Ice Cream Thursdays, a Unique Ladies' Night, Celebrates Three Years

For the past three years, Miamians with a late-night sweet tooth have been getting their ice-cream fix in a little place tucked next to a highway overpass.

Ice Cream Thursdays at Sidebar Miami, not far from the I-95- Eighth Street interchange, is one of those places for folks in the know. Pancho De Pablo, AKA DJ Manuvers, the man behind gatherings such as the Love Below Party at the Electric Pickle on Tuesdays, had the idea to create a ladies' night with a sweet twist.

Doubling as a platform for feminine talent, Ice Cream Thursdays makes artistic women the hosts of the weekly event, presenting their brand, talent, or business to an audience that otherwise might not know them. So far, they've hosted food fairs, zine fairs, thrift events, and even breast cancer awareness nights. Each host receives a free bottle of Prosecco and $50 for participating.

"For me, I always thought about how I could have a ladies' night without being like, 'Come and get drunk, ladies.' I wanted it to have more depth," Manuvers says. "I wanted to find women to become a part of the party and work with me and put women on a platform either creatively or musically and have more of a stage for them to do these things."

Joel Meinholz, Manuvers' previous business partner, had the idea to name the party "Ice Cream" after they went on a late-night mission to find Cuban ice-cream sandwiches. Eventually, Jameson approached Manuvers about a partnership featuring Jameson-infused ice cream by local shop Azucar. Since then, every week around midnight, people line up for scoops.
"Ice cream is such a good memory for people, and they have such a good time eating it, so it was always an idea we were going to give ice cream away at the end of the night," Manuvers says.

This Thursday, November 16, the event will celebrate its third anniversary with a live performance by the Atlanta band Bosco.

Kristabel Delgado, who has collaborated with Ice Cream Thursdays in the past, says she's seen events supporting women become more popular in Miami, and the crowd feedback is positive.

"Almost every time someone leaves the party and I speak to them, they think it's amazing," she says. "My favorite part of this event is the coming together of all different types of people and women. It's a breath of fresh air to help cultivate the community creatively."

Ice Cream Thursdays Third-Anniversary Party. 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Thursday, November 16, at Sidebar Miami, 337 SW Eighth St., Miami. Admission is free. RSVP to third-anniversary party at boscoliveicecream3year.splashthat.com. For collaborations or more information, email [email protected] Follow @IceCreamThursdays on Instagram.