This weekend begins a two-week sprint through boat parades, Nutcrackers, holiday concerts, office parties, ugly sweater events, Santa-themed bar crawls and Matzoballs, when the joy and light of the season is unavoidable. But in Pottersville, why would you want to? As a great man once said, “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.” (Pretty sure it was Mike Tyson.) So let us get out there and embrace the season like there’s no tomorrow.
THURSDAY
Twice as nice: Musical theater star and Disney favorite Lea Salonga comes to South Florida for two stops on her Stage, Screen & Everything in Between tour, featuring songs from her iconic roles in “Miss Saigon,” “Les Misérables,” “Aladdin,” “Mulan” and other shows. Salonga will be at the Arsht Center in Miami on Thursday at 8 p.m., with tickets starting at $53.24 at ArshtCenter.org. She will then move to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Friday at 7:30 p.m., with tickets starting at $39.11 at Kravis.org.
Love saves: Beloved South Florida vocalist Nicole Henry will share jazz standards and personalized R&B covers during a fundraising concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the beautiful Miami Beach Bandshell to support the work of the SAVE Foundation and Miami Music Project on behalf of local LGBTQ+ youth. Tickets cost $49.87, with VIP access also available. Visit MiamiBeachBandshell.com.
Words to live by: The eighth annual Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival will celebrate the topical, creative and emotional power of words in downtown Pompano Beach, featuring 40 competing poets, performances, workshops and artist talks taking place Thursday through Saturday at the Ali Cultural Center and the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. Poets from around the country will be vying for more than $9,000 in prizes, including $5,000 to the winner. Tickets start at $10 on Thursday and Friday, $25 for Saturday’s final rounds. Visit PompanoBeachArts.org/Exit36.
Hornsby’s way: Soulful pop stylist Bruce Hornsby will bring his prophetic “The Way It Is” and other favorites to The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. A handful of tickets remain at Ticketmaster.com.
Ticket window: Grammy-winning singer Rosalía will bring the tour supporting new album “Lux” to the Kaseya Center in Miami for concerts on June 4 and June 6. Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Thursday at KaseyaCenter.com. … Deliciously idiosyncratic filmmaker John Waters is coming to the Arsht Center in Miami with his Going to Extremes: A John Waters 80th Birthday Celebration tour stopping on April 22. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday at ArshtCenter.org. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday to see New Found Glory (pride of Coral Springs) on their tour with Yellowcard and Plain White T’s at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on May 8. Visit Ticketmaster.com.
Weekend laughs: Veteran comedian, podcaster and radio personality and TV host Adam Carolla (please Google “The Man Show,” kids, if you want to see how far we haven’t come) will perform at the Fort Lauderdale Improv at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Sunday (tickets cost $41.90+ at ImprovFTL.com). The shows bookend two more at the Miami Improv on Friday at 7:30 and 10 p.m. and Saturday at 7 and 9:30 p.m. (tickets cost $41.90+ at MiamiImprov.com).
The year in bikinis: Don’t act like there isn’t someone on your shopping list who would love to have the 2026 Hooters Calendar, so why not kick it up a notch with a signed copy? Several of the women featured in the new calendar — including cover model Selena Sanchez, who works at Hooters in Pembroke Pines, and Miss July Gracie Williams, who works at the restaurant at Fort Lauderdale Beach Place, will be signing in various locations around South Florida. The schedule includes the Cypress Creek location in Fort Lauderdale (7:30 p.m. Thursday), Weston (5:30 p.m. Friday), Pembroke Pines (7:30 p.m. Friday), Hialeah (5 p.m. Saturday), Doral (6:30 p.m. Saturday), Miami (8 p.m. Saturday), Boca Raton (1 p.m. Sunday) and Sunrise (4 p.m. Sunday). The calendar costs $16, with $1 of every sale going to the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund benefiting the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Every calendar includes $100 in coupons. Visit HootersFlorida.com.
FRIDAY
Visions of sugar plums: A signature of the holidays in South Florida, Miami City Ballet’s sumptuous production of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” returns to Miami’s Arsht Center for performances through Dec. 28. Showtimes this weekend will be 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. At least one of these showings is already sold out. Tickets start at $45 at MiamiCityBallet.org.
Ebb and glow: Two of South Florida’s most popular and historic holiday boat parades return on Friday and, really, require no introduction. Now in its 63rd year, the Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce Holiday Boat Parade will depart Lake Santa Barbara at 7 p.m. for a float north to Hillsboro Boulevard, with the primo viewing stand at Miraggio Italian Grill. Visit Facebook.com/pompanobeachchamber. Also on Friday, the 53rd annual Boynton Beach Holiday Boat Parade will begin at 6 p.m. at the Boynton Harbor Marina, the official watch party location that will host live music and visits from Santa. Visit BoyntonBeachCRA.com.
Country time: Singer-songwriter Scotty McCreery, who recently scored his seventh No. 1 hit with the Hootie & The Blowfish collaboration “Bottle Rockets,” will bring country favorites including “Damn Strait,” “You Time” and “Cab in a Solo” to the Pompano Beach Amphitheater on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $42.82 for standing room, $49.11 for seats. Remember, the Pompano Beach boat parade will be happening nearby, and navigating bridges and roads in the area will require extra time and planning. Along with tickets, the amphitheater lists helpful ideas for getting around at PompanoBeachArts.org.
