It's a big weekend for music in Florida, and not just because of the highly anticipated return of the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. Music fans around the state are packed up and ready for a weekend of camping and dancing to the sounds of Arcade Fire, Snoop Dogg, Travis Scott, and Bassnectar.
For those who couldn't snag pricey festival tickets, plenty of banner acts will play in Miami over the weekend, and they're much more than consolation prizes. Hip-hop pioneer KRS-One will drop knowledge on a Saturday-night Churchill's crowd, and Fleet Foxes will finally bring their mountain-man harmonic folk to Miami Sunday.
A screening of the homegrown Oscar-winning film Moonlight and some Sunday-afternoon cafecito round out your list of the best things to check out in Miami this weekend.
Friday
If you snagged tickets to this weekend's Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, it's probably the only thing that's been on your mind all week. The festival's eclectic lineup makes for broad fan and genre appeal. It's the only Florida festival where you'll catch a performance by a legend such as Chaka Khan alongside sets by Bassnectar, Khalid, and Local Natives. Snoop Dogg will lead the Saturday-night PoWow, where surprise guests often make appearances, and Arcade Fire will wrap up the festivities with a headlining Sunday-night set. Noon Thursday, March 1, through Sunday, March 4, at Sunshine Grove, 12517 NE 91st Ave., Okeechobee; okeechobeefest.com. Tickets cost $299 to $4,500 via eventbrite.com.
The Yi Love Yiddish Fest at Colony Theatre is a four-day celebration of readings, music, kids' activities, lectures, and other happenings, all focused on the 1,000-plus-year-old Yiddish Jewish culture. With 13 unique events, the festival is bound to have something for everyone to learn and enjoy. Thursday, March 1, through Sunday, March 4, at Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach; colonymb.org. Ticket prices vary by event, from free to $180 for an all-access pass for all performances.
Saturday
One year after director Barry Jenkins and playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney made Liberty City proud by taking home an Oscar for their groundbreaking film, Moonlight, the Fantasy Theatre Factory at the Sandrell Rivers Theater will host a free screening of the Best Picture-winning film. The movie follows a young man's sexual self-discovery and coming of age set against the backdrop of the streets of Liberty City. 8 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at the Fantasy Theatre Factory at the Sandrell Rivers Theater, 6101 NW Seventh Ave., Miami; ftfshows.com. Admission is free with registration via tickets.ftfshows.com.
KRS-One, known as a member of the pioneering hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions, is set to play an intimate show at Churchill's Pub. With nearly 20 albums spanning his storied career, he has quite a few tunes from which to choose. His latest LP, The World Is Mind, dropped last year. Like most of his stuff, it's thought-provoking and unafraid to be bold, this time about surviving in a BS-filled and corrupt world. 9 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at Churchill's Pub, 5501 NE Second Ave., Miami; churchillspub.com. Tickets cost $40 to $85.
Whether they live on the ocean or 20 miles from it, South Floridians love their proximity to the sea. Now a cultural festival aims to celebrate that big blue beauty. The ArtSea Festival is a free family-friendly event that promotes ocean conservation and a love of the ocean. With yoga, interactive art, live tunes and drumming, a dance party, and a beach cleanup, you certainly won't be left feeling salty. 11 a.m. Saturday, March 3, at Virginia Key Beach Park, 4020 Virginia Beach Dr., Miami; bigblueandyou.org. Admission is free.
Singer/songwriter Nick Aponte, otherwise known locally for his music project Bed Scene, released his excellent self-titled EP in late January with some help from SunGhosts' Arminio Rivero, who directed his video for the song "Day in a Dream." Now Aponte will bring his update on reverb-laden '60s psychedelia to the stage at Las Rosas with a full band for a belated release party. Additional performers include Firstworld, Cannibal Kids, and Muning. 10 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at Las Rosas, 2898 NW Seventh Ave., Miami; lasrosasbar.com. Admission is free.
New Orleans gets Mardi Gras, but the Magic City has the next best thing: Miami Gras. Concrete Beach Brewery is throwing a daytime block party with music by South Florida's own New Orleans-style Bad Apples Brass Band and the samba ensemble Bateria Unidos de Miami. The best part is you'll drink for a cause: Concrete Beach is donating $1 from every Miami Gras beer sold to the Rhythm Foundation. 1 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at Concrete Beach Brewery, 325 NW 24th St., Miami; concretebeachbrewery.com. Admission is free.
Sunday
In 2008, Seattle band Fleet Foxes released their self-titled debut album along with the EP Sun Giant. The albums spawned 2000s indie classics such as "Mykonos" and "Ragged Wood" before the band followed up with Helplessness Blues in 2011. Then-ringleader Robin Pecknold quietly put music aside to attend Columbia University as the band went on an indefinite hiatus and lost drummer Josh Tillman, better known now as the hipster caricature Father John Misty. Fleet Foxes released their long-awaited third studio album, Crack-Up, last summer, and they'll finally make their live Miami debut Sunday, ten years after their first record. 8 p.m. Sunday, March 4, at the Fillmore, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; fillmoremb.com. Tickets cost $40 to $59.
Even on a lazy Sunday afternoon, you could always use some cafecito. The caffeine peddlers at 3:05 Cafecito are once again hosting their Official 305 Day Block Party in Hialeah beginning at — of course — 3:05 p.m. this Sunday. Treat yourself to live music, food, and products from local vendors, plus a little R&R. Are you 305 till you die? 3:05 p.m. Sunday, March 4, in the Leah Arts District, 1501 E. Tenth Ave., Hialeah; leahartsdistrict.org. Admission is free.