If festivals aren't your thing, this weekend offers plenty of great opportunities to help those less fortunate in our community. Friday night, Revolution Live will host a benefit concert for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Proceeds from all ticket sales and half of all bar sales will be donated to the Stoneman Douglas Victims' Fund and local first responders. There will also be a silent auction. The next morning, Feeding South Florida invites the community to participate in the eighth-annual Outrun Hunger 5K.
Here's a look at the best events happening in Miami this weekend.
Friday
Festivals on Virginia Key Beach are common these days, from Fractal Beach to the Love Burn to 9 Mile Music Festival. The Virginia Key Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance returns to its eponymous setting this weekend for its seventh-annual outing. Festival curator Jordan Puryear told New Times earlier this month that Grassroots aims to eliminate barriers between the audience and festival performers. This year's lineup shines a spotlight on local talent, with performers including Locos por Juana and Elastic Bond. New York's Big Mean Sound Machine rounds out this year's lineup. 9 p.m. Friday, February 23, through Sunday, February 25, in Virginia Key Beach Park, 4020 Virginia Beach Dr., Miami; 305-960-4600; virginiakeybeachpark.net. Tickets cost $35 via grassrootsfest.thundertix.com.
Yasunori Kimata is a painter and muralist from the central Japanese city of Tajimi. He'll bring a taste of home to a live painting event at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, backed by the thunderous sounds of taiko drumming by Fushu Daik, contrasted with the calming sounds of Yoshiko Carlton on the koto, a traditional stringed Japanese instrument. You might have seen live painting at a music festival before, but you've never seen it done quite like this. 7 p.m. Friday, February 23, at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach; 561-495-0233; morikami.org. Tickets cost $20.
Vigil for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, held February 15 at Pine Trails Park in Parkland, Florida.
Photo by Ian Witlen
Saturday
Harry Potter fans are legion. Even if you're not a wizarding supergeek, you probably still enjoy dressing up and throwing back some cheap booze. Either way, the latest edition of Potter Crawl is calling your name. The Brickell drink-athon begins at Fado Irish Pub and includes stops at Barú, RedBar, the Craftsman, and American Social. With paid admission, you get a free drink at each stop. It's magical! 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, February 24, at various bar locations in Brickell. Tickets costs $25 via eventbrite.com; discounts are available for groups of four or more.
Feeding South Florida is one of the region's leading hunger-relief organizations, working in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. Its mission is to eliminate hunger in South Florida. This Saturday morning, the community is invited to take part in that mission through the eighth-annual Outrun Hunger 5K on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk. Registration costs only $20, but the money goes a long way, providing up to 120 meals for South Florida's neediest families. 7:30 a.m. Saturday, February 24, on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk at Charnow Park, 1500 N. Broadwalk, Hollywood; feedingsouthflorida.org. Registration costs $20.
A decade ago, the only way you could get a local brew in Miami was if you made the beer yourself. But now the microbrews flow like, well, beer from the tap. Three years ago, MIA Brewing joined this sudsy southern revolution and started its own scene. The Doral brewery will throw a huge third-anniversary party, where there will be hip clothing for purchase from vendors, food from local faves such as Ms. Cheezious, live music by beastly beatmaker Otto Von Schirach, and a DJ set by Juan Luv. Most important, the list of brews is long and includes some wild flavors. They'll be available for a mere five bones each. Cheers. 3 p.m. Saturday, February 24, at MIA Beer Company, 10400 NW 33rd St., #150, Doral; 786-801-1721 mia.beer. Admission is free.
Sunday
The Vagabond Hotel was a favored hideaway for the Rat Pack in the 1950s, with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. paying frequent visits to the famed hotel's lounge. Designed by prominent architect Robert Swartburg, the hotel is also an enduring example of the postwar Miami Modern architectural style. Orchestra Miami will perform an ode to the era with a poolside concert including works by mid-20th-century composers such as Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. The concert is part of Orchestra Miami’s ongoing series Discover Miami Through Music. 4 p.m. Sunday, February 25, at the Vagabond Hotel, 7301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-274-2103 orchestramiami.org. Admission costs $40.
When it comes to art and music, people often romanticize the past. But the truth is, if you focus on only the virtues and triumphs of old, it's easy to miss the classic art that's being made in your lifetime. This weekend's edition of Sweat Records' Classic Album Sundays pays tribute to two gems of the late-'90s indie-music era: Neutral Milk Hotel's In An Aeroplane Over the Sea and Elliott Smith's XO. A Neutral Milk Hotel prize package will be available courtesy of Merge Records. 5 p.m. Sunday, February 25, at Sweat Records, 5505 NE Second Ave., Miami; 786-693-9309; sweatrecordsmiami.com. Advance tickets cost $6 via eventbrite.com; admission costs $10 at the door.
