This isn’t the month that comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, right? (Where did that Farmers’ Almanac get to?) It feels like the February events calendar came in like a baby dromedary, turns into a full-grown dromedary right about now, and will go out like a small bison.
No matter your interest, there are choices aplenty this weekend: Miami City Ballet and Palm Beach Opera; the 20th annual African American Film Festival and 40th annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival; comedians Hannibal Buress and Zarna Garg; Monster Jam and WWE’s “Smackdown”; Terence Blanchard and Oigovision Superjam; Styx and Boy George; tributes to Johnny Cash and the Bee Gees; Riverwalk Chili Cook-off and Science of Chocolate.
You may need a drink to get over the hump — perhaps not coincidentally, Sunday is National Margarita Day.
Thursday
Black lives: The 20th annual African American Film Festival kicks off on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. with a screening of “Muhammad Ali, The Greatest” at Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. Photographer and director William Klein’s film follows the transcendent boxer’s evolution into a cultural icon during a turbulent period in America’s civil rights era, bookended by his legendary 1964 fight with Sonny Liston and his epic Rumble in the Jungle with George Foreman a decade later. Other films included in the series, curated by author and cinema scholar Terri Francis, are “Princess Tam Tam,” starring Josephine Baker (6:30 p.m. Friday); “Love & Basketball,” with Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps (1 p.m. Saturday); “He Got Game,” featuring Denzel Washington and former Miami Heat star Ray Allen (6:30 p.m. Saturday); and “Stormy Weather,” starring Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, Fats Waller and Cab Calloway (1 p.m. Sunday). Tickets for individual films and a discounted five-film package are available at Kravis.org.
Brahms away: The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by acclaimed music and artistic director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, comes to the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami at 8 p.m. Thursday to perform Brahms’ mighty Third and Fourth Symphonies. Tickets: ArshtCenter.org.
Making a racket: The annual Delray Beach Open tennis tournament is back this week and, again, has the tone of everything in downtown Delray changed? Is it because all these visitors are so toned? While the tournament is apparently about tennis, it’s also about purposeful food and wine parties. The popular Game, Set, Pour on Friday is sold out, but so far there are still general-admission tickets to the annual Tacos, Tequila and Tennis event on Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. (VIP is sold out) and the Serve & Savor wine party on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. Visit DelrayBeachOpen.com.
Stars come out: Latin-music awards show “Premio Lo Nuestro” takes place on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Miami’s Kaseya Center, with scheduled performers including Marc Anthony, Maluma, Sebastián Yatra, Gente de Zona, Thalía, Ryan Castro and more. Tickets: KaseyaCenter.com.
Local sounds: The Oigovision Superjam takes over the North Beach Social, the Rhythm Foundation’s free monthly gathering at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Thursday, when multi-instrumentalist Adrian Gonzalez-Arredondo (Oigo) will host artists working at the heart of Miami’s experimental live music scene, where jazz, funk, Latin and electronica unite. The lineup will include Electric Kif, Anemoia, Lemon City Trio, Twyn, The Lab and Anthony “Smurphio” Laurencio, keyboardist, producer, DJ and cofounder of Suenalo and Afrobeta. Admission is free. Information: MiamiBeachBandshell.com.
Miami jazz experimentalists Electric Kif will play the free Oigovision Superjam at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Thursday. (Lucas Mc Guire/Courtesy)
Take the kids: Opening on Thursday under a big-top tent at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Cirque du Soleil’s new all-ages production “Luzia” creates a colorful world of acrobatics, music and fantastical visuals that bring the sights and sounds of Mexico to life, from the beach to a barren desert. Showtimes this weekend will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 1:30 and 5 p.m. Sunday. Performances will take place through April 25. Tickets: CirqueDuSoleil.com/Luzia.
Thursday laughs: Actor and comedian Chris Kattan, who has created indelible characters from “Saturday Night Live” to “A Night at the Roxbury” and “The Middle,” will perform at the Boca Black Box Center for the Arts on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: BocaBlackBox.com. … Comedian, actor and radio host Tom Papa brings his Grateful Bread Tour to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale at 7 p.m. Thursday. Tickets: BrowardCenter.org. … In case you were wondering, both Thursday night shows by young Nashville comic Amber Autry at the Fort Lauderdale Improv are sold out.
Time won’t give me time: Boy George & Culture Club have been singing “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya,” “Karma Chameleon” and “Miss Me Blind” for more than 40 years, and no one seems to want to let go. The band’s 8 p.m. Thursday show at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood is sold out. Check resale updates at Ticketmaster.com.
Friday
Golden horn: Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard will perform an expanded version of his iconic Malcolm X Jazz Suite — joined by The E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet — at 8 p.m. Friday at the Arsht Center in Miami as part of the venue’s thoughtful Jazz Roots series. The work, inspired by Blanchard’s score for the 1992 Spike Lee biopic “Malcolm X,” is being performed during the ongoing centennial celebration of the slain civil rights icon. Visit ArshtCenter.org.
Jazz musician and composer Terence Blanchard will bring an expanded version of his iconic Malcolm X Jazz Suite to the Arsht Center in Miami on Friday. (Burgess Management/OTG Productions/Courtesy)
Winter dance: Miami City Ballet introduces something new with its Winter Mix program, “Into the Magic City,” at the Arsht Center, with performances Friday through Sunday. The program includes George Balanchine’s famed “Serenade” and dynamic “Tarantella,” as well as “Roses from the South, Three Waltzes for Toby,” a world premiere by Alexei Ratmansky honoring MCB’s visionary founder, Toby Lerner Ansin. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. MCB will then bring the program to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Feb. 28 and March 1. Tickets: MiamiCityBallet.org.
