Arts & Entertainment

Tucked away down in The Hammocks, Spanish Marie Drag Night is Miami’s loudest secret. Hosted by the incomparable Jellika Boom, this monthly blowout transforms a craft brewery into a full-throttle queer celebration — complete with jaw-dropping performances, a crowd that brings the energy, and delicious brews that fuel the fun all night long. It’s packed wall-to-wall with an audience so vociferous, you’d swear you were walking into the Kaseya Center. Inclusive, electric, and unapologetically local, Spanish Marie is more than a party — it’s a phenomenon.

Released in October on Brooklyn-based Kanine Records — which put out music by the likes of Chairlift, Grizzly Bear, Surfer Blood, and Beach Day — You Feel It Too is the product of a young band that’s grown comfortable in its skin. Still following the trio’s dream-pop, grunge, and shoegaze formula, Palomino Blond, made up of Carli Acosta, Emma Arevalo, and Peter Allen, feel tighter and more in sync than ever. Tracks like “Plain View,” “Midheaven,” and “Automatic (If This Is Too Much)” show Acosta barely straining to sing atop the glittering melodies. Palomino Blond’s sound feels as indebted to acts like Sonic Youth, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine as it does to the Shangri-Las. Where will the band go next? Who knows, but You Feel It Too is a good reason to be excited.

Beloved local DJ Brother Dan’s homegrown record label and online shop is one of the most sonically adventurous musical projects to ever emerge from the city. In the past year, Terrestrial Funk has put out discs featuring reissued British street soul from System Exclusive, Detroit-style techno from Swiss producer Dan Piu, and ambient weirdness from fellow Miamians and artist pair Coral Morphologic. But their most impactful move had to be bringing their otherworldly realm into the physical plane with a pop-up record store in the Design District this past year. The shop was only open for a few weeks, but it quickly became a fixture for the local scene and a wonderful place to convene.

Rising from the ashes of the dearly departed Radio-Active Records in Fort Lauderdale, Connect Record Shop immediately made a splash on the regional record shop scene thanks to its fantastic curation and socially oriented space. There are regular events such as DJ sets, sound healing, and monthly block parties, and its records range from yacht rock and imported records from Japan and Brazil to punk, metal, and indie rock classics. And, in case you were wondering, there’s even a bin for vaporwave.

In a city dotted with construction cranes and transplanted high-end dining and entertainment concepts, the existence of a place like Luna Star Cafe feels nothing short of miraculous. For nearly 30 years, the tiny North Miami restaurant and music venue has hosted laudable singer-songwriters, both locals and touring acts. While the city around it has changed drastically, Luna Star keeps things refreshingly old-school. It’s still a cash-only establishment, it boasts an enviable international beer and wine selection, and people actually listen to the tunes: “Please keep your voices to a low whisper while the musicians are performing,” the venue’s website warns. “Otherwise you will be shushed. Really!”

Oh, where, oh, where is an underground band supposed to play in South Florida? Music venues, especially the kind local bands rely on, are an endangered species around here. Luckily, promoters are making the most of the spaces we still have. Spaces like the American Legion Post 92, a social club for veterans and military members in downtown Hollywood. Led by event promoters Equinox and Breakeven Booking, the club regularly hosts local bands as well as DIY acts traveling the country. Most fall in the metal, punk, and hardcore genres, but on occasion, you’ll also hear indie-rock, ska, and post-punk. It feels very similar to the time that the now-demolished American Legion on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami’s Upper Eastside also served as a music hub for raucous local acts. Luckily, with its busy stage and devoted barflies, the Hollywood outpost doesn’t seem like it’s leaving the chat anytime soon.

Tucked away in a nondescript strip mall off Federal Highway, Culture Room is one of the region’s small-but-mighty venue options — and the best here in 2025. This 650-person-capacity venue punches far above its weight having hosted eclectic headliners that span the dance beats of Charli XCX to the pop-noise of Sleigh Bells to foundational horror punk rockers the Misfits. Inside, the elevated stage ensures every spot feels front-row, while the intimate balcony nestled just off it offers a killer vantage point for those who prefer a birds-eye view. Need a breather? Step into the outdoor courtyard where a bar and live feed projection let you uniquely soak in the show under the stars. &etilde;With multiple bars, a welcoming atmosphere and a track record of hosting both legends and rising stars, Culture Room isn’t just a venue, it’s a rite of passage for local music lovers. In a region teeming with venue options often tiny AF or mega-beyond belief, this unassuming hotspot strikes all the right chords (literally).

Every Wednesday near Tropical Park, you can bring the drama to the stage instead of to your relationship with karaoke at Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Co. With Wynwood-worthy murals, glow-in-the-dark paintings, big personality cardboard cutouts, and a bar top made of pennies, this Westchester warehouse is the perfect backdrop for singing radio pop hits or emotional deep cuts and posting them online. DJ Rob Carreno knows how to work a weeknight crowd with his robust catalog of 66,000 songs sorted into hyper-specific playlists. Carreno’s transitions and ad-libs on the mic keep everyone engaged and motivated, as do the lyrics he projects behind the singer. And Lincoln’s Beard has liquid courage galore with in-house brews and cocktails. After earning a round of applause for your vocal stylings, scarf down your reward at the Lala’s Burgers and Fries pop-up on the patio.

Miami boasts some of the best adult entertainment in the country and Gold Rush Cabaret is leading the pack. With three floors and 15,000 square feet of club space, the venue does triple duty as a hotspot for music, sporting events, and, of course, fully nude entertainment. Located in Miami’s Upper Eastside, the place is open until five a.m., seven days a week, making Gold Rush a go-to for either a sexy night out or a proactive afterparty. Bottle service here starts at $100 (before 11 p.m.) and they offer nightly $5 food and drink specials. And hey, if gorgeous women performing aerial stunts aren’t enough of a draw for you, their chicken tenders are legendary. (Seriously, don’t knock strip club food until you’ve tried it.)

Level up your mid brunch experience by adding burlesque into the mix. From noon to four on Sundays, the Wilder’s Burlesque Brunch features bottomless cocktails and boobies. The burlesque performers each bring their own risqué flair and personality to performances that will leave you hungry for more — and for matcha French toast, cacio e pepe croquettes, or sweet corn tamale cake, all of which are on the menu. Besides bottomless spritzers for $30, you can share a garden punch bowl or chug “Birds of a Feather” specialty shots served inside a birdcage. From the “let’s take a selfie” midcentury-modern decor at the Wilder to the titillating talent on stage, this is the excitement and style your weekend craves.

Cosmic Divinity is a star in every sense — burning bright, unafraid, and impossible to ignore. Cosmic floats seamlessly between drag and burlesque, delivering performances that are as sensual as they are out of the world. Whether they’re exciting audiences at Gramps or commanding the room at Florida Supercon, Cosmic Divinity fuses the theatrical with the sexy, giving Miami a whole new genre of nightlife magic.

Hosting and producing some of the best shows in town, Jellika Boom brings her signature charisma to venues all across Florida and beyond. At Spanish Marie Brewery, Jellika’s monthly drag night has become the ultimate IYKYK event for locals. In Hialeah, she turns La Cocina into a wildly fun drag party with great cocktails in a side of Miami that doesn’t see drag shows very often. At Rooftop Cinema Club in Miami Beach, Jellika brings the screen to life with drag shows themed to each night’s movie. Paired with cocktails, popcorn and one of the best views of the Miami skyline, it’s easily the most unforgettable way to do movie night in the city. Jellika is always surprising us with new, exciting shows, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.

