I prefer weekends like this, when we’re not going gaga over a big concert (no offense to the Swifties or the Billieies or the Stapletonies) or a conversation-tilting event (the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and Art Basel are just around the corner). It allows us to appreciate the diverse spectrum of life out in South Florida as it is.
For instance, Miami City Ballet opens its season this weekend with visuals from Shepard Fairey; the annual Bark Back Benefit will put local firefighters on the runway with dogs; Fire Fest brings music, swamp buggy rides and flames to Jonathan Dickinson State Park; the makers of Indie Craft Bazaar will take over the War Memorial Auditorium; and as the nation Pumpkin Spice Lattes, we Blood Orange Crème Brûlée.
FRIDAY
Super sonics: III Points, the idiosyncratic celebration of music, art, technology and all-night grooving returns to Mana Wynwood on Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. with a razor-sharp lineup of hundreds of performers from multiple dance-encouraging genres. Must-see acts include Black Coffee, Thundercat, Tinashe, Phantogram, Peggy Gou, Michael Bibi, Nina Kraviz, It’s Murph, Dom Dolla, Denzel Curry, Sean Paul and the electro-rage of Turnstile (their album “Never Enough” is one of my favorite 2025 releases). Tickets for Friday’s events cost $164 for general-admission, $194 for GA+ and $299 for VIP. Most Saturday passes are sold out, with remaining tickets available only in the GA+ level for $349. Two-day passes are still available; after-midnight passes are sold out both nights. For tickets and information, visit IIIPoints.com.
Pure energy: Miami City Ballet will open its 40th season with Peck: Miami in Motion, a program of stylish, high-energy performances designed by Tony Award-winning choreographer Justin Peck that pulsate with pop and graphic-art flourishes aimed squarely at an eclectic South Florida community. The kaleidoscopic “Year of the Rabbit,” propelled by a score from Sufjan Stevens, is followed by the playful “Chutes and Ladders” (set to Britten’s String Quartet No. 1) and “Heatscape,” a love letter to the visual originality and authenticity of Wynwood, performed against a bold backdrop by artist Shepard Fairey. Opening performances this weekend at Miami’s Arsht Center will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. MCB will take the program to the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2. Tickets start at $45 for both venues. Visit MiamiCityBallet.org.
Friday laughs: American-Irish comedian and author Des Bishop — he broke out with the memoir, “My Dad Was Nearly James Bond,” and earned raves at Edinburgh Fringe Festival — comes to the Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach this weekend. Performances are at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $28.90. Visit ImprovFTL.com. … Internet-blessed comedian Trevor Wallace brings The Alpha Beta Male Tour to the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35.40. Visit BrowardCenter.org.
Taylor time: Nationally touring tribute band Let’s Sing Taylor will bring all the Swiftie sing-along hits to Coral Springs Center for the Arts on Friday at 7 p.m. Yes, dress in your favorite era. Yes, bring your friendship bracelets. The band is led by singer Emily Victoria, in her spare time a member of Uprooted, a group created by Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root. Tickets start at $40 at TheCenterCS.com.
How sweet the sound: South Florida vocalist Nicole Henry, a sublime interpreter of jazz and soul standards, will perform at the Arts Garage in downtown Delray Beach on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Table seats start at $60.50 a person. Visit ArtsGarage.org.
Nicole Henry will be at the Arts Garage in downtown Delray Beach on Friday and Saturday. (Banister Records/Courtesy)
Good question: The consistently compelling Peak Series at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach will host weekend performances of “Where Did We Sit on the Bus?” — a multigenre musical set in motion after a teacher leading a third-grade lesson on the Civil Rights Movement and Rosa Parks can’t answer a Latino student’s question. This version of the autobiographical, one-person show by playwright Brian Quijada has a female protagonist played by Mexican-American actor, singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Satya Chávez. Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday, 1:30 and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $40.25. Visit Kravis.org.
Hot tickets: Two of the more popular tours coming to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach will put tickets on sale on Friday — the musical “Some Like It Hot” (Jan. 6-11) and Grammy-winning jazz singer Diana Krall (Jan. 26). Tickets for both will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at Kravis.org and at noon Friday at the box office and by phone at 561-832-7469. … Boy George & Culture Club are on the way to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Feb. 19. Tickets will be available at 10 a.m. Friday at MyHRL.com.
SATURDAY
You had me at “Woof!”: The 10th edition of the Bark Back Benefit music festival will return to Bryant Park Amphitheater on the waterfront in Lake Worth Beach on Saturday from noon to 9:30 p.m., offering music from favorite local bands, food and drink vendors, and adoptable dogs, all to support the good work at the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, Barky Pines Animal Rescue & Sanctuary, South Florida Mutt Rescue and Touch of Grey Rescue. Organized by Mick Swigert of local ska-rock band Spred the Dub, the family oriented festival also will include the popular First Responders Rescue Runway Show, a car show and freak bike display, a kids’ zone, a canine costume contest and an auction featuring signed items from stars including Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton, Brothers Osborne and Old Dominion. Cost is $15 for general admission, $50 for VIP, available online and at the gate. Visit BarkBackBenefit.org.
Saturday laughs: Globally touring comedian and actor Dane Cook will share new observations and stories at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $49.50 at MyHRL.com. … Comedian Andy Huggins (as seen on “America’s Got Talent” and “The View”) is 75, so he’ll dispense his humor in a time-efficient stream of one-liners at The Studio at Mizner Park in Boca Raton on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Scattered tickets remain, starting at $43.90, at Ticketmaster.com.
