The 21 Best Things to Do in Miami This Week

Thursday

Oh, Marlins. We have so many questions for you. First and foremost, can we kick off the season with a W? The Miami Marlins will open their 2018 campaign at home Thursday against the Chicago Cubs. Regardless of the pessimists out there (Vegas has the Marlins at 500:1 to win the World Series), it's time to kick back, grab a beer, and enjoy a day at the ballpark. 12:40 p.m. Thursday at Marlins Park, 501 Marlins Way, Miami; mlb.com/marlins. Tickets cost $35 to $89.

The average police officer's life has changed dramatically since 9/11. Do Not Resist is a documentary that zooms in on the militarization of police forces since those terror attacks, from their training to their tactics. The nonpartisan flick is designed to spark dialogue within communities on how best to coexist and also reform where needed. 7 p.m. Thursday at Bill Cosford Cinema, 5030 Brunson Dr., Coral Gables; cosfordcinema.com. Admission is free.

Warm up the vocal cords and hit the ATM — it's time for bingo. Gay Bingo is back for another month at Hotel Gaythering, offering four games of bingo for a good cause. Winners of each of the games get to split the jackpot with a charity of their choice. Feeling extrabubbly? Champagne party packs, including a bottle of sparkling wine and a reserved table, are available to get you in the bingo spirit. 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday at Hotel Gaythering, 1409 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach; gaythering.com. Admission is free; bingo card packets start at $25.

Remember when the Chicago Bulls were good? Yeah, neither do we. Their record is floating around the bottom of the Eastern Conference, so Thursday's game against the Bulls is a must-win for the Miami Heat. We're in the homestretch of the Heat's season — only six games remain after Chicago. Though a playoff spot might be a lock already, it's time to kick it into high gear for a better seed. 7:30 p.m. Thursday at American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; aaarena.com. Tickets cost $30 to $177.

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Catch your favorite quirky flicks at Gables Cinema; Friday.

Focus Features

Friday

Prepare to be blessed: Demi Lovato and DJ Khaled are coming to Miami. During Lovato's Tell Me You Love Me World Tour, fans of the 25-year-old pop princess can, well, show her and Khaled just how much they love them. Joining the duo is rising R&B songstress Kehlani, whose debut album, SweetSexySavage, dropped to critical acclaim early last year. 7:30 p.m. Friday at American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; aaarena.com. Tickets cost $25.95 to $329.

Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, Fantastic Mr. Fox. A single director extraordinaire is behind them all: Wes Anderson. Gables Cinema is having a Wes-travaganza, showing all five of these Anderson flicks (with multiple showing dates and times) Friday through Wednesday. You can purchase a ticket to one or go crazy with a series pass to catch 'em all. Select films scheduled beginning at 4:15 p.m. Friday through 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; gablescinema.com. Tickets cost $11.75 for general admission per film (select discounts available) and $25 for a series pass.

You're gonna want to bounce yourself to Churchill's Pub to catch the bounce music of Big Freedia. What is bounce, you ask? It's a New Orleans-bred, chant-infused, sexy-as-hell, and energetic form of hip-hop that you need to experience for yourself. Big Freedia is one of the icons of the genre, and her spicy tunes and albums span the past 15-plus years. 9 p.m. Friday at Churchill's Pub, 5501 NE Second Ave., Miami; ticketfly.com. Tickets cost $18 to $38. Read more about Big Freedia on page 29.

Remember at the Billboard Music Awards when Miguel jumped across the crowd, missed the stage, and leg-dropped two fans? Yeah, that was a fluke. Now the funky R&B singer-songwriter is just dropping excellence at venues across the nation, including the Fillmore Miami Beach. Miguel is fresh off his fourth album, the political War & Leisure, released in December. 8 p.m. Friday at the Fillmore, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $55.

Want to feel old? Get this: Prince's longtime pal and '80s queen Sheila E. is now 60. But that milestone clearly isn't preventing her from living the "glamorous life," as her famed song goes. With seven studio albums spanning from 1984 through 2013, Sheila E. will have more than enough hits to perform during her free show in the heart of the Design District. 6 to 9 p.m. Friday in Palm Court, 140 NE 39th St., Miami; miamidesigndistrict.net. Admission is free.

You've likely seen the mystical Shen Yun billboards and ads around town, leaving you wondering, What the heck is it? For starters, it's a troupe offering a visual spectacular, capturing ancient Chinese culture through incredible dance and breathtaking backdrops. It's also illegal in its home country. The Chinese government is so threatened by Shen Yun's awesomeness (and tribute to history) that it won't allow the production to be performed within its borders. Select performances beginning at 8 p.m. Friday through 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; arshtcenter.org. Tickets cost $80 to $200.

The Beer, Bourbon, Burgers & Blues Fest is back for another year at a place that begins with a b, the Biltmore. With paid admission, you get all the burgers, Bulleit bourbon, and Estrella beer your hungry self can handle. Don't like beef? Don't miss the vegetarian, lamb, and shrimp burgers. 7 to 10 p.m. Friday in the Granada Ballroom at the Biltmore, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables; eventbrite.com. Tickets cost $45.

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Miguel at the Fillmore; Friday.

Photo by Timothy Saccenti

Saturday

Plant-based diets are everything right now. Forget processed meats — the world needs earthy chow. Starex Smith, AKA the Hungry Black Man, is using commentary on food, travel, and culture to show the black experience on his blog. His Soul Vegan/Vegetarian Festival will present plant-based African-American and Caribbean-inspired dishes. South Florida chefs and bakers will compete to win prizes such as $500 cash. 1 p.m. Saturday at Shirley Branca Park, 6900 Miramar Pkwy., Miramar; thehungryblackman.com. Admission is free.