Cole Knight has had nothing short of a meteoric rise from Miami to top clubs worldwide, like Club Space and Pacha in Ibiza. Knight’s blend of synergic house and corrosive techno has proved to have no bounds. It’s one thing to make beats on the regular, but Knight keeps one step above most, featuring her smooth and matter-of-fact voice that makes her tracks lost-in-the-moment club smashes. Look no further than her 2023 Detroit-styled number, “Keep It Cute,” where the vocals — “We keep it cute; we keep it classy; we keep it cool; we keep it nasty” — bounce around a hypnotic percussion and bass. Her tracks have made it to the best DJs’ USBs, from Solomun to Ben Sterling. If you’re trying to find that spellbinding track that was just dropped in the club, follow the voice. Cole Knight will lead you the right way.

Known as the “Mid Day Bae” on 103.5 The Beat, multilingual, multi-hyphenate radio host Stichiz brings her infectious energy and signature “Stichzophrenic” style to the midday segment, a technique rooted in her early days as a hip-hop artist. The definition of when “preparation meets opportunity,” she rose from a promotions coordinator at Y100 to become a trailblazer across multiple iHeartRadio stations countrywide. She also made history as the first woman to be the official imaging voice for Rogers SportsNet in Canada, which is fitting since she was born in the country to Haitian parents. Stichiz weaves her heritage into everything she does, from her community-oriented Haitian Greatness series to uplifting Creole-English songs. A passionate youth advocate, she leads initiatives like the MLKCC Youth Trailblazer Awards and “Express Yourself” Teen Open Mic, a free open mic where teenagers can perform and learn from industry professionals. She also portrays the beauty of diversity in her Amazon best-selling children’s book series, Tu Es Belle: You Are Beautiful: Abby’s Great Day. With unmatched talent and purpose, she pushes culture forward all while keeping South Florida informed and entertained.

Keeping with the college tradition of improving local radio, FIU’s official radio station, the Roar broadcasts a creative aural variety of tunes 24-7. WRGP has been student run and operated since 1988, but it has reached wider audiences thanks to the internet. You can always hear the livestream crystal clear on the website, but the reception isn’t always the greatest if you’re driving around. The station changes near each campus from 95.3 in Miami to 96.9 in North Miami to 88.1 in the Kendall and Homestead area. But it’s worth the fuzzy moments to enjoy a real range of tunes and genres from neo-soul to bedroom pop to electronic beats to old school blues. So put your paws up and use them to tune into The Roar.

There’s certainly a plethora of true crime podcasts, but for fans of fictional crimes, it’s slim pickings in the world of podcasts. Until you get a listen of Terror on the Air. The brainchild of Travis Roig, Terror on The Air is inspired by the old-time murder mystery radio shows of yesteryear. Roig casts South Florida thespians and voice actors to play the parts he lovingly scripts and records in his North Bay Village studio. Each episode is thoughtfully plotted out and comes complete with chilling sound effects that would make Orson Welles and his early-20th-century radio play contemporaries proud. There are nine episodes currently available on SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube with a season two coming down the pipeline.

Meteorologist John Morales has gone viral more than once, for bravely speaking up about climate change and the recent devastating federal cuts to the National Weather Service. After 40 years of broadcasting, the meteorologist has been semi-retired since 2022, returning each June through November as NBC 6’s Hurricane Specialist. He first went viral last October when the typically cool-headed weatherman became emotional during an on-air report about Hurricane Milton’s explosive intensification in the Gulf of Mexico. “The seas are just so incredibly, incredibly hot,” he said, choking back tears. “You know what’s driving that. I don’t need to tell you: global warming, climate change.” The stark warning, from a figure who’s been known as the antithesis of alarmist since his days on Univision, struck a nerve. In a recent viral stand, he blasted DOGE cuts that decimated climate agencies sharing that he wouldn’t be able to accurately predict this hurricane season. He’s the best because he continues to use his platform to drive home the very real consequences of political action — and inaction.

There’s something so reassuring about seeing a face you can trust on the regular old TV. Ohio native and eight-time Emmy Award-winner Calvin Hughes has been a Miami newsroom anchor on Local 10 for more than fifteen years. So by now, his is a trusted face and a trusted talent. A globetrotting reporter, he’s not going to Anytown, USA, to cover a pageant. No, Hughes covers the hard beats from Cuban politics and reporting live from Haiti, where he once interviewed Martine Moïse, the widow of the assassinated Haitian president Jovenel Moïse. But Hughes can also grace the camera with a chuckle and smile, making this local father a comforting figure on the small screen.

If you haven’t been keeping up with Local 10 News, then there are a lot of new changes you should know about (and no, we don’t just mean its bombshell departure from ABC). We mean rising talent Hannah Yechivi — a new reporter who joined the Pembroke Park station almost one year ago. Despite being a new addition to WPLG, she’s already making waves by covering some of the biggest stories in a crazy news cycle, from the January midair crash in Washington, D.C. to breaking a tragic triple murder in Tamarac. Yechivi, who worked at NBC News Center in Maine prior to joining Local 10, is always extremely prepared, concise in her reporting, and even downright creative on more fun assignments like this year’s Miami Marathon. She also brings some serious clout along with her, notably becoming a two-time Edward R. Murrow Award winner and four-time Emmy-nominated news reporter. Regardless of whether you’re checking out local TV news these days, she’s one to watch.

If something’s going down in Miami Beach — and let’s be real, there’s never a dull moment — chances are Aaron Leibowitz is already on it. A graduate of Columbia Journalism School’s Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, Leibowitz has been covering Miami Beach for the Miami Herald since 2019, earning a reputation over the years as a dogged watchdog of local government shenanigans. He’s covered everything from Miami Beach’s long history of Spring Break crackdowns to the contested redevelopment of the Surfside collapse site to the recent controversy surrounding O Cinema’s screening of No Other Land. In 2022, he was part of the team of reporters who won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Surfside condo collapse. Amid the bleak state of journalism [gestures widely], Leibowitz continues to show why quality local journalism matters –– by holding local officials accountable and keeping a watchful eye on city hall, even on the slow news days.

Pedro Portal isn’t just a photographer — he’s Miami’s visual storyteller-in-chief. As a staff photojournalist for the Miami Herald, Pedro’s lens captures everything from the raw heartbreak of homelessness near Jackson Memorial to the high drama of political showdowns, Chinese migrants arriving in search of a new life, and even neighborly feuds with a touch of telenovela flair. His secret sauce? A sharp eye for storytelling, a rock-solid news sense, and the rare ability to make people feel seen, not just photographed. Whether he’s racing to meet a deadline or quietly documenting a delicate moment, Pedro always brings empathy, integrity, and a dash of laid-back charm. Just ask anyone he’s covered, he’s as respectful as he is talented.

Step aside, quiet corners and dusty shelves, Richter Library is where academic magic happens. Nestled in the heart of the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus, this isn’t your grandma’s library (though she’d love it, too). With sleek tech, next-level resources, and more brainpower than a finals-week study group fueled by cafecito, Richter is the ultimate campus hangout for the intellectually curious. The U celebrated its 100th anniversary on April 8, and there’s no better place to soak in that century-strong Hurricane pride. Richter is where legacy meets innovation and where students have been leveling up their learning since 1962 thanks to the legendary Otto G. Richter, a Pittsburgh accountant-turned-Miami philanthropist who helped build this academic fortress with heart (and a hefty estate). Inside, you’ll find a multimedia Creative Studio, a Learning Commons that’s like a brain gym, and a meditation room for when it’s time to unplug. The Cuban Heritage Collection and Kislak Center offer rare gems for research and reflection, while the Data and Visualization Services make even the messiest stats look good. Need help writing that term paper, decoding research methods, or troubleshooting tech? The Writing Center, Student Tech Help Desk, and Academic Enhancement crew are right there with you, all under one roof. Richter isn’t just a library, it’s a launchpad and a legacy.

