Friday
- South Beach Wine & Food Festival at various locations: Once a year, Miami welcomes the biggest names in the food industry for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF), presenting 85 events such as tastings, cooking seminars and demonstrations, and the Food Network Awards Show. The weather lures heavy-hitters such as Trisha Yearwood and Andrew Zimmern, along with 65,000 guests. Whether you like your Rachael Ray with a scrumptious burger in a giant crowd or your Anthony Bourdain with an intimate crew, SOBEWFF has a setup for you.
- Miami Downtown Jazz Festival at various locations: Nearly 30 acts across seven stages are set to showcase international jazz musicians in a city that used to be a jazz haven. And the best part is that all of the shows are free, save for the grand finale at Bayfront Park Amphitheatre. Acts include Spam Allstars and Jane Bunnett with Maqueque.
- Young Artist Initiative: Complements & Dichotomies at 1111 Lincoln Road: "How do aesthetic and functionality converge in the creation of beauty?" This is the central question of the Young Artist Initiative's new exhibition, "Complements and Dichotomies." More than 20 emerging artists will tackle the age-old dilemma of form versus function by immersing audiences in works of architecture, design, art, and music.
- Audience and Protest at Miami Theater Center: Vaclav Havel wrote the plays Audience and Protest after his work was outlawed in Czechoslovakia under an oppressive Communist regime. The hero of the plays and Havel's alter ego, Ferdinand Vanek, is a dissident whose life is shaped by the punishments against his acts of resistance. If the exposure and critique of a government bent on censorship and tyranny sound eerily appropriate right now, Mad Cat Theatre's production of Havel's plays run through March 12.
- Jerry Seinfeld at Hard Rock Live: The TV show Seinfeld had its problems. Something about single people finding affordable apartments and stable careers in New York City always seemed a little off. But there's no denying that Jerry Seinfeld is a comedy star whose jokes have stood the test of time, as evidenced by the success of shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm. So whether you're nostalgic for some early-'90s irony or not, Seinfeld's gig at Hard Rock Live promises to be more than a show about nothing. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
- Black Artist Talk at Deering Estate: No place in Miami can jolt you into the city's distant past like the Deering Estate. The beautiful foliage and buildings are stuck in a time when settlers first created communities here. It's a perfect setting for a discussion celebrating a creative community during Black History Month. Hosted by alumna artist-in-residence at the estate, Olujimi Dance Theatre’s Michelle Grant-Murray, the Black Artist Talk will feature esteemed panelists engaging the audience in a discussion about the black arts community in this swampy land.
- Lora Mitchell at Little Haiti Cultural Center: Each month, literary and performing arts group Evoke 180 brings out masters of the spoken and written word to paint the air with poetry for the open mike P.H.I.R.S.T. Impressionz. This month, the group will present a reading and book signing with poet Lora Mitchell, author of Diary of a Young Black Girl.
- Jeff Laub... Laughing Out Laub at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center: Jeff Laub had an illustrious career writing and producing for the likes of Showtime and Pepsi in New York City, but his standup began at a Borders bookstore in Coral Springs. Since that fateful open mike, the comic has been touring from his home base in South Florida. Whether he's opening for other comedians or making grandmas holler (and not in a PG way), Laub might just be the most "Florida" comedian you've ever seen.
- Harlem Globetrotters at American Airlines Arena: If you want to grab hold of a timeless sports tradition, check out the Harlem Globetrotters when they pound the boards at the American Airlines Arena. You can enjoy these basketball geniuses' skilled antics as they butter up the crowd. And catch female players TNT Lister and Ace Jackson alongside their male counterparts for the 2017 world tour. This season, they're debuting the first four-point line in the game’s history. The players will sign autographs and pose for photos after the game.
