Thursday, July 16:
The unfortunate reality is that you can't see Pink Floyd. Yeah, it sucks, but thankfully, people are obsessed with this band, and some very special people have become very good at bringing this music to life. One of the most talented of these groups is Brit Floyd. Since 2011, these 14 singers, musicians, and percussionists have come together on stages around the globe to re-create what a handful of London lads once did so well. With their powers combined, Brit Floyd's members bring the magic of The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon, and Wish You Were Here to life for generations of listeners new and old, and they do it better than anyone else.In true Pink Floyd tradition, it's an insane production the likes of which you've probably never seen.
The good news: You totally can see it when Brit Floyd hits the Fillmore Miami Beach (1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) this Thursday. The show starts at 7 p.m., and tickets cost $39.50 to $49.50, which is basically a steal considering how expensive time travel would be if such a thing existed. Call 305-673-7300 or visit fillmoremb.com.
The way Miamians put a halt to childhood hunger is by eating and drinking into the night. For 27 years, Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation has thrown the region's premier culinary fundraiser, with all proceeds benefiting the No Kid Hungry campaign.
What that means for you are infinite sips and bites from 50 of Miami and Broward's top toques, restaurants, mixologists, brewers, and sommeliers. Confirmed participants in this year's gastronomic bacchanalia include 3030 Ocean, America Social, Blackbrick, Blue Collar, BLT Prime, the Dutch, Edge Steak & Bar, Finka Table & Tap, the Forge, Joe's Stone Crab, Makoto, La Mar, Lure Fishbar, Mignonette, MC Kitchen, Meat Market, Seagrape, Quality Meats, Shake Shack, Sugarcane, Whisk, and Yardbird.
Taste of the Nation will take over the ballroom at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel (1601 Collins Ave., Miami Beach) this Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $125, or for $250, hit the Chefs on the Half Shell afterparty at Lure, where you can have unlimited prosecco and oysters from 10 p.m. till midnight. Visit nokidhungry.org.
Although beauty pageants arguably keep women in the Dark Ages, the power of diversity and the accomplishments of minority women are always cause for celebration. July 16 marks the birthday of Bess Myerson, the first and only Jewish woman to win the Miss America competition. Crowned in 1945, Myerson remained in the public eye for decades, transforming a career in pop culture to one of political prowess. She led two New York City agencies (Consumer and Cultural Affairs), advised three presidents, championed social causes, and supported powerful political careers — she's widely credited for cementing Ed Koch's 1977 mayoral bid. She also sought office herself, entering a much-watched primary race for the U.S. Senate. Myerson died at age 90 late last year, leaving a legacy in the Jewish community as a civil rights activist.
The Jewish Museum of Florida (301 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) will toast to Bess this Thursday at Bessie's Bistro, the museum's nosh spot, supported by funds donated by the Myerson family. Guests can enjoy cocktails and music at 6 p.m. free of charge with RSVP. Call 305-672-5044 or visit jmof.fiu.edu.
Throughout July, Pérez Art Museum Miami (1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) is hosting a series of films in conjunction with Cinémathèque de Tanger, a cultural center in Tangier, Morocco. As part of this collaboration, PAMM will screen Le Mirage, a 1979 film directed by Morocco's Ahmed Bouanani. Le Mirage was Bouanani's first feature, and the 110-minute black-and-white film is generally considered a landmark of Arab cinema. Experimental and at times surreal, Le Mirage tells the story of a peasant's attempt to change money he finds in a flour bag. It's a deceptively simple plot, and the journey leads the young peasant through the underbelly of Tangier, where he finds that nothing is exactly as it seems. Bouanani's film is as much about a young man's journey as it is about colonialism and Morocco's traditions.
Le Mirage will screen Thursday at 7 p.m.; seating will begin at 6:45. The film is free with museum admission, but seating is first come, first served. Visit pamm.org.
Friday, July 17:
Everyone knows summer is Miami's off-season. It tends to be the slowest time of the year even for classical music. But the Miami Summer Music Festival, a new instructional and performance-based opportunity for young pre-professional musicians, hopes to fill that void in the Magic City's most sweltering season. This year's festival orchestra comprises 95 instrumentalists from the most elite schools of music education, including Juilliard, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and London's Royal College of Music.
For its midmonth performance, the festival will present "A Hero's Concert," featuring Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben, conducted by Grzegorz Nowak. Strauss' symphony is solo-heavy, and this performance will be no exception. The night's soloists are winners of MSMF's prestigious Student Concerto Competition.
The Miami Summer Music Festival's "A Hero's Concert" takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Barry University's Shepard & Ruth K. Broad Performing Arts Center (11300 NE Second Ave., Miami Shores. Tickets cost $15 to $100. Call 786-250-6042 or visit miamisummermusicfestival.com.