The curator behind Red Rooster’s Friday night weekly, “Thank You,” Jeanie J. is as obscure as she is omniscient. You’ve probably seen her gliding through the hotspot’s thick weekend crowds or managing the entrance at the speakeasy. But to those who know her, Original Jeanie is a meticulous event curator who is passionate about creating community through culture. Just two years in, her R&B and hip-hop weekly is a staple where people can find a vibe unlike anywhere else in the city. Since her days as part of the popular Art Mob collective, she’s created a lane for her friends in nightlife, whether she’s hosting a Miami Art Week pop-up or bridging fashion and music at her “Sumthin’ Special” activations. Her recent venture? A ladies night at Mangrove aptly called “Please.” Next time you stumble across a new event putting a spin on classic nightlife experiences, check the fine print. Jeanie is most likely the brain behind the brand.

After years of trying to communicate with potential spring breakers, Miami Beach finally decided to embrace one universal language: trashy reality TV. This year’s theme, “Miami Beach Is Breaking Up with Spring Break,” flips the script on typical tourism ads, instead asking would-be vacationers to please not come here. The ad is shot like a reality TV show, featuring hot party people becoming more and more unhinged as they learn about all the rules the city has in place to ruin their fun. It cleverly delivers a message locals have been trying to get across for years: Be respectful of our city or GTFO.

There aren’t many landmarks in South Florida, or perhaps in the entire world, as inconspicuous as the giant guitar shaped Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood jutting out over flat swampland. At night from the turnpike you can see lasers shoot out to the heavens forming a fretboard for the 450-foot body of the behemoth structure. Inside is a casino just as flashy and gaudy as the outside. Open 24 hours a day, there are so many games of chance, you’ll feel you’ve been transported to Vegas. There are more than 2,000 slot machines, 200 stations of table games from blackjack to craps to roulette, and a poker room with 45 tables. It’s also one of the few places in Florida where you can legally bet in person on sports, so optimists can wager on a 2025 Dolphins Super Bowl win and realists can profit on their delusion.

Clay Ferraro makes following the journey of every South Florida sports team each season more about the storylines and humor that accompany the scoreboard than the results on the field. And that might be the best compliment you can give a sports anchor. Ferraro is in your home and on your Twitter feed daily, regardless of the field, court, or ice results. He brings a fun-loving style that blends huggability and unmatched energy to sports coverage, alongside executive sports producer David Lang and sports producer Will Manso. As WPLG Local 10’s lead sports anchor, Ferraro has a knack for making even the most complex sports stories digestible — and fun. Sometimes in a way that bleeds onto your social media feed uniquely. He’s not just reading scores; he’s telling the stories, sharing moments, and connecting with viewers in a way that makes South Florida sports feel personal. Whether it’s Dolphins drama, Heat highlights, or Panthers playoff run, Ferraro’s reporting and on-air charisma make him the anchor we trust when sports headlines break.

No team in South Florida understands the internet quite like the Miami Heat. They’re more than in on the trends — they elevate them. Whether it’s inviting “Routine” guy and local content creator Ashton Hall to be part of their social media campaign courtside or utilizing the latest troll on their “Winning” postgame celebrations, they’re dropping content like no other local team. The Heat have consistently found ways to stand out in a crowded content room. Something essential amidst a season where the sub-500 on-court product hasn’t always given fans as many reasons to smile as they have become accustomed to in the past. Grabbing social media mindshare is an ever-moving target, particularly with politics and less escape-worthy subjects flooding the space, but the Miami Heat have made it a point to make you pay attention in all the right ways.

If you’re even remotely paying attention to the landscape of South Florida sports, Jeremy Taché is everywhere. In a single day, you can turn on your TV to see him on the Miami Heat sidelines, on your recommended YouTube page as a mainstay member of the Le Batard and Stugotz crew, and all over your Twitter timeline dropping interviews of Miami Marlins players. It’s like the best episode of Black Mirror — he’s everywhere, always, all at once. And that’s a good thing. Taché does it all with charisma, professionalism, and a unique South Florida son’s style of energy. He’s earned his reputation as one of the most versatile voices in South Florida sports media by doing what few can: blending sports knowledge with authenticity and a touch of cheerleader. It would take six people to replace Taché in the workplace, but no one could ever truly replace what he’s brought to the Miami media landscape.

Wes Goldberg and David Ramil have quickly become the go-to voices for Miami Heat fans seeking to stay informed. Locked on Heat has become more than just a polished-looking podcast — it’s become appointment listening, whether you caught the game or missed the action and need a trusted recap of what went down. From the instant analysis of last night’s game — good or bad — to super-insightful breakdowns of what to expect ahead of the trade deadline or off-season free agency, Goldberg and Ramil have made it their job to get you up to date on what to expect from the Heat. They manage to be deeply informed and highly entertaining in an almost odd-couple way and each brings their quirks and insight to the table. Their chemistry and candor make even the toughest 27-point blown lead losses feel like part of the ride. As the sports media landscape has evolved, more voices that may not have had a platform in the past have emerged. Locked on Heat is a shining example of why that’s a good thing. If you live and breathe Heat basketball, this podcast belongs in your daily rotation.

Forget the typical Miami nightlife scene for a second and get into some smooth jazzy sounds at Armstrong Jazz House. This Miracle Mile spot is preserving the art of jazz through live performances seven days a week. It offers dinner and a show in an intimate but bustling atmosphere. Trust us when we say, make a reservation in advance. The menu is all organic and local, featuring fun plates like a classic “French Quarter onion soup” to “jazzy chicken francese.” This Coral Gables gem also preserves the genre by offering free jazz instrument lessons for kids, ensuring jazz isn’t just the soundtrack to a lovely night out, but the sound of future artists flexing their sonic skills.

The two-day Jazz in the Gardens festival at Hard Rock Stadium is the stuff of headline-writers’ dreams. It features super-influential artists in the biz, but it also cultivates and celebrates community. It kicks off with an annual opening night party and the Women’s Impact Luncheon, drawing locals and visitors to honor influential figures in R&B, gospel, and soul music. One of the longest running R&B festivals in the nation, past performers include luminaries and chart-toppers like Chaka Khan, Usher, Anita Baker, Toni Braxton, H.E.R., and Doechii. It launched in 2006, but after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic, its comeback caught the eye of Gary Guidry, the CEO of Black Promoters Collective, a coalition of top independent concert promoters. The following year, city officials handed over promotion and talent booking to BPC, who began revamping JITG into a cross-generational cultural experience. This year’s edition continued its evolution with the U.S. return of dancehall icon Beenie Man and a viral moment of Lauryn Hill performing alongside Grammy-award winner Doechii. Guidry plans to keep growing JITG’s presence as a cultural force at the start of festival season, solidifying it as a local and national gem.

Some clubs are redesigned out of old Soviet factories, others were built with slabs of marble and a dash of luxury. Mad Radio, however, inhabits a portion of the Selina Miami Gold Dust Motel in the MiMo District in Miami’s Upper Eastside. Downstairs, the club is this year’s winner — the sound system goes hard against the strip of dance floor and tables on each end, all under low, deep red lighting. The DJs, largely local talent, spin house and techno, and each set is recorded and uploaded to the club’s YouTube channel. Upstairs, the restaurant offers premium food and a DJ spinning funk all night long. The only checkout time Mad Radio needs you to worry about is the 5 a.m. closing.

Spell doesn’t just spin tracks — she casts them. With an ear for the deep, driving pulse of dance music and a reputation for curating transcendent sets, DJ Spell brings a hypnotic energy to every Miami dance floor she graces. Spell can be found hyping up crowds all across the 305. Whether in a warehouse or a roller rink, she keeps the night alive and bodies in motion.

