Miami Beach Live! Is the City's Latest Effort to Squash Spring Break Mayhem

Perhaps it was last year's Saturday Night Live cold open, in which guest host Maya Rudolph plays Cece Vuvuzela, the host of a fictional MTV game show, Snatched! Vaxed! or Waxed! that showed how preposterous the spring-break season had become in Miami Beach.

"You're watching MTV Spring Break live from Miami Beach, where the party don't stop until the government-mandated curfew," the voiceover says.

In the skit, which features "hot, infectious singles," Vuvuzela declares, "We're almost to the end — let's ruin it!"

Now, Florida is used to being a punchline, but it's no secret that Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and the city commission want to change the area's party-hard reputation and turn it into an exclusive playground for well-heeled tourists. Some of that effort has taken the form of aggressive (and questionable) policing, plus an attempt to roll back last call to 2 a.m. in the city. (Voters approved the measure in a nonbinding vote in November, but the commission is still trying to figure out how to implement the mandate without getting sued.)

Which brings us to the city's latest effort to curb the March mayhem: Miami Beach Live! a monthlong series taking place at Lummus Park and the beachfront areas from Tenth to 13th streets. Each weekend will feature thematic programming, including dance, pop, international, and symphonic, encompassing music, arts, culture, and culinary offerings.

What might interest the general public are the four concerts scheduled to take place during the month. The series kicks off March 4 with Wilson Phillips (of "Hold On" fame) representing the "dance" weekend — which, that's a choice.

On March 12, Alanis Morissette headlines the pop weekend alongside Jon Batiste. The international weekend sees Juanes, along with Nu Deco Ensemble and special guest Cimafunk and Antibalas, take the stage on March 19, while Bernadette Peters and Brian Stokes Mitchell close things out during the symphonic weekend on March 26.

If you're a Miami Beach resident, you're in luck: Tickets are free tickets (limit four per household). Tickets are available to the general public for $10. VIP admission is available for $100 and $125 for residents and nonresidents, respectively.

Miami Beach Live! 6 p.m. Saturday, March 4; Saturday, March 12; Saturday, March 19; and Saturday, March 26, at Lummus Park, Ocean Drive between Tenth and 13th streets, Miami Beach; miamibeachlive.com. Tickets cost $10 to $125; free for Miami Beach residents.