The Best Things to Do in Miami This Weekend

You made it through the workweek. Now it's time to reward yourself with live music, weekend festivals, and your fair share of beer. A short drive across the causeway will be worth your time for Basement Miami's Femme Fatale night and Art Deco Weekend festivities. Then head back to the mainland for a Saturday-night screening of Eyes Wide Shut at Coral Gables Art Cinema and stay for Sunday's Gables Chili Fest.

Here are the best events happening in Miami this weekend.
Friday

The ladies are killing it at Basement Miami. Join DJs Jessica Who and Nala as they mix the soundtrack to the Miami Beach venue's ladies' night, Femme Fatale. Ladies enjoy complimentary frosé slushies from 9 to 11 p.m. at this monthly event presenting women DJs. 9 p.m. Friday at Basement Miami, 2901 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; basementmiami.com. Admission is free.

What is the longest-running free community cultural festival in Miami? That would be the Miami Design Preservation League's Art Deco Weekend. For its 42nd-annual shindig, more than 85 events — including fashion shows, live tunes, historical tours, and art displays — will happen in a three-day span. Among a number of can't-miss happenings is the Bark Deco Dog Show, with pups (some up for adoption) clad in historically inspired garb, beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday. Noon to 10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday on Ocean Drive between Sixth and 13th Streets, Miami Beach; artdecoweekend.com. Admission is free.

Can you pinpoint Sistrunk on the South Florida map? If not, it's an artsy and vibrant community in northwest Fort Lauderdale that's ready to woo you. For Sistrunk-A-Fair, a plethora of films, performances, and exhibits will review the history of black communities throughout Broward. The opening reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the African American Research Library. From there, plenty of diversions will keep your artsy soul occupied, including the Paint & Sip Night and a spoken-word spectacle. 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and events through January 26 at various locations in Fort Lauderdale; sistrunkafair.com. Admission prices vary.

A Permanent Vacation sounds lovely, doesn't it? Thanks to the kind folks in Coconut Grove, Main Highway will morph into a beachy block party, spotlighting the neighborhood's culinary mainstays as well as a couple of stellar music acts. On the tunes front, Grammy-nominated reggae band Locos por Juana and Cape Coral's Soulixer will rock the street. As for grub, Grove hot spots Jaguar Latin-American Kitchen and the Spillover will serve tasty morsels. 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday on Main Highway from Commodore Plaza to Fuller Street (near 3439 Main Hwy.), Coconut Grove; eventbrite.com. Admission is free.
Palomino Blond is one of the hardest-working bands in Miami, and it's about to take that work ethic statewide with a pair of shows in Orlando and Jacksonville this weekend. But before the quartet heads northbound on I-95, it'll play a hometown show at Tea & Poets inside Sunset Place. The bandmates will be joined by Jacksonville's Teen Divorce and premiere their new video for the song "Creature Natural." 8 p.m. Friday at Tea & Poets, 5701 Sunset Dr. Suite #126, Miami; teaandpoets.com. Admission costs $5.

You've seen him as Jack Hammer in Deadpool and Clay in Office Christmas Party, and he was the voice of Fred in Big Hero 6. Now you can see T.J. Miller and his reddish locks in person at the Miami Improv. The Denver-born comedian and actor is ready to hilariously comment on our increasingly depressing world. Named a "Top 10 Comic to Watch" by Variety, Miller will perform five shows in three days. 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday; and 8 p.m. Sunday at Miami Improv, 3450 NW 83rd Ave., Doral; miamiimprov.com. Tickets cost $27 to $55.

Big is beautiful. And Big Wonder, an evening of contemporary dance hand-crafted by choreographer Brigid Baker, is shaping up to be quite beautiful too. Baker is the director of Little Havana's 6th Street Studio, and for this show, her company, WholeProject, will perform two unique numbers. The first — Wonderlawn — captures the early AIDS crisis, and the second, Big Beautiful, celebrates the beauty of life. 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Miami-Dade County Auditorium On.Stage Black Box, 2901 W. Flagler St., Miami. Tickets cost $20 via ticketmaster.com.

