Miami Music Week is at its zenith this weekend, its cacophonous diversions and decibels aimed at the spring break crowd and other ears that haven’t been around for very long, highlighted by the DJ bonfire known as Ultra Music Festival. But, elsewhere, is South Florida offering a single-digit salute?
How else to explain that every other major stage in the region seems to be counterprogramming with entertainment aimed at grown-ups? Miami City Ballet, Florida Grand Opera and The Cleveland Orchestra all have multiple high-profile performances; there will be special screenings of 1980s film favorites “The Princess Bride” and “Moonstruck”; a large contingent of nationally touring tribute bands are booked for prominent shows; and there will be sets by two comedians who are more than three-quarters of a century old. Coincidence? We think not.
Thursday
Lots of yachts: The annual Palm Beach International Boat Show continues Thursday through Sunday at the waterfront on Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach, boasting that it will offer more than $1.2 billion in yachts and boating accessories. Good to hear that the economy is working in some areas. Tickets, information: PBBoatShow.com.
Yeehaw junction: Just in time for the Palm Beach International Boat Show, the oxymoronic West Palm Cowboy Club will have its formal opening in the old Bar Louie space at 200 Clematis St. on Thursday. The Nashville-style country bar seems destined to dazzle — curated by South Plantation High School grad Thomas Wesley Pentz, known globally as Grammy-winning DJ Diplo, with a menu by Miami barbecue chef Adrian Ricouz (Slab Daddy BBQ). Visit WestPalmCowboyClub.com.
Jim Rassol/Contributor
This is what Miami barbecue chef Adrian Ricouz has for you at West Palm Cowboy Club. (Jim Rassol/Contributor)
Closing statement: Florida Grand Opera brings its spectacular season-closing production of Puccini’s 100-year-old masterpiece “Turandot” to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale for performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday. The opera (best known for “Nessun Dorma”) will include more than 150 people onstage, with a cast featuring Roberto Alagna, Aleksandra Kurzak, Jennifer Rowley and Dominick Chenes. Tickets: FGO.org.
On their toes: Miami City Ballet turns up the heat with an encore of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s fiery “Carmen” at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami at 7:30 p.m.Thursday and 2 p.m. Saturday. The company will weave these performances with George Balanchine’s “Jewels,” a three-part kaleidoscope of color and light set to music by Fauré (“Emeralds”), Stravinsky (“Rubies”) and Tchaikovsky (“Diamonds”). Showtimes for “Jewels” are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Both productions are bound for the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach: “Jewels” on April 3 and “Carmen” on April 4-5. Tickets: MiamiCityBallet.org.
Matisyahu live: Spiritual seeker Matisyahu continues his acoustic tour — which revisits breakout album “Live at Stubb’s” (featuring “King Without a Crown,” “One Day” and “Sunshine”) and 2025 studio album “Ancient Child” — at the Boca Black Box Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. Thursday. Visit BocaBlackBox.com.
Weekend laughs: Veteran comedian and actor Yakov Smirnoff, who has been mining memories of his homeland in the former Soviet Union for laughs for nearly 50 years, will perform at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center on Thursday at 8 p.m. Tickets: AventuraCenter.org. Smirnoff also will perform at The Studio at Mizner Park on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets: TheStudioAtMiznerPark.org. … Maybe you’ve seen Joe List on shows hosted by Joe Rogan and Jimmy Fallon, or maybe he’s a comedian you’ve never heard of — but last year he released a documentary about a South Florida comedian even less well known. (A profile of the co-owner of club Comedy Key West, “Tom Dustin: Portrait of a Comedian” is “a bare bones film about comedy, friendship, regret, gratitude and the wonderful island of Key West.”) List will perform at the Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets: ImprovFTL.com.
Thursday tributes: The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton will host Four Way Street, sharing favorites from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, on Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets: FunkyBiscuit.com. … The Kravis Center in West Palm Beach will have Steely Dan tribute band The Expanding Man at 8 p.m. Thursday in the intimate Rinker Playhouse. Tickets: Kravis.org.
Friday
Friday Church: One of country music’s most thoughtful and authentic songwriters, Eric Church will bring his Free the Machine Tour to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Friday at 8 p.m. Kashus Culpepper opens. A dollar from each ticket sale goes to Church’s Chief Cares organization, which supports storm recovery in his native North Carolina. Tickets: MyHRL.com.
Drinkin’ and Mifflin: Self-pour beer bar Garden District Taproom in downtown West Palm Beach will host “The Office” Trivia Night on Friday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Entry is free, and there will be prizes for top teams. The event is 21-and-older. Visit GardenDistrictWPB.com.
Spring forward: The Cleveland Orchestra continues its annual residency at Miami’s Arsht Center with concerts on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Led by conductor Rafael Payare and violinist Sergey Khachatryan, and joined by members of New World Symphony, the program will be highlighted by Stravinsky’s masterpiece “The Rite of Spring.” Tickets: ArshtCenter.org.
Free jazz: The annual Africana Arts & Humanities Festival will take place on Friday and Saturday, bringing lectures, performances and family events to the African American Research Library & Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale. This year’s theme is “We, Too, Sing America: 250 Years of Black Life and Culture,” inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem “I, Too.” A highlight of the festival will be a free concert at 6 p.m. Saturday by the Bryan Carter Sextet, led by the acclaimed jazz drummer, vocalist and composer who has won a Tony Award and this year received his second Grammy Award. Visit Broward.org.
