Thursday, August 13
Soon after the quarantine descended, hyper-pop heroine Charli XCX set out to describe her experience on her fourth album, How I'm Feeling Now. Working under lockdown from her Los Angeles home, the British singer-songwriter collaborated with producers and fans to complete the project in only six weeks. The result is a DIY pop album that captures our collective boredom, isolation, and insecurity over the span of 11 tracks — a feat critics are hailing as Charli's best work and one that's already garnered her a Mercury Prize nomination. On Thursday, she'll partner with Boiler Room to celebrate with How I'm Feeling Now: Live. The stream includes a live performance, a conversation, and DJ sets; proceeds benefit the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights. 6 p.m. Thursday; live.boileroom.tv. Tickets cost $5. Jose D. Duran
Florida Supercon was set to make its big return to the Miami Beach Convention Center last month, until the pandemic put the kibosh on that. ReedPop, Supercon's parent company, has decided that geeks still deserve to come together and celebrate — responsibly, of course. On Thursday, ReedPop Metaverse gathers all of the company's signature conventions — including Supercon, New York Comic Con, MCM Comic Con, and Emerald City Comic Con —for a four-day celebration of fandom. The expansive virtual experience will act as a digital convention, offering a plethora of interactive events with fan-favorite actors, celebrity gamers, and creators. Many of the panel discussions will stream for free via New York Comic Con's YouTube channel, but tickets are available for supplemental meet-and-greets and Q&As. Thursday through Sunday; findthemetaverse.com. Tickets cost $10 to $77. Olivia McAuley
South Florida indie outfit Surfer Blood will play a concert Thursday on the independent, community-driven streaming platform NoonChorus, which launched recently to support artists during the COVID-19 pandemic. In September, the band is expected to release Carefree Theatre, a homage to the West Palm Beach venue — and their first studio album since the loss of their guitarist, Thomas Fekete, to cancer in 2016. In the meantime, the livestream will celebrate the tenth-anniversary reissue of the band's debut, Astro Coast, which the band will play in its entirety, track by track. 6 p.m. Thursday; noonchorus.com/surfer-blood. Tickets cost $10 in advance, $15 the day of the show. Olivia McAuley
Friday, August 14
Nicknamed the greatest show — and tell — on Earth, Maker Faire Miami is going virtual this year. But it will still bring together creative minds of all ages to learn from each other and share their latest inventions, hobbies, and experiments. You might hear from artists, engineers, scientists, or crafters at a series of talks, workshops, and showcases all weekend long. From robotics to 3D printing, botany to video production, there's sure to be something to spark your curiosity. This year's speakers include 14-year-old STEM advocate Allie Weber, MythBusters Jr. cohost Elijah Horland, and actor and content creator Jenny Lorenzo. Friday through Sunday; miami.makerfaire.com. Admission is free with RSVP. Suzannah Friscia
Missing the smell of fried funnel cakes wafting through the air? While everyone was cheated from experiencing the annual county fair earlier this year, the Drive-in at the Fair promises to make up for it. Kicking off on Friday with the oh-so-Miami flick Scarface, the outdoor theater accommodates up to 150 cars. And don't fret — parking spaces are assigned in advance so you can ensure you have the best seat in the house without the mad rush. The best part? Food and beverages options like red velvet funnel cake, fried Oreos, and corndogs can be ordered directly from your car. The only thing missing is the post-meal ride on the Gravitron. 6 p.m. Friday, at the Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds, 10901 Coral Way, Miami; 3feo.com. Tickets are $11 per person in car; kids under 15 free. Olivia McAuley
If you've ever longed to see some of the greatest jazz legends in history perform live, O Cinema's latest virtual feature is about the closest you can get. Photographer Bert Stern filmed the feature-length concert film Jazz on a Summer's Day at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958. Released the following year, the movie has become a classic of the genre, and possibly the first concert film ever made. Jazz on a Summer's Day places viewers right among the crowd of concertgoers, as greats like Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O'Day, Chuck Berry, Dinah Washington, and Mahalia Jackson take the stage. Opens Friday. Tickets cost $12 via ocinema.org. Suzannah Friscia
Saturday, August 15
The Underline, Miami's in-progress, ten-mile linear park and urban trail under the Metrorail, continues to host its free Underline yoga classes online. Powered by Baptist Health of South Florida, start your Saturday right with a Mindful Movement Virtual Yoga lesson, which in the Before Times popped up at different locations along the park's route. The class encourages people of all ages and skill levels to focus on health and mindfulness while practicing social distancing. The class streams via Zoom and donations to support the Underline's free programming are accepted via theunderline.org/donate. 10 a.m. Saturday; baptisthealth.zoom.us. Admission is free. Olivia McAuley