If you’ve experienced Miami’s nightlife since the late aughts, chances are you’ve partied to a DJ Fly Guy set. Born in Guyana and raised between New York and Miami, he got his start with a three-year residency at the now defunct Love Hate Lounge on South Beach where he spun hip-hop cuts at the Classic Sunday weekly. He appeared on the third season of VH1’s Master of the Mix in 2013 and eventually formed an invaluable partnership with the man behind LIV on Sundays, Michael Gardner. In 2021, the pair launched Doo-Wop, a popular R&B series that’s toured across the country and hosted celebrities like Summer Walker, Jamie Foxx, and Damson Idris. Last summer, he was enlisted as the tour DJ for Tank’s R&B Money Tour, and this summer, he’s bringing the Doo-Wop experience to the iconic Roots Picnic stage in Philadelphia. Whether he’s blending throwbacks and R&B newbies at Doo-Wop or spinning hip-hop traditions at his latest series, Crates, Alexander is a DJ’s DJ who’s etched an incomparable legacy in Miami’s nightlife culture.

Tucked away on the ninth floor of the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building is Miami’s most fascinating public library you’ve probably never heard of: the Eleventh Circuit’s Federal Courts Library. Open to the public — yes, really — this hidden gem is a quiet powerhouse of legal research, especially for attorneys and pro se litigants with active cases before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Serving the federal courts of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, the library was built to support serious legal minds, but anyone can come explore, as long as you’re prepared for the process. First, you’ll pass through a U.S. Marshals security checkpoint on the first floor (think TSA vibes but with more marble). Once inside, there are a few rules to keep in mind: no cell phones allowed beyond security, so plan to unplug and go analog. The library is packed with resources that can help untangle even the gnarliest appeals cases, and when staff is present, they’re an incredible resource for legal research support. For those in need of a caffeine fix or a cookie break, there’s even a snack bar somewhere in the building. Quiet, serious, and surprisingly accessible, the Eleventh Circuit Library is Miami’s best-kept secret for legal minds and curious civilians alike. Just don’t expect to text about it while you’re there.

Stamped isn’t just another Afrobeats party. It’s a movement where culture and community collide at Arlo Wynwood’s Higher Ground. Helmed by Leslie “AYA” Ayafor (@manlikeaya on Instagram), Stamped has quickly grown into one of the hottest Afrobeats parties in Miami since launching more than two years ago. The bimonthly series is an unapologetically African experience attuned to sounds from the continent only. Tallying more than 1,000 attendees monthly, it’s an opportunity to taste authentic African dishes like jollof rice while reveling in AYA’s infectious sets that blend regional deep cuts and global hits. Last summer, AYA hosted a New York edition of Stamped at the Arlo Williamsburg in Brooklyn where he filled the venue to capacity twice. This year, he’s taking things further with the Stamped: AYA and Friends tour, making stops in cities like Orlando, Atlanta, Brooklyn, and D.C. before wrapping up in Johannesburg, South Africa. And Miami loyalists shouldn’t worry, even with this expansion, he won’t be abandoning the 305.

Silhouettes is the beating heart of South Florida’s alt nightlife scene. More than just a party, Silhouettes is a platform, a scene, and a sanctuary. From live music to burlesque to avant-garde drag, every event highlights a vibrant spectrum of local talent, offering a stage to the misfits, the visionaries, and the beautifully bizarre. It’s the party the city didn’t know it desperately needed — and now can’t imagine living without. South Florida’s alt scene has found its new home at Silhouettes.

After becoming a fixture in the Miami music scene in the 2000s, Rachel Goodrich decamped to Los Angeles in 2011. By that point in her career, Goodrich had received a call-out in a New York Times story about the Magic City’s growing indie scene, and her song “Lightbulb” had appeared on the Showtime series Weeds and in a Crayola commercial. During her time away, Goodrich certainly cut her teeth in the City of Angels, surrounded by a bustling entertainment industry that Miami couldn’t match. So, color us surprised when Goodrich returned, albeit somewhat part-time, to her hometown, releasing her album Once Before, which draws plenty of inspiration from the Magic City. “Every day in South Beach is a romantic journey, taking walks, sitting at cafés, admiring the historic architecture and hidden gems — it’s all such a big thing that contributed to these songs,” she told New Times in April. A native returning isn’t always a good thing, but in this case, the city will always welcome Goodrich with open arms.

Songwriting is hard. For every “…Baby One More Time” that Max Martin penned, he had dozens more songs that failed to connect with audiences. Locally, University of Miami Frost School of Music graduate Vania Junco makes the endeavor *seem* effortless when listening to her recently released self-titled debut EP — never mind that the 24-year-old has been working on the songs since she was 17. The collection of indie-folk tracks shows that Junco’s time was well spent, with tracks like “Pas de Deux,” “Now Leasing Green Briar West,” and “Cranefly Harvestman.” “Now I’m/Grazing twenty-five/And everything is changing/But Mom is still alive,” Junco sings on “Cranefly Harvestman” about her quarter-life crisis. While Junco isn’t topping the charts Max Martin-style, yet, she certainly proved that her songwriting can be introspective, serene, and certainly worthy of time on repeat on your Spotify.

Remember late nu-metal of the late nineties and early aughts? What if someone gave it a Gen Z makeover but with more hooks and added a bit of pop sensibility? It would slap. Enter Mad Kelly. The South Florida artist has been pushing his sound to a new generation, whether through original compositions, like “Sore Eyes” and “Everybody’s Enemy,” or covers of past hits, such as No Doubt’s “Hella Good” and Disturbed’s “Stupify.” While nu-metal is often pooh-poohed, Kelly shows so much love for the genre that you can’t help but get excited, too. It certainly helps that he gives the sound much more depth than Fred Durst ever did.

Under her stage name Zya, Steffany Perez blends her Cuban heritage with jazz and R&B to create syrupy sweet harmonies. A TheNuMiami signee, she recently released the track “Is It Wrong,” which embodies the classic nineties R&B sound, not too far removed from pioneering acts like Brandy, Aaliyah, and Mariah Carey. On “Trapped In It,” her collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Kaylan Arnold, Zya gives R&B an Afropop twist that oozes natural sensuality. To boost what someone wrote in the comment of one of her YouTube videos: “Why isn’t Zya bigger than she is?”

Few Miami rappers had a better year than Denzel Curry. The Carol City native looked back to his Raider Klan days for inspiration on King of the Mischievous South, an intense and bombastic record that played with all sorts of Southern rap conventions and recruited rising talents such as 454, Bktherula, and Lazer Dim 700. But he truly conquered the game at Rolling Loud Miami’s tenth anniversary, giving the undisputed best performance of the entire festival and putting every other rapper to shame with intense energy and craft. All hail the king.

Back in February, Peruvian-born, Miami-raised percussionist and composer Tony Succar won the Latin Grammy for “Best Tropical Album” alongside his mother, the incomparable Mimy Succar, for the live album, Alma, Corazón, y Salsa (Live at Teatro Nacional). While today’s reggaeton superstars are mining traditional Latin sounds like bachata, cumbia, merengue, salsa, and rancheros to great success, Succar has been a fixture in the Latin music scene ever since taking over his family’s band when he was still studying at Florida International University. At 38 years old, Tony still has a long career ahead of him, one that will undoubtedly stand the test of time regardless of where the trends go.

Indie-rock quartet Iliad — consisting of Arkii Cala, David Cisneros, Tobias Steensma, and Juliet Bradley — has been making a loud mark on the South Florida music scene with its brand of nineties alternative rock reinterpreted by Gen Z. Their Bandcamp offers a glimpse of what the foursome is capable of when they come together. “Tiger Balm” feels indebted to the Pixies, while the reverb-happy “Pink Mustang” wouldn’t have felt out of place during college radio’s peak. Last fall, Iliad finally released its debut album, Slug, a tight 22-minute, seven-track introduction. It’s a solid effort from the young band that will leave you wondering where their career will take them as they get more experience under their belt.