Weekend laughs: Writer, actor and comedian Hannibal Buress apparently has no hard feelings toward South Florida, setting up at the Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach for weekend performances at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets: ImprovFTL.com. In December, as reported by Miami New Times, Buress settled a lawsuit (for $200,000) against the Miami Police Department for his detainment during Art Basel, way back in 2017, an era that seems almost quaint today.
The look of love: Palm Beach Opera offers its ravishing production of Georges Bizet’s forbidden romance “The Pearl Fishers” (with sets and costumes designed by fashion icon Zandra Rhodes) at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Performances will be in French with English supertitles. Tickets: Kravis.org.
Troubles with Harry: At the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, CineConcerts will present the fan-favorite film “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” accompanied by a live symphony orchestra. Showtimes will be 8 p.m. Friday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets to both screenings are available at BrowardCenter.org.
Grapple watch: “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” will broadcast live from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise at 7:30 p.m., showcasing the Shakespearean grappling dramatics of Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, Charlotte Flair, Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton and many more. Tickets: AmerantBankArena.com.
Friday tribute: Johnny Rogers will embody the swagger and music of Johnny Cash at The Studio at Mizner Park in Boca Raton on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: TheStudioAtMiznerPark.org.
Saturday
More movies: Saturday is opening night at Savor Cinema for the 40th edition of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, featuring a 7 p.m. world-premiere screening of “Miami Nights,” a crime thriller shot on location in Miami. Events will include red-carpet arrivals at 6 p.m. with scheduled appearances by Terrence Howard, Jeremy Sumpter, Danay Garcia and others. The film is sold out, but for $40 you can attend the post-film street party with the stars beginning at 8:30 p.m. The festival continues through Feb. 28. Tickets, information: FLIFF.com.
Crooning by candlelight: Classical crossover vocal quartet Il Divo will share music from their latest release, “XX: 20th Anniversary Album,” when they bring the Il Divo by Candlelight world tour to the Arsht Center in Miami on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets: ArshtCenter.org.
Take the kids: Monster Jam unleashes the diesel-powered, dirt-kicking acrobatics of Grave Digger, Megalodon, El Toro Loco and many more when its 2026 stadium tour pulls up at loanDepot Park in Miami at 5 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. The shows will include the fan-focused Pit Party on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and the Trackside Experience at 4 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: MonsterJam.com.
See longtime fan favorite El Toro Loco at Monster Jam, coming this weekend to loanDepot Park in Miami. (Feld Motor Sports/Courtesy)
Chili forecast: The 10th annual Riverwalk Chili Cook-off returns to Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., with chefs vying for a chance to participate in the World Championship Chili Cook-Off, while also supporting a local nonprofit. The public can participate in the judging by purchasing sample cups and casting votes for the best chili. Admission is free. Information: Facebook.com/RiverwalkFTL.
Cuckoo for cocoa: The Cox Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach hosts Science of Chocolate on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., an exploration of the physics, chemistry and biology that make chocolate so chocolatey good — and no homework! (Unless you assign some yourself.) You’ll find hands-on chocolate experiments, including a liquid-nitrogen ice cream treat for the family, along with a chocolate fountain, trivia, lawn games, photos with Willie Wonka and more. It’s all included with museum admission. Tickets: CoxScienceCenter.org.
Saturday tribute: World-touring tribute band Bee Gees Now! will perform two shows at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center on Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. Tickets: AventuraCenter.org.
Sunday
Sunday laughs: Zarna Garg is an Indian immigrant mom from New York City and also a masterful humorist, illustrated on her Amazon Prime comedy special “One in a Billion,” on “The Zarna Garg Family Podcast,” and in opening for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on their Restless Leg Tour. Garg’s previous two South Florida visits were sellouts, as is her 6:30 p.m. Sunday show at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale. The Parker has added a second show at 9 p.m., but don’t expect those seats to last. Tickets: ParkerPlayhouse.com.
The best of times: Classic-rock icons Styx — still led by James “JY” Young and Tommy Shaw — bring the tour supporting their 2025 album, “Circling From Above,” to the Pompano Beach Amphitheater on Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets: PompanoBeachArts.org.
James “JY” Young, left, and Tommy Shaw, shown performing at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood in 2025, will bring Styx to the Pompano Beach Amphitheater on Sunday. (Michele Eve Sandberg/Contributor)
The best of margaritas: Sunday is National Margarita Day, and if you don’t have a favorite go-to for this tangy cocktail, consider Lona Cocina & Tequileria on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, which was judged to have the best marg in town by a couple of thousand amateur experts at the Fort Lauderdale Margarita Festival in October. Lona will celebrate National Margarita Day on Sunday with a Bottomless Beachside Brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring food stations and endless pours of their award-winning Lona Margarita (multiple flavors), mimosas and Bloody Marys. From 3 p.m. to closing, the Lona Margarita will be available for a discounted $12. Information: LonaRestaurant.com.
Inner Circle outing: Reggae stars Inner Circle will be the headliners at the free Rhythm by the River in Fort Lauderdale’s Esplanade Park at 2 p.m. Sunday. This “celebration of local voices” also will include performances by the relentlessly energetic Les Greene and The Swayzees, the Nina Simone tribute group Ladies of Simone and the Luigi Arredondo Sextet. Part of the Broward Center’s new Amplify Arts initiative, the afternoon will include free arts and crafts, interactive games, food trucks and a variety of free community workshops in the Mary N. Porter Riverview Ballroom. Admission is free. Information: BrowardCenter.org.
Boot up: Fast-rising country singer-songwriter Tucker Wetmore — on the road supporting hit debut album “What Not To” — brings The Brunette World Tour to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Sunday at 8 p.m. Special guest Dasha will open. Tickets: MyHRL.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.