Whether or not you snagged tickets to Hamilton during its Miami visit earlier this year, you can catch Christopher Jackson, the original George Washington in the Broadway cast, in a livestreamed concert to benefit the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. For the one-night-only Christopher Jackson: Live From the West Side, Jackson will perform Broadway show tunes, pop hits, and original songs with his live band and share personal stories from his time in Hamilton, In the Heights, and Freestyle Love Supreme on Broadway. Viewers can also text questions for Jackson to answer in real time. 8 p.m. Saturday; browardcenter.org. Tickets cost $40. Suzannah Friscia
Looking to heat up your Saturday night? Log in to Zoom and get that tip money ready. Octopussy Lounge, the all-inclusive LGBTQ+ performance platform, is back with the second edition of internet strip club Sexotheque. Though they usually operate as a DIY pop-up, the organizers have taken the raunchy festivities virtual with a stellar lineup of professional burlesque, pole, and striptease artists. Saturday's event also includes a DJ set from head hostess Discosexo. Because of the explicit nature of the event, you must be at least 18 to view. Donations made via Eventbrite go directly to the performers, so don't be cheap — make it rain! 9 p.m. Saturday. Donations are accepted via eventbrite.com/e/sexotheque. Olivia McAuley
Sunday, August 16
On Sunday, Family Day at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami returns with another installation of its Animation Film Festival. For 24 hours, in celebration of unconventional family-friendly storytelling through filmmaking, the festival will offer virtual screenings of the fantasy animation Song of the Sea, directed by Tomm Moore. Also on tap: the Academy Award-winning short Mr. Hublot and interactive how-to videos exploring the state-of-the-art techniques used to bring animated flicks to life and showing young fans how to put their creativity into practice. The event is free with an RSVP, but tickets are limited, so reserve your spot while you can. 10 a.m. Sunday; icamiami.org. Admission is free with RSVP. Olivia McAuley
Monday, August 17
Amid the civil rights movement of the 1960s, following the murders of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., writer James Baldwin found himself disillusioned, feeling that the U.S. hadn't truly confronted its own lies about race. With many of us troubled by similar feelings today, Baldwin's struggle resonates anew. For the latest installment of Books & Books' Virtual Author Series, Eddie S. Glaude Jr. will discuss his new book, Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own. By combining biography, history, memoir, and analysis of our current moment in time, Glaude looks carefully at race in America past and present, examining what we can learn from Baldwin's journey that can be applied to our own time. Lonnie G. Bunch III, the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian, will converse with Glaude. 7 p.m. Monday; booksandbooks.com. Admission is free with RSVP. Suzannah Friscia
Tuesday, August 18
Miamians are no strangers to the Latin-infused pop of Gloria Estefan — it's part of our city's soundtrack. This week, British media company Intelligence Squared will present a more intimate look at Estefan's life, in her own words. The live podcast, an installment in Intelligence Squared's How I Found My Voice series, features Estefan in conversation with journalist Samira Ahmed, reflecting on her path to success as a musician — from her family's flight from Cuba when she was a child to the formation of the Miami Sound Machine with her future husband, Emilio Estefan, and her impact four decades later, with more than 120 million records sold worldwide and three Grammy Awards on her shelf. 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday; intelligencesquared.com. Tickets cost £9.99 via eventbrite.co.uk. Suzannah Friscia
Wednesday, August 19
If you want to level up from adult coloring books and pick up a new art hobby, Flower Garden in Soft Pastel, part of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's class series, might be for you. In the six-session weekly workshop, which begins on Wednesday, Miami artist Dan Bondroff, known for capturing the natural world through pastels, will guide students through the process of drawing with pastels, from composition to color mixing. Each class begins with a live demonstration, and every student receives one-on-one instruction in a workshop-style setting. Before you know it, you'll be covering your walls with your own creations. 10 a.m. to noon every Wednesday through September 23. Tickets cost $144 for Fairchild members, $180 for nonmembers via eventbrite.com. Suzannah Friscia