South Florida’s indie-rock darlings Cannibal Kids recently released their third album on Shaemax Records. Titled Chiral, referring to a concept of molecule asymmetry in chemistry, the double-sided album expands upon their trademark indie-rock sound through experiments with jazz, alt-rock, and Japanese city pop influences. One side of Chiral focuses on rock, while the other creates a blend of their genre influences. The album’s accompanying visual album creates a mosaic of the sounds, images, and emotions that influenced the band’s songwriting process. With vocalist/lead guitarist Damien Gutierrez, drummer Luke Faulkingham, bassist Marty Quinn, lead guitarist Bennett Wyler, and keyboardist/trombone player Eli Feingold, Cannibal Kids are already growing up into Cannibal Adults, touring and performing alongside major artists like Young the Giant and Flipturn.

Five years after its closure, Miami music fans are still holding out hope for the return of Churchill’s Pub. As the 16-minute documentary titled simply Churchill’s lays out, the local music scene just hasn’t been the same without the Little Haiti pub welcoming novice musicians and punk legends alike. As former Load drummer Fausto Figueredo says, “[Churchill’s] was a place that I think solidifies itself in American punk rock club history — like CGBG, like Gilman Street, like the 40 Watt Club.” Co-directors and producers Matt Deblinger and Nicholas Orris capture the indelible impact the anything-goes venue had on how we made and consumed music in our city and shared it with the world. It’s a compelling collection of grainy footage taken in the dive — including Chuck Loose of ’90s Miami punk band Chickenhead leaping off the stage after setting fire to his shirt — and anecdotes and commentary by onetime regulars to those grimy stages. Ahol Sniffs Glue, Otto von Schirach, doorman Christopher Hubbard (better known as “Mr. C”), bartender Nicky Bowe, and many others make appearances, including Flash of F, who horrifyingly licks the walls of the infamous Churchill’s bathroom.

Relentlessly funny, Manny Garavito is a Miami comedy mainstay who brings the city’s quirks to the stage with hilarious insight. Through his Miami Comedy platform and regular live shows, Garavito has built a loyal local following while spotlighting other rising comics in the scene. When he’s not on stage making audiences snarf their sodas, he’s posting videos on TikTok and Instagram satirizing the Magic City. His humor captures what it means to live, laugh, and drive in the 305.

Miamians just can’t seem to get enough of Betty Pastelitos. The mom, educator, and content creator has gone viral quite a few times with her hilarious, hyper-local content. Whether she’s reenacting too-real moments from Miami schools, showcasing the ups and down of being a Latina millennial mom, or poking good natured fun at our obsession with cafecito, her videos have made their way through countless group and family chats. With more than 250,000 likes on TikTok, it’s clear Betty Pastelitos is making Miamians near and far giggle with glee.

Chances are, you’ve seen Fernanda Gimenez as you scroll down your “For You” page, dancing alongside her beloved boyfriend Sebastian or talking about her struggles with acne. Whatever your interaction with her, the Uruguayan-creator-turned-TikTok-sensation has surely earned her place on this list with 10 million followers on the app alone. While her content isn’t exactly challenging us to expand our intellects, she’s a touchstone in the Gen Z cultural conversation and her broad appeal comes from an ability to be authentic and humble in a landscape filled with phonies and wannabes. Whether it’s making appearances at Art Basel Miami Beach or the Latin Grammys — it’s clear that she loves the city that loves her back.

Kathleen truly is a 305 OG — on YouTube, that is. Kathleen Fuentes launched her channel, KathleenLights, more than 12 years ago, and today, the bubbly beauty of Cuban descent has amassed more than 4 million subscribers. Known for its namesake’s spunky personality, her channel is a go-to destination for informative beauty tutorials, product hauls, and the occasional personal vlog for longtime fans who’ve watched her grow over the past decade. A joy to watch and brimming with girlie energy, KathleenLights is a space lovingly crafted for the girls and the gays.

Everyone is an influencer these days, but Ava Praschnik has been making food videos since before it was hot. She had a dream of doing something in the food industry, so she pressed record and started chowing down, launching @yumiami_ as a high school junior. With nearly half a million TikTok followers, Praschnik is constantly sharing the foodie info you want, like about that new bakery in the Grove, Miami’s viral matcha strawberries, affordable foodie deals, and even where to eat on your vacay. She knows how to display a delicious dish and rock a short, sweet edit. When she’s not posting food reviews, you can find her DJing at a local bar or restaurant. Her infectious smile and honest reviews are what keep people smashing that like button.

Fitness influencer Ashton Hall captivated the world with his ultra-weird morning routine. Earlier this year, a video of his bizarre, nearly six-hour long morning routine went viral on social media. Filmed in his sleek, modern luxury apartment somewhere in the 305, the video features a muscular, shirtless Hall dunking his face in a bowl of Saratoga Spring Water and ice twice in just three hours, rubbing a banana peel on his face, and journaling for exactly two minutes, among other odd rituals. While Hall had already built a strong presence on Instagram, where he boasts more than 15.5 million followers, his content was quickly –– as the kids say –– roasted by the less-forgiving users of X (formerly known as Twitter). The viral attention has since turned Hall into something of an internet folk figure, spawning countless parodies and reaction videos from the likes of Saturday Night Live, the Miami Heat’s social media team, and…Piers Morgan?

Journalist, researcher, and curator Nadege Green has dedicated her life’s work to telling stories that were too often muted and are now begging to be told. As a first-generation Black American of Haitian descent born and raised in Miami, she’s taken notice of which those are and created a more complete picture of her home city with Black Miami-Dade. It’s a history and creative studio honoring Miami’s Black history and luminaries. Its Instagram account spotlights hidden figures and draws connections between Miami’s Black history and current events in service of fulfilling the mission stated in its bio: “Resisting the erasure of Miami-Dade’s Black past.” While an afternoon scroll down the account’s hundreds of posts is an excellent substitute for doomscrolling, @blackmiamidade is no longer confined to the phone screen. This year, the org published zines about Josephine Baker and Blanche and Cab Calloway, with Green hosting associated panels at Sweat Records in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance.

You could stay at home to watch a movie. You could go to the theater. But one local event series is doing something completely different by putting cinematic culture in the club. An offshoot of the black queer music and arts collective Masisi, Club Sinéma blends cutting-edge music with experimental film, creating something entirely new and unique in the process. It’s not for every cinephile, but it is pretty creative and cool.

With a bold debut film in the form of Clocked, director Noah Salzman is using his craft to put sensitive storytelling on the big screen. Clocked is a queer drama filmed in Miami about a Latino fighter who aims to use their winnings to transition. Salzman won the Outshine Film Festival’s Vanguard Award and the film screened at festivals across the country. On top of that, he also runs 5th Leg Table Reads, a platform that helps fellow film creatives hone their craft through virtual table reads.

Despite Vince Vaughn’s role as the lead, Bad Monkey is the most accurate Miami TV offering that’s dropped in decades, like since Golden Girls, Miami Vice, or ¿Qué Pasa, U.S.A.? It’s a ten-episode Apple TV miniseries based on the book by former Miami Herald reporter and columnist Carl Hiaasen. The storyline follows disgraced detective Andrew Yancy as he solves the mystery behind a severed arm discovered in the Florida Keys. The show was filmed all around Miami and the Keys, featuring scenes in recognizable spots like Coconut Grove and Duval Street. Adding to the hometown pride is Cuban-American actress Natalie Martinez as romantic interest Rosa. You also get to meet her very Miami-Cuban family and a whole host of local cop types. The characters all ring truer than any other depiction of Miami folk on screen. It’s a super Miami story, written by a beloved Miami author, starring a Miami-born actress, filmed on location in Miami. It’s the total South Florida package done right.

Elizabeth Price doesn’t have to rely on the kindness of strangers to get choice roles. She’s proven herself time and again. So when New City Players was looking for an actress who could bring freshness to Tennessee Williams’ most famous fading beauty, Blanche DuBois, Price was first-pick for the role. Then, in a complete turn for Zoetic Stage, Price played Harriet, a White House chief of staff climbing her own political ladder in its POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive. Her physical comedy and sight gags as she tries to keep the misogynic, narcissistic president from sinking are, well, timely and priceless.

