Animate South Florida at the Miami Airport Convention Center. A lot of conventions host celebrities and vendors and costume competitions, but Animate South Florida is taking it further. Not only can you embody your favorite character, but you can also watch your favorite heroes and villains duke it out in the Fantasy Super Cosplay Wrestling ring. Aside from meeting fellow gamers and fans, you can play against them on contemporary and vintage consoles during tournaments. And why not get served grub by a group of adorable maids at Cafe Kira Hoshi? Suit up for more than 450 hours of your favorite anime, gaming, and cartoon fandom. 1:30 p.m. Friday, October 6, and 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 7, and Sunday, October 8, at Miami Airport Convention Center, 711 NW 72nd Ave., Miami; 954-399-1330; animateflorida.com. Tickets cost $15 to $125.
OUTshine Film Festival Fort Lauderdale. Nearly ten years after its debut in Fort Lauderdale, the newly christened OUTshine Film Festival (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival) is bringing a new round of LGBTQ flicks to Broward. Works of note include Chavela, which follows the life of Mexican singer and lesbian (and alleged lover of Frida Kahlo) Chavela Vargas; The Feels, where the joint bachelorette party of a lesbian couple takes a turn for the worse when one bride-to-be admits she's never had an orgasm; and Close Knit, telling of the heartwarming bond between a trans stepmother and an 11-year-old girl. 6 p.m. Friday, October 6; 2:45 p.m. Saturday, October 7; and 12:45 Sunday, October 8, at various locations; 305-751-6305; outshinefilm.com. Prices vary per event; tickets to regular screenings cost $13. Read more about OUTshine Film Festival here.
Sam Adams Octoberfest at Mana Wynwood. The exact origins of Munich's Oktoberfest are disputed, but the success of the event has to do with the 7.7 million liters of beer served. Sam Adams Octoberfest won't boast quite that much beer, but rest assured there will be libations, food, games, and enough suds for a beer dunk tank. This year, the Wynwood Dome will project the stony walls of a medieval German castle for that authentic, beer-fermenting feel. 7 p.m. Friday, October 6; 2 p.m. Saturday, October 7; and noon Sunday, October 8, at Mana Wynwood, 318 NW 23rd St., Miami; thisisoctoberfest.com. Tickets cost $8 to $15.
Chonga Girls and Abuela at Magic City Casino. Your favorite high-school YouTube celebs have finally come full circle. Mimi Davila and Laura Di Lorenzo of "Chongalicious" fame are teaming up with Jenny Lorenzo, AKA Abuela, for possibly the most Miami thing ever: Chonga Girls and Abuela. Local mainstay Have-Nots Comedy is hosting the crew for one night of parody that feels more like your cousin's quinceañera than you'd probably like to admit. Your eyebrow game may have evolved and your jeans may be looser, pero like, this shit is still gonna be fire. 9 p.m. Friday, October 6, at Magic City Casino, 450 NW 37th Ave., Miami; 305-649-3000; magiccitycasino.com. Tickets cost $20 to $40. Read more about Chonga Girls here.
Safe 10 at Electric Pickle. Since 2007, Safe has been promoting the kind of techno and electronic music that grownups can enjoy. Safe 10 celebrates the music promoter's tenth birthday with two nights of beats from underground artists Ben UFO, DJ Richard, Lawrence, and Mystic Bill, plus collaborations like SSS (with Terence Tabeau, Artime, Anshaw Black, and Diego Andrés), Optimo (with JG Wilkes and JD Twitch), and Secretsundaze (with Giles Smith and James Priestley). 10 p.m. Friday, October 6, and 5 p.m. Saturday, October 7, at Electric Pickle, 2826 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-456-4613; electricpicklemiami.com. Tickets cost $20 to $45.
Marlon Wayans at Magic City Casino. With flicks such as White Chicks, 50 Shades of Black, and Scary Movie, the Wayans brothers are kings of taking a funny idea and stretching it practically to the point of a sputtering and untimely death. Though Marlon Wayans isn't best known for his standup, his frequent talk-show appearances can give you an idea of his comedy style offscreen. Since starring in In Living Color, Marlon and his family have consistently delivered comedy in a way that has made their name a brand, so this weekend's show is sure to provide its weight in laughs. 8 p.m. Saturday, October 7, at Magic City Casino, 450 NW 37th Ave., Miami; 305-649-3000; magiccitycasino.com. Tickets cost $40.
The Main Squeeze at Wynwood Yard. The Wynwood Yard has mastered what other venues in Miami have tried and failed to do: get people to shows. Who knows what they're putting in the water over there (hops?), but they're pulling huge crowds to watch all sorts of groups playing many genres. This week's free show offers the Main Squeeze as part of the Midwestern crew's Without a Sound tour. The group started out working with Randy Jackson, the producer from American Idol. Since then, the band has taken its soulful blend of hip-hop, funk, and rock to venues such as Red Rocks and to the stage alongside Jane's Addiction and the Roots. Expect a high-energy set and plenty of people to dance with. 9 p.m. Saturday, October 7, at the Wynwood Yard, 56 NW 29th St., Miami; thewynwoodyard.com. Admission is free.
Courtesy of RCA Records
Continental Abstraction at the Frost Art Museum. Migration, exile, poverty, freedom, and creativity are topics that seem constantly relevant. All will be explored in the Frost's exhibition "Continental Abstraction: Highlights From the Art Museum of the Americas." The focus of this Klaudio Rodriguez-curated event is on Latin America. More than 40 works were culled from Washington, D.C.'s Organization of American States Art Museum of the Americas' collection. Also opening is "Rafael Soriano: The Artist as Mystic," which includes more than 90 paintings by the Cuban artist. It'll be deep and heavy but more than worth the admission price. 4 p.m. Sunday, October 8, through February 18, 2018, at the Frost Art Museum at Florida International University, 10975 SW 17th St., Miami; frost.fiu.edu. Admission is free.
Miami Broward Carnival at the Fair Expo Center. Why celebrate the colonizers of Caribbean nations when you can celebrate the rich and vibrant cultures themselves? The day before Columbus Day, Miami Broward Carnival will host 12 hours of feathered-and-jeweled costumes, parades, marching bands, and food from the island traditions that have made Miami what it is. While you dance and drink, bands from across South Florida will compete for the Band of the Year prize. The carnival will donate $5,000 to the Miami Foundation's U.S. Caribbean Strong Relief Fund, giving you all the more reason to party. 11 a.m. Sunday, October 8, at the Fair Expo Center, 10901 Coral Way, Miami; 954-239-7980; miamibrowardcarnival.com. Tickets cost $30 to $100.
Band of Horses at the Fillmore Miami Beach. Every once in awhile, a band comes through with a style that's alarmingly nostalgic. The songs either get you thinking about your past or one that took place before you were born. Band of Horses has been making that kind of music since 2004. The Seattle-bred group defines a millennial indie sound and bleak themes through songs such as "The Funeral" and "No One's Gonna Love You." Their most recent release was June 2016's Why Are You OK, and they recently underwent a lineup change. Nevertheless, indie rock is not dead, and this Grammy-nominated crew will prove it this weekend. 8 p.m. Sunday, October 8, at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; fillmoremb.com. Tickets cost $32 to $45.
