Coconut Grove's Fashion Art and Music Night Is Back

Anyone familiar with Coconut Grove's rich history knows that the lush community started as a thriving artist's enclave. Despite the commercialization of Starbucks and Chili's, the Grove was born out of creativity and eclectic charm. 

Now, the waterfront neighborhood is rediscovering its roots with the return of Fashion Art + Music (F.A.M.) night. The monthly event will feature arts, eats, fashion shows, and other right-brain recreation — all kicking off this weekend, on October 3. 

From 6 to 9 p.m., boutiques, galleries, salons, bars, and restaurants will be offering various goodies for festival attendees. Panther Coffee, for instance, will have a $9 Nitro Cold-brew Float, and Bianco Gelato will be giving away sweet, creamy treats as part of a social media contest (tag @BiancoGelato to win).

Plus, "La Gamba Restaurant, voted as the best Spanish restaurant in Miami [by the New Times], will be offering a special menu with new interpretations of classic Spanish and Catalonian dishes and Le Bouchon du Grove will provide a complimentary house Kir Royal cocktail, just to name a few," says Natalia Grozina, marketing and public relations manager for the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District (BID), which heads up the event.

Aside from the edibles, there's plenty to satisfy all facets of the artist: Sale Rack will showcase a pop-up jewelry rack; DJ Daz will be spinning at CocoWalk; Vicky Victoria will be doing face painting; Hip hop artist Anita Will will demo her clothing and furniture line, Retro Bunny, at Condom-USA — and that's only a snippet of the arts-related entertainment going down. 

"In addition to the musical component of FAM, we have expanded the program to also include live street artists as well as henna artists," adds Grozina.

For those more inclined to participation, artists Miguel and Ileana Collazo will be leading a two-hour still-life painting lesson from 7 to 9 p.m. at Art Box at Mayfair in the Grove (for $15 per person); and for spectators, street artists Lauren Corona, Courtney Burge, Cory Hunter and others will be painting pictures of Coconut Grove.

"We have a lot of great new businesses that are already open or will be opening soon in Coconut Grove, such as Panther’s Coffee, Harry’s Pizzeria, Kit & Ace, Edite Mode, and Ergon Greek Deli & Cuisine who we are excited to work with to make Fashion + Art + Music night better than it already is. Coconut Grove is a rapidly changing neighborhood that is different than anywhere else in Miami and we hope that locals and visitors will get a chance to explore the original Miami."

F.A.M. Night is free to attend and runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, throughout Coconut Grove. Visit CoconutGrove.com for more info.