Last Spring, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner threatened to evict indie theater O Cinema from Miami Beach’s Old City Hall for the crime of screening the Oscar-winning Palestinian documentary No Other Land. The mayor claimed it was antisemitic, the community knew it was censorship. The people came out in droves to a Miami Beach City Commission meeting to defend O Cinema. The local theater opened in 2011 to a scene lacking cinematic diversity and settled at its current space, the former Miami Beach Cinematheque, in 2019. The potential ending to the witch hunt by the mayor was right out of a Hollywood movie. Luckily, Meiner pivoted after hearing how much this theater means to the city, allowing them to continue to screen movies that might provoke, but more often tend to enlighten.

Silverspot Cinema in downtown Miami lets you escape the hustle without ever having to leave the heart of this Magic City. With fully reclined seating and in-theater dining, you can stuff your maw with popcorn or level up with a chef-inspired menu, all while laying down — forget what mama told you about safe eating. The best part? There’s no need to wait at the concession. It’s all delivered right to your seat. Before or after the show, you can enjoy a boozy raspberry lemon drop or Kentucky smoke at the bar and lounge area. Silverspot does all this to make a night at the movies an entire night out.

All communications professionals should take a page from Veda Coleman-Wright’s book. As the director of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Public Information Office, Coleman-Wright quickly responds to requests for comment and respects that journalists have hard deadlines. And even better? She doesn’t hesitate to pick up the phone for an actual chat if she wants to better understand a request. Every once in a while, she doesn’t have the information we need, but she’s always ready to point us to the agency or person who does, without missing a beat.

While ICE raids are the new horrific norm around the country and intimidation to quiet those who care is high, Thomas Kennedy isn’t staying silent. Born in Argentina, Kennedy lived as an undocumented immigrant first in New Jersey and later in Miami for more than a decade. A policy analyst for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Kennedy always sticks his neck out to bring attention to the people who have been detained or deported. The last few months, he’s been way too busy. But Kennedy is used to hard work. In the past, he helped lead a campaign to close a detention camp for migrant children in Homestead and the effort to restore voting rights in the state for people with felonies. In April, he helped shine a light on Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez, a U.S. citizen who was wrongfully arrested for being undocumented by Florida Highway Patrol even after he proved he was born in this country. With no hints that the government will stop its cruel crusade against immigrants anytime soon, Kennedy will continue to organize and speak out against injustice.

Maybe we’d have less of a lonely man “epidemic” if more men were like Aaron Bos-Lun. As executive director of Men4Choice, the Miami Beach resident and former MDCPS teacher helps to educate and mobilize men to advocate for abortion rights and reproductive freedom. In the lead up to the November 2024 election, Bos-Lun spearheaded efforts to get men off their asses to fight for our rights. He also led petition drives to put Amendment 4 on the ballot — which, had it passed, would have cemented abortion rights into the state constitution. Currently, Florida bans abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they’re even pregnant. He says it’s not OK for men to sit this one out just because it’s not their bodies under attack. Abortion rights are human rights, and, whatever your gender, Bos-Lun is helping Floridians fight for them.

If Coral Gables had a superhero in its city hall, her name would be Rhonda Anderson. Recently re-elected, Anderson has served as vice mayor since 2023 and as a City Commissioner since 2021 (with a landslide win, no less). She’s become the go-to voice for common sense, community-first leadership. Whether she’s fighting to keep mega-developments in check, pushing for better drainage and traffic calming in the neighborhoods, or standing up for those less fortunate, Anderson doesn’t just show up; she delivers. A fierce advocate for disability rights and a tireless champion for Coral Gables residents, she’s spent nearly two decades volunteering, organizing, and shaping smart, people-centered policy. From the Planning and Zoning Board to the Public Safety Commission, Anderson has been everywhere that matters, always putting residents before red tape. When she’s not leading meetings or preserving the city’s charm, the vice mayor is a powerhouse attorney who’s argued in courts from Miami to Washington, D.C. With degrees from Nova Law and the University of Miami, her community roots are deep roots, and it shows in the kind of genuine, no-nonsense style that makes people trust her. Add in her work with the Junior League and Coral Gables Garden Club, and you’ve got someone who doesn’t just talk the talk, she plants the flowers, too.

Onetime Beverly Hills beautician Gina Bisignano traded Botox for a bullhorn when she joined the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Clad in a Louis Vuitton sweater, Chanel boots, and matching earrings, the Delray Beach resident was seen on video outside the Capitol that day shouting into a megaphone: “We the people are not going to take it anymore. You are not going to take away our Trumpy Bear!” One of the first defendants charged with federal crimes after participating in the insurrection, Bisignano was indicted on seven charges, including destruction of government property and engaging in physical violence. While she was convicted on several charges, she was ultimately never sentenced. Earlier this year, Bisignano was granted a pardon alongside roughly 1,500 other J6 defendants — after which she swiftly cut off her bedazzled ankle monitor in a dramatic display for local news cameras. “The bracelet was four years of tyranny and persecution and I think I wore it with dignity,” Bisignano told reporters. “As you can see, I bedazzled it. I took one for the team and the American people.” Unrepentant, Bisignano has said she feels zero remorse for her actions on the day of the insurrection and would join a similar event in the future, if given the chance.

He’s back — and like many other far-right leaders who served time for the January 6 insurrection, he’s returned with a kind of vengeance. Earlier this year, onetime Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was released from federal prison after serving less than two years of a 22-year sentence for seditious conspiracy and other charges related to his role in the J6 U.S. Capitol riot. Although Tarrio was not physically present at the Capitol on that day in 2021, prosecutors described him as a key ringleader of the insurrection, pointing to his creation of the Proud Boys’ Ministry of Self Defense, which helped coordinate — and later celebrate — the attack. The Miami-born Afro-Cuban, along with other members and leaders of far-right groups, was pardoned by President Donald Trump almost immediately after his return to the White House. Since Tarrio arrived home, he’s vowed revenge against those responsible for his prosecution. “The people who did this, they need to feel the heat, they need to be put behind bars, and they need to be prosecuted,” he said in an interview with right-wing commentator Alex Jones. To describe him as gone might be an understatement.

By day, Cristina Brador is a pediatric nurse, healing and soothing the smallest patients with medical precision. By night, she’s a menace in the octagon, channeling that precision into lethal elbows and forced tap-outs. Since her professional MMA debut two years ago, the Miami-born-and-raised Brador has been making waves in the ring, taking down opponents with the kind of grit and heart our city is known for. With no sign of slowing down any time soon, Brador seems ready to spread a message we all know too well: You don’t mess with Miami girls.

Steven Rivera, better known as Canes Barber, has never forgotten where he comes from. Before he traveled around in his tricked-out Sprinter van to groom professional athlete clients, he was the child of immigrants who grew up in small efficiencies in West Perrine. He started out looking at a career in law enforcement until his friend, then-University of Miami running back Javarris James, tapped him to cut hair for his gameday tune-ups. Soon, he was sculpting the locks of Miami Hurricanes basketball and football teams, earning his nickname. The man is busy. He operates his brick-and-mortar Players Lounge Barbershop in Davie (with a second location coming soon to Miami Gardens), shears your favorite NFL player’s hair in his van, and visits the Dolphins’ facility every week for haircuts before gameday. The best of us, he also carries on his tradition of giving free haircuts to the Miami Northwestern football team before the first day of school and works full-time for Miami-Dade County to help maintain its public sports fields. Rivera lives by this mantra: “Always remember where you came from. Always give back, regardless of where you’re at in life, make sure that’s a priority.”

