South Beach has a whole weekend devoted to celebrating its Art Deco architecture. But, damn it, the little strip of mainland just across the causeway needs love for its buildings too. The Upper Eastside is pretty much the only place in the world where you can find a concentration of Miami Modernist, or MiMo, buildings. Dating from the ’50s and ’60s, the style took the clean lines of popular postwar architecture and then, of course, Miami-fied them by adding brighter colors, squigglier lines, and loopier, more off-kilter forms. To celebrate the funky structures and the burgeoning walkable neighborhood in which they stand, boosters have revived the annual MiMo Madness Festival, which takes place all day Saturday along Biscayne Boulevard from 66th to 72nd Street. In the morning, bring the kiddies for free yoga in Legion Park, a kids’ talent show, a circus workshop, and more. After noon, though, hire a babysitter, because things will get a little more grown-up. There will be live music by neo-vaudeville girl-band BabyHairs and hillbilly punkers Bosie Bob and His Backyard Band, a circus and sideshow, and even a retro-sexy afternoon performance by Cupcake Burlesque. Jugglers, acrobats, and “female impersonators” are also promised, as well as restaurant tastings, street vendors, and an antique car show. We hear the drinks are cheap over at the Harvey Seeds bar in back of Legion Park, too.
Sat., March 5, 10 a.m., 2011