Season’s greetings: Located at The Park, the recently renovated public golf course in West Palm Beach, The House Kitchen & Bar is an airy and approachable restaurant (burgers, pizza, salads and a spiny lobster “corn dog”) that has introduced a new menu refreshed with seasonal specials from executive chef Jason Van Bomel. The highlight is a new weekend prime rib dinner special ($42) — a 12-ounce prime rib with thyme au jus, fries, a creamy horseradish sauce and a choice of soup or salad — served on Saturday and Sunday. You’ll also find a seasonal cocktail menu that debuted this week, including the spooky Corpse Reviver, a blend of gin, Lillet, Cointreau and lemon juice, with an absinthe rinse ($15, available through Day of the Dead on Nov. 2). Save room for a new selection of $8 desserts, including the eye-catching Blood Orange Crème Brûlée. Visit TheHouseWestPalm.com.
Art walk: One of great strolls of the season, the 38th annual Las Olas Art Fair will return to downtown Fort Lauderdale’s bustling thoroughfare on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, with hundreds of vendors and their visual enticements on display. Admission is free. Visit ArtFestival.com.
Date night: The Broward Center’s Au-Rene Theater will be a flickering dark room on Saturday night for a performance by The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight, a band of 14 classical musicians who bring new energy to rock classics by Metallica, AC/DC, Rage Against the Machine, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, System of a Down, Guns N’ Roses, The Cranberries and others. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show start at $46.61 at BrowardCenter.org.
Vampire love: The high-school vampire romance that introduced the smoldering presence of Robert Pattinson returns in “Twilight in Concert,” pairing the 2008 film on a full-size cinema screen with a live orchestra. You can catch the show (just under two hours with a 20-minute intermission) at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $45.43 at Kravis.org. “Twilight in Concert” will move to the Arsht Center in Miami on Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $76.05 at ArshtCenter.org.
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart starred in all five films in the “Twilight” series. (MCT file)
From Italy: The long-running Italian HIT Week series returns to the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday with a free performance by the exceptional Milan funk quartet Calibro 35. The band, a feast for the eyes and the ears, has had its cinematic sound sampled by hip-hop tastemakers such as Jay-Z, Dr. Dre and Timbaland, and shared stages with Sharon Jones, Thundercat, Sun Ra Arkestra, Muse and more. Produced by Rhythm Foundation and Mela, with support from the Italian Trade Commission, the concert begins at 8 p.m., with doors open at 7 p.m. RSVP for free tickets at MiamiBeachBandshell.com.
Sounds local: South Florida folk singer-songwriter Jamie Granger will introduce music from his debut album, “True Hearted Kind” (Y&T Music), during a CD-release party at the beloved Luna Star Cafe in North Miami on Saturday at 8 p.m. Making the evening extra special will be guest appearances by longtime local music-scene luminaries Diane Ward and Jack Shawde, who produced the album. As ever, Luna Star Cafe is lovably cash-only. Visit LunaStarCafe.com or JamieGrangerMusic.com.
Snoopy’s theme: Rust & Wax Record Shop in West Palm Beach will celebrate the 75th anniversary of “Peanuts” (Charles M. Schulz’s beloved comic strip debuted on Oct. 2, 1950) with an all-ages listening party of Vince Guaraldi music on Saturday at 6 p.m. There will be a giveaway (first-come, first-served) and activities to celebrate Charlie Brown, Snoopy and friends. Just ahead, Rust & Wax will host a preview listening party at 6 p.m. Monday for rising soul singer Daniel Caesar’s album “Son of Spergy” (set for release on Oct. 24). Both events are free with an RVSP. Visit Linktr.ee/rustandwax.
Great outdoors: Fire Fest 2025 brings a variety of family friendly activities, backwoods adventures, live music, craft beer, food trucks and, yes, fire, to Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound on Saturday. The festival, which teaches about Florida forest ecology and the benefits of prescribed burns, runs from 1 to 9 p.m. and includes two demonstration burns that culminate in helicopter bucket drops by the Florida Forest Service, plus swamp buggy treks, hay rides, nature hikes, kayaking on the Loxahatchee River, a children’s obstacle course and more. Park admission is $6 per vehicle (2-8 passengers), with some individual activities at additional cost. Visit FriendsOfJDSP.org.
Fall is in the air: Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale will host the ninth annual Riverwalk Fall Festival at downtown’s Esplanade Park along the New River on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Expect themed games, pumpkin painting, sand art, food trucks and craft vendors. Admission is free. Visit GoRiverwalk.com.
SUNDAY
Sunday shopping: The fab and funky Indie Craft Bazaar returns on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. in a special space, inside the newly renovated War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Fort Lauderdale. A great spot for local and small-business holiday shopping (be it Halloween or those December holidays), ICB will offer more than 65 vendor booths featuring handmade, vintage and crafted goods, drinks at the bar, concessions, a DIY station and free swag bags to the first 100 guests. Admission and parking are free. Visit IndieCraftBazaar.com.
Yes, please: Progressive rock legends Yes will be celebrating the majestic music from iconic 1971 album “Fragile,” including “Roundabout,” “Long Distance Runaround” and the sprawling “Heart of the Sunrise” (they don’t make ’em like that anymore), at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday at 8 p.m. The band currently includes founding guitarist Steve Howe with longtime keyboardist Geoff Downes, singer Jon Davison and bassist Billy Sherwood. Tickets start at $58.41 at BrowardCenter.org.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.
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