A born-and-bred South Floridian, Lee Pivnik holds the region and its issues at the core of his practice. His show Chimeras at Dále Zine last year constructed a fascinating eco-futurist world where queer rebels evaded a dystopian government in the swamps of a flooded future Miami. He also received a coveted Creative Capital Awards grant to build an aquaponics farm in his own home. From science fiction to science fact, Pivnik’s visions are a sight to behold and a lot to consider.

Local poet and longtime New Times food writer Jen Karetnick and fellow Miami poet and writer Catherine Esposito Prescott cofounded SWWIM — or, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing, Supporting Women Writers in Miami — to bring the poems of “women-identifying writers and all gender-expansive definitions of that term” based in South Florida into the sunshine. With online poetry journal SWWIM Every Day, they do what the title promises. Each day, editors publish a poem that celebrates the words of women. You can swim through their archives and find a poem for any day all the way back to October 2017. If you manage to get through them all, don’t be sad, there’ll be a new poem waiting for you tomorrow. And if you want to see what SWWIM can do live, head to its regular reading series at the Betsy Hotel.

Inspired by great Miami noir scribes like John D. MacDonald and Charles Willeford, Pedro Medina Leon’s novel, Comanche P.I., is a Latino look at the genre. It shows parts of the city those gringo forbearers could never step foot. This is actually the fourth volume of the Comanche character’s adventures, but it’s the first one translated into English — by Miami New Times contributor Abel Folgar. The prose pops as Peruvian-born author Leon descends both Comanche and readers into all sorts of Miami underbellies, seeking out truth and justice in a city not necessarily known for either. The plot around a dead body found on the Venetian Causeway allows Medina Leon to explore motive, character, and a geography of a South Florida that’s underrepresented in popular culture.

Assistant curator at the Peréz Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Maritza Lacayo is effortlessly chic, incredibly down-to-earth, brilliant beyond measure, and genuinely loves not only art, but bringing out the best in artists. Lacayo has been with PAMM since 2017 and was a catalyst in bringing incredible shows to the museum. They include “Marisol and Warhol Take New York” in 2022, local artist Jason Seife’s first solo museum show “Coming to Fruition,” and she was able to both display parts of José Parlá’s Brooklyn studio and orchestrate a never-before live painting performance with the artist. Her skill is undeniable, her eye for art unquestionable, and her curatorial prowess confirmed.

Gallerist Amanda Baker has been in the art game working shows and curating for a decade and then some. In 2022, she opened her first solo gallery space, Club Gallery, on the first floor of the Citadel in El Portal. Her mission has always been to champion local artists, both mid-career and emerging, and make art more accessible to the general public. Fast-forward a few years, and Baker moved into a new space in Allapattah. She also got married. Behold, the new and improved Baker-Hall gallery. The space, with its concrete floors and white walls, is the ideal canvas for Baker-Hall to fill with her wise curatorial picks of paintings and sculpture. In just the few months it’s been open, Baker—Hall Gallery has already exhibited popular artists like Thomas Bils, Melissa Wallen, and Addison Wolff. She also offers art advisory services and is focused on collaborating with collectors and corporations, so hers is not just a place for art to hang, but a place for artists and art-lovers to flourish.

Nothing quite brings a smile to people’s faces like Joen and the Giant Beetle in Wynwood. Created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo for Miami Art Week 2019, the giant troll relaxes, peering his enormous eye through a car tire while resting an arm on a car. As is the artist’s environmental philosophy, Joen and the Giant Beetle was built entirely with recycled material. Over the years, graffiti artists have spraypainted all over Joen, making him look even more a part of the cityscape. To add to the whimsy, there’s even an accompanying poem for the piece:

Joen looked at the little people

Sitting in the giant beetle

Always waiting in a line

Spending all their days and time

Joen had seen the giant beetle

Eat and kill the little people

But still, it seemed they loved it so

So much they wouldn’t let it go.

Whatever Latin philosopher said “art is forever” will be greatly disappointed by Kyle Holbrook’s Miami Heat mural in Wynwood. The colorful wall originally portrayed a larger-than-life Jimmy Butler as its centerpiece, surrounded by other local basketball luminaries like Bam Adebayo, Erik Spoelstra, Burnie the mascot, and Tyler Herro. But when Jimmy Buckets quit on our hometown team, a little commentary began to pop up courtesy of the artist. First the words “I quit” appeared on Jimmy’s headband, next came a sticker on the #22 jersey reading “clearance trade,” finally the artist added a cup of coffee to Jimmy’s clenched hand and filled it with dollar bills. Eventually, the entire sordid chapter of this soap opera ended with Jimmy Butler traded to the Golden State Warriors. Jimmy’s likeness was painted over and replaced by the man he was traded for, Andrew Wiggins. But let Wiggins be forewarned, how he appears on this best mural in town right now is not permanent.

Before Art Basel set down roots in the sands of South Beach, Miami’s art scene was, well, local. And while the city gained a lot in becoming an international hub for contemporary art, what it started to lose was a true sense of community. But not on Gifford Lane in Coconut Grove. Each March for 27 years, on two blocks of this canopied street, an arts-focused community fair blossoms like a fragrant gardenia. At the Gifford Lane Art Stroll, devoted neighbors provide mostly hyper-local artists and artisans with a platform to sell their work. Not everyone aspires to art stardom with a booth at Basel, and Gifford Lane Art Stroll recognizes that those artists need to be celebrated, too. The fair is also a joyous street festival where children play freely, their parents sip the signature cucumber punch, and the Grove does what it does best: authentically create, support, and preserve its community.

Too often in South Florida, decisions about which artists get funded and who gets shows are motivated by politics and made by non-artists. But no one knows the scene and its rising stars like the artists themselves. Thank the muses that Miami has City State. The independent artist-run space authentically represents the talent South Florida has to offer the wider contemporary arts scene. Located in Little Haiti next to Nina Johnson Gallery, it was founded by artist and filmmaker Jillian Mayer whose impressive resume includes everything from prestigious fellowships to solo museum shows. City State is housed in a storefront meant for a day school and neighboring salon. This potentially mundane spot is anything but and includes studios, a gallery, and even a sculpture garden. Big things are coming from this little space, so stay alert, schedule an appointment to visit, or patiently await one of its sporadic open houses.

On Brandon Martinez’s series of illustrations of Zaha Hadid’s downtown masterpiece, the One Thousand Museum skyscraper, he humbly excuses himself on Instagram saying, “Sometimes the ideas don’t land!” But they do! The digital illustration was created with a brush that mimics Conté crayons, stripping back the iconic building to its most essential elements — exaggerated curves, gill-like protrusions, and a façade that resembles armor. Some of the illustrations resemble the genitalia, while others look like the circulatory system. This is all to say that Martinez’s work doesn’t feel excessive, even though his muse is often the city of excess, Miami. Another great example is his take on Brickell’s Atlantis condominium building — best known for its placement in the opening credits of Miami Vice — for his article “The Atlantis or the Postmodern Beacon of Biscayne Bay” for Dále Zine’s printed newspaper, the Dále News. Arquitectonica’s design is reduced to simple geometric shapes, but even so, there’s no mistaking it thanks to Martinez’s skill.

Miami-based and Sacramento-born, former Oolite Arts resident Rose Marie Cromwell has had a potent year. Her photographic documentation of a cross-country road trip taken with her daughter and mother formed the basis for her ICA Miami show A Geological Survey. It reinterprets themes of family and the female body through the lens of the American landscape. She’s also exhibited work at VISU Contemporary Gallery and Soho Beach House in Miami Beach. Her work offers intimate scenes, composed and colorful representations of the city, and beauty in the mundane.