Liberty City has a rich cultural history and a history of rich foods. At the Magic City Wine & Food Festival: The Taste of Liberty City, black-owned restaurants and caterers will show off both of those histories. The event will be presented by Freez Frame Marketing and Dine Black Miami, hosted by famed radio personality Jill Tracey, and headlined by Miss Robbie of OWN TV, AKA Oprah's network. The dishes will highlight smaller businesses from the community and showcase the fruits of their many talents. Some of the proceeds will benefit Miami North Western Culinary. 7 p.m. Saturday at Sandrell Rivers Theater, 6103 NW Seventh Ave., Miami; magiccitywineandfoodfestival.com. Tickets start at $45.

Feeling kinda hot? Maybe you have vinyl fever. Indulge your obsession at Gramps' Miami Record Fair. For a full day, the Wynwood bar's courtyard will be filled with people just like you, getting excited over rare records and inspecting each one with a collector's eye. The free and dog-friendly event is a collaboration between the new Miami record store Technique Records and the label Terrestrial Funk. You can listen to live music, gorge on slices from Pizza Tropical, and enjoy a Dark and Stormy Daniels cocktail, whose proceeds will support its namesake's legal fund. Noon Saturday at Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Wynwood; gramps.com. Admission is free.

After college, Miami choreographer Marissa Alma Nick left the Magic City for Los Angeles to find wider, greener pastures in which to dance. She returned home to work on the film Rock of Ages and decided to stay and show her hometown what she learned out West. With her dance company, Alma Dance Theater, she will present A Rebel in Venus at MDCA On.Stage Black Box Theatre. A musical score by Hope Littwin will provide the soundtrack for Nick's social commentary through dance. The show is a response to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements and will address the oft-dismissed voice of millennials. There will be some nudity, so prisses need not attend. 8 p.m. Saturday at MDCA On.Stage Black Box Theatre, 2901 W. Flagler St., Miami; miamidadecountyauditorium.org. Tickets cost $28.

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Let your rainbow flag fly — it's Miami Beach Pride week; Monday.

Stephen R. Lang, SRL Media

Sunday

Despite popular trends, art doesn't always have to be bright and happy and ironic. Powerful art need only be thoughtful and respond to a larger issue in the world. Japanese video and performance artist Meiro Koizumi looks at the tensions between private and public, real and fake emotion, duty and desire. Pérez Art Museum Miami commissioned a work of his on display now, his first with non-Japanese subjects. In the film, Battlelands, U.S. veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan recount traumatic stories from their deployments. Through August 19 at PAMM, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; pamm.org. Admission costs $16.

Monday

Every city deserves a weeklong Pride festival. Many take place in the summer, but it's already a sauna in Miami — perfect weather for showing off LGBTQ+ bods. Miami Beach Gay Pride offers a beach party, a parade, music, vendors, and other diversions. The week kicks off with a rainbow-flag-raising ceremony at Miami Beach City Hall and continues to Pride Lights the Night, when buildings around Miami will be illuminated in rainbow colors after Pulse shooting survivor Laura Vargas flips the switch. Also on deck is the Miss Miami Beach Gay Pride Pageant, a fun fundraiser at the Faena Theatre. 6:30 p.m. Monday through April 8 at various locations; miamibeachgaypride.com. Admission prices vary.

Tuesday

Brazil does a lot of things right, but above all, it makes soulful music that sticks with you. If you're a fan of música popular brasileira, you'll want to snag tickets to see chanteuse Vanessa da Mata. The Latin Grammy-winning vocalist and songwriter is not only the singer of popular songs such as "Ai, Ai, Ai," "Boa Sorte/Good Luck," and "Amado," but also a Jane of all trades and a novelist. She'll perform a not-so-quiet night under quiet stars at the Faena Theater. 9 p.m. Tuesday at Faena Theater, 3201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; faena.com. Tickets cost $85.

What do you do when Whitney Houston is no longer around to sing "I Will Always Love You"? You get Deborah Cox! The incredible voice is on tour with the title that was Houston's most famous acting role, The Bodyguard. The story is about a former Secret Service agent who is hired to protect a famed singer from a stalker, and, well, you probably know what happens. Either way, you won't want to miss the Grammy-nominated singer when she whips out the hits from this classic film, live and onstage. 8 p.m. Tuesday through April 8 at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; arshtcenter.org. Tickets start at $29.

The quintet Why Don't We formed at the end of 2016 and rose to fame on YouTube. The boy band includes singer-songwriters hailing from around the country and sporting really long names: Jonah Marais Roth Frantzich, Corbyn Matthew Besson, Daniel James Seavey, Jack Robert Avery, and Zachary Dean Herron. Their talent, know-how, and songs such as "Taking You," "Something Different," and "These Girls" have gained them a lot of attention in a short period of time. Their suggestive name aside, it's probably safe to say you can take your tweens to see these five dudes deliver pop to the masses. 7 p.m. Tuesday at Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; fillmoremb.com. Tickets start at $34.

Wednesday

If you're a foodie, watching behind-the-scenes chef shows really gets your blood pumping. The Landmark at Merrick Park will have your adrenaline on blast when it screens New Chefs on the Block, a multiyear documentary that follows two Washington, D.C. chefs and their staffs opening their first restaurant. So if you're thinking about opening your own restaurant, this might make you think again — or it might give you hope. This one-time screening comes with a bonus: a Q&A with Barton G. Design Group's Jeff O'Neill. 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Landmark at Merrick Park, 358 San Lorenzo Ave., Coral Gables; landmarktheatres.com. Tickets cost $15.