Friday
- Miami Film Festival Gems at Tower Theater: For the third year in a row, Gems is giving local cinephiles a long weekend of premiere screenings. Taking place at the Tower Theater in Little Havana, Gems is like a mini film festival, featuring guests, awards, and parties. This year, it opens with The Rolling Stones Olé Olé Olé: A Trip Across Latin America, a movie about the British band’s tour through Latin America, which was capped off with a historic free show in Cuba.
- Thriller Halloween Music Festival at Churchill's Pub: Halloween is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with costumes, music, pub grub, and fun? Time to rewatch Michael Jackson's seasonal classic, because the Thriller Halloween Music Festival rises from the grave Friday for its tenth-annual spook spectacular.
- Halloween II at O Cinema Wynwood: It’s October, and that means horror movies are invading Miami like so many menacing clowns lurking in its darkest alleys. And nothing says Halloween like, well, Halloween. You've seen John Carpenter’s masterpiece a million times, but when was the last time you watched the first sequel? Rick Rosenthal’s first installment in the series, Halloween II, will hit the big screen at O Cinema Wynwood to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
- Portrait of Myself as My
Fatherat Miami Light Project: With race relations in the United States at a boil, choreographer Nora Chipaumire’s visceral take on the black experience packs a punch. Her upcoming performance, Portrait of Myself as MyFather, imagines the life of an African man under colonial rule.
- Grove Garden Brewfest at Taurus: At this pedestrian-friendly community festival, drinkers can stroll and bite off the buzz with mouthfuls of food from Ariete's chef Michael Beltran. Malta pork-belly tacos, smoked fish tacos, mini chug burgers, and grilled chicken wings are on the menu, among other mouthwatering treats and accoutrements. Aside from the beer, Chef Beltran has cooked up a specialty cocktail menu.
- Modern Life Mindfulness Festival at the Sacred Space Miami: Experts in mindful living like shaman Alyson Charles, yogi Andrea Brook, and pro meditator Biet Simkin will talk about topics such as music, art, food, and technology, all in service of bringing down your blood pressure and raising your spirits.
- Susan G. Komen Miami/Ft. Lauderdale Race for the Cure at Bayfront Park: Since 1999, South Florida efforts by Komen have raised more than $14 million for local breast cancer programs, fueled by the runners and walkers who take to the streets to remind this city that the fight's not over yet. This year, more than 20,000 participants will converge on Bayfront Park to kick off the 5K.
- WallCast: Michael Tilson Thomas and Emanuel Ax at SoundScape Park: New World Symphony returns this Saturday, and you can hear the performance for free. The first WallCast concert of the season will light up the 7,000-square-foot projection wall with music and video from inside the hall. Led by conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and featuring Grammy-winning guest pianist Emanuel Ax — who has recorded with cellist Yo Yo Ma and contributed to the International Emmy Award-winning BBC documentary Holocaust: A Musical Memorial Film From Auschwitz — the concert will celebrate the New World Symphony’s 29th anniversary.
- Coconut Grove Seafood Festival at Miami Marine Stadium: The fest, which has relocated from the Grove, is “all about celebrating seafood, waterfront living, and giving people their fill of the freshest, tastiest delicacies of the sea.” Attendees can watch the Battle by the Bay, where the 305's favorite chefs go head-to-head for the title of Best Ceviche, Best Fish Tacos, and Best Paella. Guests can also learn how to make their own killer seafood dish at the Kitchen Lab and check out the Grove Wharf by Casablanca Seafood for a farmers'-market-meets-seafood experience, where experts will help festivalgoers select the right catch to take home.
- The Illusionists — Live From Broadway at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts: More than merely a magic show, the production combines daredevil stunts, comedic antics, technical pizzazz, and more than a hint of Cirque du Soleil-style wonderment for a state-of-the-art extravaganza.
Crown Me Royal Fest at the Lab Miami: The inaugural arts and music festival will feature international, independent artists practicing various forms, including art, dance, music, film, and poetry. Bring nonperishable food and household items to go to those in Haiti and the Bahamas who were affected by Hurricane Matthew.