Tam Pham and his husband, Harrison Ramhofer, were underwhelmed by Miami’s Vietnamese food scene, so they decided to change it. The couple, who met in 2017 and quickly bonded over their mutual love of Vietnamese cuisine, began cooking hard-to-find Vietnamese dishes from their home kitchen a couple years later, sharing them with friends and family. What began as a labor of love soon evolved into an underground supper club called Phamily Kitchen, which led to a pop-up residency at 1-800-Lucky. This all culminated in Tâm Tâm, their first brick-and-mortar restaurant, which opened in 2023 on a quiet corner of downtown Miami. The cozy 36-seat space features a rotating, boundary-pushing menu — with dishes like dragon shrimp crudo, jungle steak tartare, and salt and pepper frog legs, as well as playful touches like a literal karaoke machine in the bathroom. In 2024, the restaurant was awarded a prestigious Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide, and Tam Pham was honored with the Young Chef Award, cementing the couple’s spot as key players in Miami’s ever-evolving food scene. The duo recently partnered with chef Adrian Ochoa to open Double Luck, a Chinese pop-up housed in the former New Schnitzel House in Miami’s Shorecrest neighborhood.

New World Symphony is housed inside a Frank Gehry-designed concert hall with exquisite acoustics. But while there are plenty of concert halls where you can enjoy live classical music, what’s unique about the New World Symphony is what happens just outside its walls. Several Saturdays throughout the season, the symphony offers Wallcast concerts simulcasting the music inside onto an outside 7,000-square-foot projection wall of the New World Center. The Wallcast is free for anyone who wants to sit on the grass (or blanket or beach chair for the well-prepared) of Soundscape Park. In the 2024-2025 season, they hosted eight events under the stars, all to a packed park. While it’s true that with the Wallcast you’re outside and the musicians are inside, if you were seated in the air conditioning, you couldn’t enjoy a picnic feast with a breeze.

With its spectacular dome and lush surroundings, the former Bird Bowl of Parrot Jungle is now Banyan Bowl at Pinecrest Gardens, a magical venue that provides just enough shade from the elements and access to the flora and breeze. The space shined especially bright with its tribute to the Queen of Salsa with a three-day Celia Cruz Centennial Celebration with an exhibition that included her custom-made platform high heels and costumes from performances at Sans Souci and Tropicana. The Bowl’s Tropical Nights Live series is a musical mélange of mambo and salsa that gets everyone in the 500-seat amphitheater dancing in the aisles and its annual jazz series is heading into its 16th successful year.

Smack-dab in the midst of Miami Art Week, FilmGate Miami‘s five-day interactive festival, FilmGate Interactive, goes all in, tackling the latest in emerging multimedia storytelling. Festivalgoers discover a dizzying array of virtual and augmented reality experiences. It’s like you’re Neo navigating the Matrix metaverse. The mind-blowing interactive exhibitions, many from international creators, show everything from a virtual reality where you come face-to-face with your inner emotions to an immersive experience where you embody a futuristic being climbing a staircase plucked from a famous painting.

Dance is for everyone. Period. Miami’s Karen Peterson Dancers (KPD) are made up of both dancers who are disabled and dancers who aren’t. Together, they showcase their grace and skill as part of this self-labeled “physically integrated dance company.” The mission is all about understanding humanity through dance. Peterson herself is a dancer who trained in New York before relocating to Miami and founding her dance company in the 1990s. For the last six years, she also single-handedly organized the Forward Motion Dance Festival that provides a stage and a spotlight on inclusive dance companies and performers.

While productions in Spanish are a mainstay in Miami theater, Arca Images has made it easy for non-Spanish speakers to enjoy the plays. While it’s usual for translations to be shown as text, it can be a challenge to read what’s going on and get into the action on stage. For Arca-produced shows, headphones are provided and a live translator in another room of the theater watches the stage and provides real-time translation. For some shows, there will be two versions of the same play: one in Spanish and, on alternating nights, an English version. The works presented are by some of the most lauded Spanish-language playwrights in the world by international casts.

Ronnie Larsen has delivered a series of knockout punches with his LGBTQ+ focused Plays of Wilton (POW) since he planted roots in South Florida. The California-born playwright, producer, actor, artistic director was introduced to Broward’s gayborhood in 2018 when Empire Stage presented his best-known work, Making Porn, and that’s when the gay gods of theater fate intervened. This season, Larsen began presenting POW in the Park! with free outdoor shows. In March, the beloved musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum kicked it off. In May, swivel chairs had the audience surrounded by the cast of The Sound of Music in Wilton Manors’ Richardson Park, along with no shushing allowed as singing along was encouraged. Larsen read a play that he thought seemed ripe for a musical, so he turned it into one and produced it. A Shonda paired the most unlikely lovers — a gay Southern Baptist cowboy and an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jew. Big and boisterous, he isn’t one to stand in the shadows. Case in point, the artistic director starred in his original play An Evening With Divine as the drag icon and movie star. Plays of Wilton made it to off-Broadway in 2024. Larsen’s semi-autobiographical play, The Actors, played for a little more than a month, and he took some local actors and South Florida director Stuart Meltzer with him to the Big Apple.

Call him the Energizer Bunny of directing. At the end of January, Michel Hausmann had two original plays being staged under his direction for “>Miami New Drama. Lincoln Road Hustle was an immersive show with plenty of moving parts and 14 actors performing mostly in outdoor spaces along blocks of Lincoln Road (Hausmann also conceived Hustle). Simultaneously, Bad Dog (he tapped playwright Harley Elias to write the Art Basel spoof for MiND) was on stage inside the Colony Theatre. If you add it up, there were 18 actors under his direction, all performing at one time in two different shows. Add to it that Hustle wasn’t just one play but was made up of five short plays that all converged in a hysterical finale. We’ve observed that Hausmann’s beard has gotten grayer after this past year. Must be that hustle.

“Born in Hialeah, raised in Miami, wants to die in the Sedano’s check-out line” is the description of Brandon Urrutia‘s character Brandón in Lo siento, mi español es tremendo mal. It’s a one-person play about a Cuban-American who laments the distance a language barrier created between them and their late Spanish-speaking grandmother. The self-described Cuban-American loser performed the autobiographical solo show at the Atlanta and Edinburgh fringe festivals. In addition to its international reach, the play received the very local and very meaningful “As Miamense as Possible” award from Miami’s nonprofit Antiheroes Project. Urrutia is also cofounder and artistic director of the absurdist and experimental theater company LakehouseRanchDotPNG, which puts on productions and hosts a community-building play-reading series. They reached a milestone this year as Next Stage Press published Kevin and the River Flan, which includes this playwright’s note to anyone producing it: “Please be advised that none of the Spanish in this script is translated. I grew up unable to fully understand the language and that aspect of my life is represented in my work. I did not get subtitles, neither do you.”

A money-hungry real estate developer. A spoiled brat daughter turned advocate. A boy from an immigrant family who turns to crime to survive. An influencer who blackmails small business owners. Are these people you’d meet in Miami or characters in a play? Both, thanks to Miami New Drama’s Lincoln Road Hustle. Written by Billy Corben and Harley Elias, the play oozes with Miami-isms. The immersive, site-specific production took over Lincoln Road with vignettes playing out in empty stores or in the middle of the street. Audiences were divided into tracks and experienced the flow of the show differently. While the story unfolded through short snapshots, it all converged in the end as the entire audience encountered the final scene together. The show featured major local players, like Carmen Pelaez as a chef and restaurant owner, Marcela Paguaga as an influencer, and Gregg Weiner as a restaurant host.

If Gregg Weiner really was the menu hawking Miami Beach maitre d’ he portrayed in Miami New Drama’s outdoor immersive Lincoln Road Hustle, he’d easily get you inside the overpriced tourist trap Italian restaurant he’s peddling. As historical Miami Beach developer Carl Fisher in Greetings From Paradise at Actors’ Playhouse, you’d give up your life savings for a piece of land on Miami Beach at his request. And as Matt, the obsessed Cleveland Cavaliers fan in King James at GableStage, $6,500 for his season tickets? You wouldn’t even haggle. That’s because in any role, Weiner sells it and always delivers a slam dunk.