Holiday drink: When the temperature drops, I am all about the hot toddy. Sometimes I just turn down the AC. Sufrat Mediterranean Grill, which has locations in Pembroke Pines, Doral and Miami Beach, serves a variation on this soothing tradition with Petra Tea ($19), a combination of pomegranate tea, tequila and honey served hot in a special Moroccan teapot. Visit SufratGrill.com.
Sweater weather: Riverside lounge The Wharf in downtown Fort Lauderdale is all dressed up for the holidays and wants you to get your Kringle on, too. On Friday beginning at 4 p.m., the annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party will give guests arriving in their best/worst sweater a free holiday cocktail with RSVP. Visit WharfFTL.com. … Gigi’s Music Cafe in Sunrise will host the Ugly Christmas Sweater Edition of their Lip Sync & Karaoke Game Night series on Friday at 7 p.m. Bring a new, unwrapped toy and get 15% off your tab. Visit Facebook.com/GigisMusicCafe. … The Carousel Club at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, home of holiday cocktail bar pop-up Miracle, will give you a free holiday shot when you wear an ugly sweater and RSVP to their Ugly Sweater Party beginning at 4 p.m. Friday. Visit CarouselClub.com.
Friday tributes: An inventive fusion of music by Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish, the nationally touring band Pink Talking Fish will play two shows at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets cost $50.09 for general-admission standing room. Visit FunkyBiscuit.com. … Boynton Beach-based Billy Joel tribute Turnstiles will play Galuppi’s in Pompano Beach on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $10 for general-admission standing room. Visit Galuppis.com. … Phil Collins tribute Face Value, performing both solo music and songs from Genesis, will play Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Tickets start at $24.80 for general-admission standing room. Visit CrazyUncleMikes.com.
SATURDAY
A new boat parade: The Boat Parade of the Greater Palm Beaches makes its maiden voyage on Saturday, with at least 50 boats heading out from Sailfish Marina on Singer Island at 6 p.m. We expect the captains to put this inaugural event on the map by going full Griswold on their decorations. The grand marshals will be Kevin Rolston, Virginia Sinicki and Jason Pennington, of 97.9 WRMF’s “The KVJ Show,” which could make things interesting in a “Gilligan’s Island” kind of way. A VIP viewing party will run from 4 to 8 p.m. at Sailfish Marina Resort, complete with a buffet dinner, DJ and fireworks. Cost: $75, $35 for children age 10 and younger. Visit SailfishMarina.com.
A good, old boat parade: The 54th edition of the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade will follow its distinctive 12-mile course through the tower-lined canyon of downtown Fort Lauderdale, past the glittering isles and into the Intracoastal on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. The grand marshals are R&B singer Montell Jordan (of the classic “This Is How We Do It”) and Miami artist Romero Britto, joined by former “Below Deck” star Capt. Lee Rosbach, NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick, singer Ryan Cabrera and others. The official viewing area is at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park (80 Las Olas Circle), with chairs provided and music from the Shane Duncan Band. Cost: $40, $35 for children age 12 and younger. Visit WinterfestParade.com.
More seasonal favorites: Global singing star Sarah Brightman, joined by an orchestra and choir, will perform holiday classics and her greatest hits in a production called “A Winter Symphony” at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $110 at Ticketmaster.com. … Country singer Trisha Yearwood will be backed by a classical ensemble to perform music from her new album, “Christmastime,” at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $37.17 as part of a four-pack at Ticketmaster.com.
Holiday shopping: Fort Lauderdale-based Flamingo Flea hits the road on Saturday, bringing its thoughtfully curated caravan of local makers and creative types to Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton, where dozens of vendors will set up for a holiday market on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit Facebook.com/theflamingoflea.
Homes for the holiday: In West Palm Beach, the historic Old Northwood neighborhood, founded in 1921, will host its 37th annual holiday home tour on Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. The tour will include wine, beer and small bites from local restaurants and caterers served in the homes; live music; a vendor’s market; raffles and a silent auction. General-admission tickets cost $60.54, with VIP access also available. Visit OldNorthwood.org.
More parties: Not all South Florida holiday events happen on water: The 59th annual Lake Worth Beach Holiday Parade will take place downtown on Saturday, with floats, marching bands and a variety of performers filling Lake Avenue beginning at 6 p.m. Visit Facebook.com/LakeWorthBeachPBC. … In downtown Hollywood, the Christmas Near the Beach festival will take over the ArtsPark at Young Circle from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, with live music, choirs, dancers, performers and a vendor marketplace surrounding the city’s 40-foot Christmas tree. Admission is free. Visit Facebook.com/CityOfHollywoodFL.
SUNDAY
Mike check: Pop-culture chameleon Mike Tyson’s Return of the Mike Tour — a one-man show featuring stories from the former boxing champion’s remarkable life (he can be an engaging stage presence) — comes to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Sunday for a performance being taped for a Netflix special. Tickets to the 7 p.m. show start at $69.55 at Ticketmaster.com.
More shopping: Indie Craft Bazaar, a favorite maker market since it arrived on the scene 16 years ago, will share the work of local creatives in a new spot on Sunday, the grand War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park. You’ll find more than 100 vendor booths offering vintage and artisan items, free DIY maker stations, festive drinks, food, baked goods and more. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Visit IndieCraftBazaar.com. … A few blocks away, Sunny Side Up Market will celebrate its sixth anniversary with a holiday edition of the market on Sunday in the 800 block of Northeast Fourth Avenue in the MASS District. The family friendly outdoor market will take place from noon to 4 p.m. and feature dozens of vendors, holiday treats and Santa photo opportunities. They’ll also be collecting new, unwrapped toys for Broward Partnership. Visit SunnySideUpMarket.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.
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