The Best Things to Do in Miami This Weekend

Miami has far too unique a nightlife to sit around at the same house parties or in the same clubs week after week. If you're looking for a new adventure this weekend, the Love Burn at Virginia Key Beach Park promises a psychedelic Burning Man experience all weekend long, right here in South Florida. A brand new monthly Britpop party at Las Rosas and a second installment of Celebrity Deathmatch drag night at the Hangar offer more alternatives to your default weekend routines. And if you're looking for fun with the family, Coral Gables Art Cinema's screening of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm or Jungle Island's visit to the Wynwood Yard might do the trick. Here's a look at the best events in Miami this weekend.
Friday

Tigermilk Miami. Airfare across the pond to England can be pricey. Why not save some dough and have a proper party in the 305 instead? Tigermilk Miami bills itself as "Miami's new Brit-pop party." The shindig features resident DJs Ray Milian and Tommy Gun. As long as the pints keep flowing, Las Rosas plans to host Tigermilk each second Saturday moving forward, so cheerio! 11 p.m. Friday, January 26, at Las Rosas, 2898 NW Seventh Ave., Miami; lasrosasbar.com. Admission is free.

TransArt Artist's Showcase. The LGBTQ movement has seen great strides over the past few decades, but as the current political climate makes plainly clear, the battle for equality is far from over. Transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people in particular have been erased from the cause for decades. The next frontier on the civil rights front is to affirm the lives of and increase visibility of the contributions of gender nonconforming people. The TransArt Artist's Showcase, produced by Unity Coalition|Coalición Unida (UC|CU), the first and only organization for the South Florida Latinx, Hispanic, LGBT community, has been bringing to light the talents of transgender and gender nonconforming artists for the past three years. Join TransArt for art and panels throughout the weekend. 1 p.m. Friday through Sunday at the Jackie Gleason Black Box Theatre at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; fillmoremb.com. Admission is free.
The Love Burn. You no longer have to travel way out west to experience the magic and otherworldly artist utopia that is Burning Man. The Love Fest, Florida's only official Burning Man event, is back at Virginia Key Beach Park this weekend with large-scale art installations, music, and workshops. As lead event organizer Glen Gray told New Times earlier this week, this year's theme is "World's Fair," and all camps will put their own psychedelic spin on the world showcase. "Narnia," "The Temple of Love," "The Landing of the Mothership," and "The Ministry of Butterflies" are just some of the 110 camps participating this year. Friday through Sunday at Virginia Key Beach Park, 4020 Virginia Beach Dr., Miami; 305-960-4600; virginiakeybeachpark.net. Tickets cost $225 to $249.99 via brownpapertickets.com.

Saturday

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. If you weren't feeling Luke Skywalker's character development in The Last Jedi, perhaps you'd like to revisit Mark Hamill's other famous role as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series. You can watch Hamill in his animated role this Saturday at Coral Gables Art Cinema's late-night screening of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Immerse yourself in the world of Gotham and its shadowy gangsters as you celebrate the film's 25th anniversary with a rare screening on 35mm film. 11:30 p.m. Saturday at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Miami; 786-385-9689; Tickets cost $8 via gablescinema.com.
Celebrity Deathmatch: Mario Party. Last month, some of Miami's rising drag talents kicked off the monthly Celebrity Deathmatch series with lip-sync battles between pop stars such as Lady Gaga versus Madonna and Nicki Minaj versus Cardi B. For their next installment, your favorite local drag queens will battle it out as some of your favorite videogame characters during Celebrity Deathmatch: Mario Party. It's Miami drag meets Nintendo, hosted by Athena Dion and with beats by Stephanie Zehno. Drag matchups include Casey Caldwell as Princess Peach versus Eddy Salgado as Princess Daisy; Lisa Mercedes as Mario versus Stephanie Cockroach as Luigi; and other impressive pairs. Eighties babies with a hankering for cross-dressing and glam will find their home at this dance party. 10 p.m. Saturday, January 27, at the Hangar, 60 NE 11th St., Miami; tfl.events/mia. Admission is free with RSVP.

Keg & Klean for Our National Parks. Everyone wants to help out their community, but sometimes you need a swift kick to motivate you to get up for a volunteer cleanup on a Saturday. Debris Free Oceans have figured out the right recipe, organizing cleanups around town and rewarding volunteers with cold beer and key lime pies. This Saturday's cleanup, sponsored by Saltwater Brewery, seeks to educate participants about Biscayne National Park, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. All proceeds collected benefit Debris Free Oceans, the Florida National Parks Association, and the South Florida National Parks Trust. 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, January 27, at the Wynwood Yard, 56 NW 29th St., Miami; 305-351-0366; thewynwoodyard.com. Tickets cost $15 to $20 via eventbrite.com.
Garifuna Collective Featuring Umalali. Experience the rich Afro-Caribbean punta rhythms of the Garifuna people when the Garifuna Collective performs twice at the Miami Dade County Auditorium this weekend. The Collective travels the world keeping the music of the Garifuna culture alive, and whether they're playing on drums, guitars, or turtle shells, you'd have to be dead to resist the urge to dance when they hit their groove. 8:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium, 2901 W. Flagler St., Miami; ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $27.

Sunday

Classic Album Sundays. Steely Dan's music is pretty controversial among rock 'n' roll fans. Some listen and find impeccable, indisputable production genius, while others malign the absence of musical grit in the duo's music. Whatever your position, there's nothing controversial about listening to a record with friends while enjoying complimentary PBR and Pizza Tropical, and this month's installment of Classic Album Sundays has that and more. Bring friends, and if they're not into Steely Dan's Aja, they'll probably enjoy another 1977 classic: Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. 5 p.m. Sunday at Deja Vu Audio South, 120 NW 25th St. Ste 302, Miami; 305-306-7249. Tickets cost $6 via eventbrite.com.

Jungle Island at Wynwood Yard. No need to pack the kids into the car for a day trip off the mainland. Jungle Island's animal friends are coming to the Wynwood Yard for a day of family activities including interactive art with Jungle Island's parrots, face painting, and animal-inspired yoga by Green Monkey. Practice your downward dog as you learn about the animals at the famed Miami attraction. Noon Saturday at the Wynwood Yard, 56 NW 29th St., Miami, 305-351-0366; eventbrite.com. Admission is free.