Hungry but not exactly sure what you want? Enter Taste of the Yard, where a $25 ticket will get you samples from every food and drink concept on property. Chow down on a four-ounce portion of a Della bowl with Kuenko's chicken donburi. Then make your way to World Famous House of Mac for a mini mac 'n' cheese, and Food Dude for loaded jerk chicken tostones. Top off your meal with Santo Dulce's dulce de leche-covered churro with salty shredded cheese, along with a ten-ounce draft of craft beer or garden-infused punch from the Bar at the Yard. 5 p.m. Friday at the Wynwood Yard, 56 NW 29th St., Miami; 305-351-0366; thewynwoodyard.com. Tickets cost $25 via eventbrite.com.
Saturday

"Do you believe in life after love?" You better, because Cher is coming to the BB&T Center Saturday evening. Prepare for sass. Prepare for the hits, from "If I Could Turn Back Time" to "I Got You Babe." The 72-year-old icon is still churning out new tunes too. In 2018, she released her 26th studio album, Dancing Queen, which cracked the top five on the Billboard 200. 8 p.m. Saturday at BB&T Center, 1 Panther Pkwy., Sunrise; thebbtcenter.com. Tickets start at $63.70.

Apparently, the Miami Festival of Laughs has left audiences, well, laughing. So it's back for a fourth year. This year's star-studded laugh-a-thon will feature Next Friday and The Hangover star Mike Epps; Soul Plane and Dirty Laundry actor Sommore; Earthquake; Mark Curry of Hangin' With Mr. Cooper; and George Wallace. If you're not left guffawing at the end of this show, perhaps you have a problem. 8 p.m. Saturday at James L. Knight Center, 400 SE Second Ave., Miami; jlkc.com. Tickets cost $52 to $125.

Honor your favorite cheesy noodle this week at the second-annual NoMi Mac & Cheese Fest. Enjoy an afternoon of food, activities, and soul music. Dig into as much mac 'n' cheese as you can muster, and if you've got what it takes to make your own, enter the festival's bake-off in partnership with Johnson & Wales University and FIU's Culinary Arts Department. As you nosh, local bands will honor Aretha Franklin, and R&B performer Kelly Price will make a special appearance. 2 p.m. Saturday at Griffing Park, 12220 Griffing Blvd., North Miami. Tickets cost $25 via eventbrite.com.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman used to be a pretty hot couple in real life. If you'd like to relive their '90s heyday and watch them be all sultry in fantastical ways, the 1999 classic Eyes Wide Shut will show at Gables Cinema this Saturday. Presented in partnership with the Miami Jewish Film Festival, the movie will be preceded by a collection of short films. 10:30 p.m. Saturday at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; gablescinema.com. Tickets cost $8.

Sunday

Photojournalist Barbara Kinney knows the Clintons like few others know them. She was an official White House photographer for Bill. And she was Hillary's official campaign photographer during her 2008 and 2016 runs. This Sunday evening, Kinney will visit Books & Books to chat about some of the moments she's captured as well as her riveting, story-filled book, #StillWithHer. 6 p.m. Sunday at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; booksandbooks.com. Admission is free.

Just in time for the new year, the Gables Chili Fest will return to Miami, bringing together a bunch of civic, community, and religious organizations to make food and support U.S. veterans. Organizers invite attendees to bring their own chili con carne recipes for tasting to the sounds of live music from a variety of acts. Plus, Nightlife Brewing Company will round out the event with a fully stocked bar, and a handful of local food trucks will peddle their fare. Consider this an excellent reason to eat home-cooked comfort food for a great cause. 11 a.m. Sunday at 270 Catalonia Ave., Coral Gables; coralgableschilifest.com. Tickets cost $5 to $15.