.com. Admission is free.
Last year was a roller-coaster ride. How about starting 2018 on a calm and sultry note? The South Beach Jazz Fest hits our sunny shores for three unique shows in three days. An Evening With Branford Marsalis will hit the Colony Theatre January 5, Ignacio Berroa will drum away in the Gleason Room January 6, and pianist Tal Cohen will charm an audience at the Jewish Museum of Florida January 7. Friday through Sunday at various locations in Miami Beach; southbeachjazzfest.com. Tickets start at $28 per show.
Put your 3D glasses on for the first Laser Friday of the year at Frost Science Museum. If you enjoyed the psychedelic visual and musical trips at the old Coconut Grove science museum location, you'll love the state of the art technology inside the Frost Planetarium’s 67-foot dome. Moonwalk to the rhythms of Michael Jackson or blast into the future to the beats of Daft Punk. Other shows include Beyonce, Gorillaz, and, of course, Pink Floyd. Shows begin at 7 p.m. Friday at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science Planetarium, 1101 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-434-9600; frostscience.org. Tickets cost $8 to $10.
Nghtmre got his start when his friend passed along a few of his songs to dubstep super-producer Skrillex, who then played the tracks at his headlining Ultra Music Festival set in 2015. The dubstep and trap DJ shirked a career in finance after the surprise Skrillex shout-out, and the rest, as they say, is history. He'll hit the decks at Story as part of his 2018 US and European Tour this Friday. 11 p.m. Friday, January 5, at Story Nightclub, 136 Collins Ave., Miami; 305-538-2424; storymiami.com. Tickets cost $30 via tixr.com.
Saturday
You'll need a glass of one of Lagniappe's many wines to calm you down after a raucous set from punk folk troubadours Hymn for Her. Their Saturday night jaunt in Miami is just another reminder that Lagniappe consistently books some of the country's top touring bands. Hymn for Her have spent the past few years building a sizable following around the country. Don't miss out on seeing them in a rare Wynwood hole-in-the-wall environment, but don't be surprised if the noise knocks those walls down. 9 p.m. Saturday at Lagniappe, 3425 NE 2nd Ave., Miami; 305-576-0108; lagniappehouse.com. Admission is free.
The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company has been influencing contemporary dance for more than 30 years, often with a poignant yet philosophical eye toward the human experience. Analogy: A Trilogy is a perfect example, using the oral histories of three characters to address the different types of wars we wage personally, socially, and politically. The second part of the series, Lance: Pretty aka the Escape Artist, follows dancer, model, and male escort Lance through his struggles with drugs and the sex trade in the '80s and '90s. All of the pieces were created by Jones and the company. 8 p.m. Saturday at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-949-6722; arshtcenter.org. Tickets cost $30 to $75.
For nearly 15 years, Mikey Ramirez has been one of the main forces behind Fort Lauderdale's Radio-Active Records, helping it outlast conglomerates such as FYE and Virgin Megastore and finding a niche audience despite Spotify's and YouTube's dominance as music distributors. Now he's bringing his expertise to North Miami via Technique Records. The new record shop will host its grand opening on Saturday, with DJs spinning all day and plenty of time to check out their selection of over 10,000 new, used, import, and out of print records, 45's, tapes, cult movies, books and more. 5 p.m. Saturday at Technique Records, 853 NE 79th St., Miami; 786-717-6622; techniquerecords.com. Admission is free.
Reset and decompress from your postholiday stress with yoga and music at the New World Center's Yoga Refresh 2018. If you're a morning person, get sweaty during the Vinyasa Flow class. If you're hoping to spend your Saturday evening unwinding, attend the Restorative Yoga and Sound Healing session in the evening. The soothing melodies of classical music should ease that holiday pain. 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday at the New World Center, 500 17th St., Miami Beach; 305-680-5866; nws.edu. Tickets cost $30 to $55.
Revisit a film and literary classic (or finally scratch it off your must-see list) when the Fantasy Theater Factory at the Sandrell Rivers Theater hosts a free screening of The Color Purple's film adaption at its Little Haiti complex. If you remember reading the book, you'll note it deals with some pretty heavy subjects, but given the ongoing national conversations on gender and racial dynamics, it's as good a time as ever to consider its messages. A night at the movies doesn't come cheap these days, so take advantage of a free, quality film screening. 8 p.m. Saturday at the Sandrell Rivers Theater, 6101 NW Seventh Ave., Ste. 79, Miami; 305-284-8800. Admission is free.
Sunday
During holidays such as New Year's Eve and Christmas, alcohol seems to be the substance of choice for raging and relaxing alike even though we know there are better options. Royal Tips, maker of high-class smoking tips, is giving you an alternative to start the year off right. At the Royal Soiree, you can enjoy food, hookahs, 420 gifts and giveaways, and live entertainment without all the sloshed amateurs. At this party, start 2018 on a cloud. 3 p.m. Sunday at Blackbird Ordinary, 729 SW First Ave., Miami; 305-671-3307. Tickets cost $40 via eventbrite.com.
There isn't much in South Florida that celebrates Japanese culture. That's one of the things that makes the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens so special. They'll host Oshogatsu, the Japanese New Year, for the 40th year. The event includes a host of activities, such as a sado tea ceremony, the pounding of rice to make mochi cakes, koto music performances, and bonsai demonstrations. You'll be able usher in the New Year with shishimai, the lion dance to the sound of taiko drumming. So celebrate the New Year twice, this time with tiny trees and tea. 5 p.m. Sunday at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach; morikami.org. Admission costs $9 to $15; children aged 5 or younger and members get in free.
There's a certain anxiety to take society back to the 1950s lately. This Sunday, though, Coral Gables Art Cinema is blasting you back to the fun part of the era of monster B-movies and classic cars. The arthouse theater will host a screening of Creature From the Black Lagoon in 3D. Though 3D films may appear to be a modern luxury, the technology was wildly popular in the mid-20th Century and later faded out before making its resurgence. Given the buzz around Guillermo del Toro's latest film, The Shape of Water, you might want to take the opportunity to revisit one of the films that inspired the latest monster flick. 11 a.m. Sunday at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Miami; 305-472-2249. Tickets cost $8 to $12 via gablescinema.com.