The Best Free Events in Miami This Week

Five workdays stand between you and Super Bowl weekend, but you don't have to wait till then to have some fun. And if you're saving up to throw your own cookout this Sunday, you don't have to break the bank — Miami has plenty of great free events to choose from this week.

The Wailers will bring Bob Marley's music to life when they play a free concert (yes, the Wailers, for free) in the Design District Friday evening, and local favorites Keith Johns and Yoli Mayor will kick off the month of love with special sets at the recurring event series First Fridays at the Wynwood Yard and Giralda Under the Stars in Coral Gables. Here's a look at the best free events happening in Miami this week.
The new film Phantom Thread, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis in his final acting performance before retirement, explores the artist-muse relationship between a tailor and his high-end clients. To add some depth to the audience experience, Books & Books will host a conversation with Christian Garcia, one of the world’s last bespoke tailors, to discuss his unique art form, the film, and the enduring relationship between film and fashion. 7 p.m. Monday, January 29, at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Miami; 305-442-4408; booksandbooks.com. Admission is free with RSVP via eventbrite.com.

The women's suffrage movement had a lot of help from female aristocrats with last names such as Astor, Belmont, Rockefeller, Tiffany, Vanderbilt, and Whitney. They made feminism fashionable. Though they were poo-pooed in their day as dilettantes, the activism of these media darlings pushed the cause into the spotlight. Author and historian Johanna Neuman explores their stories in her new book, Gilded Suffragists, thereby elevating the roles of these women in history — women who seriously took their power and placed it properly behind the feminist movement. Neuman will speak at Books & Books this Wednesday. Maybe the current movement can learn something from its past. 8 p.m. Wednesday, January 31, at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; booksandbooks.com. Admission is free.
Bask in the splendor of Havana's golden age at Concrete Beach's Havana Nights this Friday. Enjoy pints of the Wynwood brewery's Havana Lager as you snack on Cuban bites and dance to music from the island, or indulge in cigars at the pop-up shop. Concrete Beach's beers already evoke a tropical feel, but at Havana Nights, Old Havana will feel a lot closer than 90 miles away. 7 p.m. Friday, February 2, at Concrete Beach Brewery, 325 NW 24th St., Miami; 305-796-2727; concretebeachbrewery.com. Admission is free.

It's easy to feel discouraged about effects of individual societal contributions in light of the current political climate. Charlottesville, #MeToo, and Donald Trump's bigoted comments about foreign nations have highlighted the long path we have yet to traverse to attain equality. This came as a surprise for certain sectors of American society, but for others, it's hardly news. America's most vulnerable communities have long reckoned with their place within the fabric of America, and it's up to the rest of us to center their experiences and listen. You'll get a chance to do just that Thursday when Masjid Al-Ansar, one of the oldest mosques in South Florida, hosts a community discussion about the connection between Islamophobia and anti-black racism, and the local and national movements working to dismantle those systems of oppression. 6 p.m. Thursday, February 1, at Masjid Al-Ansar, 5245 NW Seventh Ave., Miami; 305-757-8741; masjidalansar.org. Admission is free.
Acoustic folk artists aren't usually the first choice for weekend residencies in popular Miami venues, but then again, physicist-turned-singer-songwriter Keith Johns has made a career out of shattering expectations. Johns has created significant buzz for his music outside of Miami, but he's honing his already impressive live performance through his First Fridays residency at the Wynwood Yard. He brings special guests every month, and this Friday it's live looping artist Oigo's turn at the mike. 8 p.m. Friday, February 2, at the Wynwood Yard, 56 NW 29th St., Miami; 305-351-0366; thewynwoodyard.com. Admission is free via eventbrite.com.

The opening of Giralda Plaza has created a valuable community gathering space on Miracle Mile. Events such as Giralda Under the Stars call attention to the delicious restaurants on the Mile that some locals had forgotten in their travels to Wynwood. If you haven't made it out to Giralda Plaza yet, this Friday's Valentine's Day edition of the outdoor dining series is the perfect opportunity for a date night. Make a reservation for candlelit dinner underneath the stars and sway to the romantic sounds of Yoli Mayor and Brendan O'Hara. 7 p.m. Friday, February 2, in Giralda Plaza, Giralda Avenue, Coral Gables. Admission is free via eventbrite.com.
The Knight Foundation, Emilio Estefan, and Eduardo Marturet of the Miami Symphony Orchestra have teamed up to bring reggae royalty to the Design District's Palm Court. The poetry of Bob Marley will come alive when his former bandmates the Wailers play a free concert this Friday evening. Be sure to RSVP and arrive early to find an ideal viewing spot, because this show will surely be in high demand. 6 p.m. Friday, February 2, in Palm Court, 140 NE 39th St., Miami; 786-843-3880; aedistrictmiami.com. Admission is free via eventbrite.com.

Viewing options for the big game abound on Super Bowl Sunday. There are your friends' house parties and cookouts, rowdy sports bars, and neighborhood watch parties. But if you're looking to watch with a more attentive crowd, the Foxhole Bar's Sunday-night watch party might be your best bet. The Miami Beach hideout's party begins more than an hour before kickoff with $4 beers courtesy of Biscayne Bay Brewing and food from Foxhole's sister restaurant, Drunken Dragon. The best part: If you're in the mood for celebrating after your team wins, Foxhole's doors will remain open until 5 a.m. Monday. 5 p.m. Sunday, February 4, at Foxhole Bar, 1218 14th Ct., Miami Beach; 305-534-3511; foxholebar.com. Admission is free via eventbrite.com.