The Best Free Events in Miami This Week

Every week brings a new expensive concert, a new trend to chase online, or a new political event to trigger a mental breakdown that only Netflix a mango key lime pie can fix. Whether you still have room to splurge after all of this or you're working toward the luxury of just a sample of Fenty foundation, you can save a few pennies this week with a free beer tasting at Tank Brewing, art talks at Art Center/South Florida, and a shindig in Wynwood.

Dollar Foolish Beer Tasting at Tank Brewing Company. In preparation for Grovetoberfest, local breweries are hosting free tastings so that you're ready to guzzle all the crafts come mid-October. The first of these is at Tank Brewing Company in Doral, where the first 75 people who RSVP (and show up) will get free beer. You'll have a couple of other chances to train for the big day at places such as Bougainvillea's and Barracuda Taphouse, because downing all suds you can handle takes a lot of practice. 6 p.m. Monday, September 25, at the Tank Brewing Company, 5100 NW 72nd Ave., Bay A-1, Miami; 305-468-8265; thetankbrewing.com. Admission is free.

Alice McDermott at Books & Books. Alice McDermott is an American Book Award recipient who has written three Pulitzer Prize finalist books. Her newest novel follows the Little Nursing Sisters of the Sick Poor in the Irish Catholic communities of early-20th-century New York City. The story is told from the perspective of the grandchildren of a young mother the convent helps after her family is met with tragedy. McDermott will be in town to promote the book, The Ninth Hour. 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 27, at Books & Books Coral Gables, 265 Aragon Ave., Miami; 305-442-4408; booksandbooks.com. Admission is free.

The Art of Robert Zuckerman at the Betsy Hotel. We just can't get enough of looking at famous people, but instead of your run-of-the-mill magazine shots that are more a testament to the wonders of Photoshop than any photographer's talent, check out Robert Zuckerman's work. The Miami native is an acclaimed celebrity photographer with work on display at the Betsy. To celebrate the artist's oeuvre and honor his battle with adult polyglucosan body disease, the hotel will show a documentary about Zuckerman's life, followed by a Q&A with the artist. RSVP to [email protected]. 6 p.m. Thursday, September 28, at the Betsy Hotel, 1440 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach; 305-531-6100; thebetsyhotel.com. Admission is free with RSVP. 

Art Futures: Necessary Strategies at Art Center/South Florida Downtown. Spend more than 30 seconds at an art school or modern-art museum and you'll realize you're way out of the realm of beauty or skill or anything remotely familiar to a novice art appreciator. The first time you hear "hegemonic cultural institutions," your instinct might be to take cover, but it's actually a pretty fascinating conversation among contemporary artists. Art Center/South Florida is fostering such discourse with its fellowship program the Recalibrated Institution, and the conversation Art Futures: Necessary Strategies is where you can go to get a peek at what's being said on the cutting edge. 7 p.m. Thursday, September 28, at Art Center/South Florida Downtown, 1035 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-674-8278; artcentersf.org. Admission is free.
Miami Paradise at B-Side. Miami is the home of Ultra Music Festival, but it's rare to hear somebody get excited about an electronic artist from the Magic City. Sure, that sort of dirty guy who wears pants that are somehow skinny on the bottom but baggy on top says we should support local music but then freaks out when a DJ from Denmark spins at a nearby club. That's why local curators are so important and why the Miami Paradise Anniversary show is required for anyone who plays EDM as their commuting soundtrack. 10 p.m. Friday, September 29, at B-Side, 2898 NW Seventh Ave., Miami; 786-780-2750; facebook.com/MiamiParadise305. Admission is free.

Florida March for Black Women at Women's Detention Center. On September 30, 1919, a mob of white men roamed a town near Elaine, Arkansas, killing hundreds of black men, women, and children in an attempt to thwart an alleged insurrection. On the anniversary of this massacre and following the release of Philando Castile's killer, organizers of the Women's March have planned a March for Racial Justice in Washington, D.C. The Florida March for Black Women is the regional iteration of the event, which hopes to center black women because they are so often ignored in struggles for both racial justice and gender equality. 3 p.m. Saturday, September 30, at Miami-Dade County Women's Detention Center, 1401 NW Seventh Ave., Miami. Register and donate at eventbrite.com. Admission is free.
On Documentary Abstraction Opening at Art Center/South Florida Miami Beach. Documentaries are often dry representations that attempt neutrality and objectivity, but the new show at Art Center/South Florida on Lincoln Road bucks that tradition through work that blends abstract art and documentation. As an example, Tomashi Jackson's multimedia artwork explores real U.S. civil rights violations both past and present in vividly painted and stitched sculptures. Jackson will join the show's curator, Rachael Rakes, in a conversation at the opening reception. 1 p.m. Saturday, September 30, at Art Center/South Florida Miami Beach, 924 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach; 305-674-8278; artcentersf.org. Admission is free with RSVP.
Shindig Miami at La Garage Wynwood. Most event organizers are happy to have you show up, get drunk, and take a lot of photos they can post on their Facebook page, Espacio Records is different. This production company and record label is interested in getting people together to listen to good music and make friends. At this weekly event, Espacio Records hosts DJs at La Garage in Wynwood in the hopes that fellow booty-shaking soul mates will find one another. 7 p.m. Sunday, October 1, at La Garage Wynwood, 127 NW 23rd St., Miami; 786-241-9318; facebook.com/espacioproductions. Admission is free.