After nine years of travel and $728 million spent, America is pretty invested in NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. For the first time, we'll get to see up-close and detailed images of the mysterious dwarf planet at the edge of the solar system. The craft has traveled 3.5 billion miles, so it's no surprise the scientific community is itching to celebrate. Taking a very South Florida approach, FIU and Southern Cross Astronomers will hold the Key West Style Star Party, where space enthusiasts and key lime lovers can bond over all things Margaritaville. Guests can enjoy key lime pie, frozen nonalcoholic margaritas, prizes, and music as they view live images of Pluto from New Horizons and a presentation on the spacecraft.
The party starts Friday at 8 p.m. at the FIU Physics Building, CP-45 lecture hall, Modesto Maidique Campus (11200 SW Eighth St., Miami). Weather permitting, a Star Party will be held on the observatory roof. Admission is free. Call 305-348-3964 or visit sish.fiu.edu.
Saturday, July 18:
Miami's Colombian Independence Day Festival is bringing a new wave of music and providing an evening dedicated to great Latin American artists. MegaRumba Colombia will celebrate the special day of Colombian independence with what Colombians know and love: music. Offering a lineup of award-winning Latin musicians, the event will feature performers such as Fonseca, known for his single "Entre Mi Vida y La Tuya," salsa legends Grupo Niche and Victor Manuelle, and the iconic group Binomio de Oro. Grammy Latino's 2013 best new artist, Maluma, will also perform his hit "La Temperatura."
The fest takes place this Saturday from 2 p.m. to midnight at Bayfront Park (301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami). Tickets cost $25 online and $35 at the gate. Visit megarumbacolombia.com.
In the age of "Anaconda" and Miley-gone-wild, it can be hard to find age-appropriate music that won't leave your little ones begging for butt implants and 420 breaks. But with the Okee Dokee Brothers, it's all about wholesome, heartfelt entertainment. Joe and Justin are on a mission: Get kids (and parents) to spend more time outside, appreciating Mother Nature's low-tech handiwork.
The Grammy-winning duo's lyrics echo mindfulness, simplicity, and reverence for the natural world — all qualities in short supply in today's iPhone-obsessed world. With songs like "Can You Canoe," "Walking With Spring," and "Black Bear Mama," they sing about topics that aren't usually on the minds of most Miamians. So leave the iPad at home and inspire an adventuresome spirit in your offspring — and yourself. In the words of Joe and Justin: "We don't need no outlets/We don't need no wires/Primetime entertainment/It'll be lightnin' bugs and fires."
The show kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (10950 SW 211th St., Cutler Bay). Tickets cost $10. Call 786-573-5316 or visit smdcac.org.
Sunday, July 19:
It's hot out there. So. Damn. Hot. Despite FPL doing its best to pump ice-cold A/C into every semihabitable structure, being drenched in sweat all summer is unavoidable thanks to many mad dashes from car to building and back again. Now is the time to get wet from another source — the cool, clean, magically refreshing kind found at Venetian Pool.
Before your epic dip, you'll follow Coral Gables Museum director Christine Rupp on a Wet and Wild bike tour through the City Beautiful. She'll lead you and fellow riders on a breezy journey through the city's many plazas, pools, and fountains. You'll work up a serious sweat and then get to cool off in style at the tour's final stop: the timelessly spectacular Venetian Pool. Beats the bathtub temperatures of Miami Beach any day.
The ride takes off at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Coral Gables Museum (285 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables). Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12 and museum members; pool admission is separate. Space is limited. Call 305-603-8067 or visit coralgablesmuseum.org.
Monday, July 20:
"My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun!"
Truer words have never been sung (except when Sir Mix-a-Lot originally rapped the lyrics in 1992), and just like the English literary canon, the phrase remains classic and set to stand the test of time. What kind of anaconda would be attracted to anything other than buns? Especially the epically famous buns of Nicki Minaj (anacondas don't discriminate). The rapper is on tour promoting her latest album, The Pinkprint, and Miami is fortunate enough to be one of the stops.
See the ghetto Barbie — along with guests Meek Mill, Tinashe, and Dej Loaf — on her Pinkprint Tour at Bayfront Park Amphitheatre (301 N. Biscayne Blvd., Miami) this Monday at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $35. Visit ticketmaster.com or call 305-358-7550.
Wednesday, July 22:
When Wednesday strikes, so does the midweek slump. A surefire way to turn slump day into hump day, however, is with an outing that includes live music and delectable food. Good thing the Food Truck & Music Fest is committed to bringing residents of North Miami Beach both those things from 5 to 10 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of every month at North Shore Park Bandshell (7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach).
The gastronomic lineup features everyone's favorite grilled-cheese mobile — Ms. Cheezious — plus Latin Burger, Sakaya Kitchen, Health Nut, Arepa Box, Gastropod (get the burger), Dolci Pecatti, Sugar Yummy Mama, Fireman Derek's, Garcia Brothers, and others. But it's not all engines and wheels; local participating restaurants include Lou's Beer Garden, Sazon, El Tumi de Oro, and Mixtura. Be there or be slump. Visit mbculture.com.