Jazz drummer, singer and composer Bryan Carter will do a free show at the African American Research Library & Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. (Emilio Madrid/Courtesy)
Doll house: Barbie Dream Fest will take over the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale on Friday through Sunday, a glittery and glammed celebration that re-examines Barbie and her place in culture and female empowerment with panel discussions, films, fashion and activities. Among those scheduled to be on hand are tennis legend Serena Williams, WNBA star Angel Reese, actor Marlee Matlin and many more. Tickets: BarbieDreamFest.com.
Pure energy: Mexican pop-rock icons Maná will take their infectiously energetic live show to the Kaseya Center in Miami at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday on their record-setting Vivir Sin Aire Tour. Visit Ticketmaster.com.
Evenings with Emeline: Internationally touring, Haitian-born singer-songwriter Emeline Michel will bring her graceful sound — she’s been dubbed the “Joni Mitchell of Haiti” — to the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets: Kravis.org.
Catch him if you can: Norbert Leo Butz, a two-time Tony Award winner for Best Actor in a Musical (“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Catch Me If You Can”), will perform as part of the Broadway Concert Series at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets: AventuraCenter.org.
ELO again: Featuring former members of Electric Light Orchestra and sequel band ELO Part II, The Orchestra will perform hits including “Evil Woman,” “Mr. Blue Sky,” “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Livin’ Thing” and “Telephone Line” at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: ParkerPlayhouse.com.
Saturday
Southern exposure: Batch New Southern Kitchen & Tap in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village will launch its inaugural Bourbon, Blues & BBQ Festival on Saturday, a patio celebration of Southern food, whiskey and live music from 3 to 8 p.m. The festival will include bourbon tastings (featuring Batch’s house-made Pecan Whiskey), whole smoked alligator (free tastings carved all day) and other barbecue dishes, local vendors and live performances by Dottie T. Kelly and Billy and the Soul Junk. Admission is free. Whiskey Tasting Experience tickets and VIP tickets available at Eventbrite.com. More information: BatchSouthernKitchen.com/ftl.
Saturday laughs: Multihyphenate performer Matteo Lane brings his comedy tour, titled We Gotta Catch Up!, to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets: Kravis.org.
Horsing around: The annual Wellington Barn Tour will showcase four multimillion-dollar horse barns in the equestrian city on Saturday to raise money for the Semper Fi & America’s Fund, which supports injured and ill service members, veterans and their families. These tours, with attendees riding luxury buses, will depart at 8, 8:30, 11 and 11:30 a.m. from the Grand Champions Polo Club. Tickets: PoloAmerica.com.
Jamming with moe.: Longtime cult-fave jam band moe. will bring their Born to Fly Tour to the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.). Tickets: MiamiBeachBandshell.com.
More horseplay: Saturday brings the 75th running of the Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, a chance to watch horses that will soon run in the Kentucky Derby, but also an excuse for locals to dress up with outfits topped by a hat or fascinator. The Carousel Club will have a contest for best hat and outfit. Post time for the derby is 6:42 p.m. Admission is free, but reserved seating is limited. Visit GulfstreamPark.com.
The Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach will bring out fashionable fans on Saturday. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Boca rocks: The family-friendly Boca Street Fest returns to Mizner Park Amphitheater and the pedestrian-friendly promenade nearby on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., featuring live music (Havoc 305 and Wolfhawk) and cultural dance performances on two stages, along with an open-air beer garden, myriad food options and more than 100 local vendors and makers. Admission is free. Visit MyBoca.us.
Outside art: The Cornell Art Museum at Old School Square in downtown Delray Beach will host Art on the Square, a free fine art show on the lawn on Saturday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.-4 p.m.). The show will include works by about 50 artists from across the country, along with live music, kids’ activities and wine, beer and gourmet bites. Admission is free. Information: DelrayOldSchoolSquare.com.
Saturday tributes: South Florida’s nationally acclaimed Billy Joel tribute band Turnstiles will play The Studio at Mizner Park in Boca Raton at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets: TheStudioAtMiznerPark.org. … Leonid & Friends, an 11-piece band offering faithful covers of Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, Earth Wind & Fire and Steely Dan, will perform at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m. A few tickets remain at ParkerPlayhouse.com. … Eagles tribute 7 Bridges will be at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: BrowardCenter.org. … ABBA tribute band Super Trouper will play the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center on Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. Tickets: AventuraCenter.org.
Tony Monaco will lead Billy Joel tribute band Turnstiles at The Studio at Mizner Park in Boca Raton on Saturday. (Jim Rassol/Contributor)
Fare thee well: This is the final weekend of 16th-century time travel offered during the Florida Renaissance Festival at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach. From 10 a.m. to sunset Saturday and Sunday, you’ll find more than 100 performers and as many vendors, plus food and drink and unexpected entertainment. Tickets: Ren-Fest.com.
Take the kids: Bonnet House Family Fun Day will take place in Fort Lauderdale’s historic home on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with self-guided tours, live music, educational activities, a scavenger hunt, and food and beverages available for purchase. Tickets, information: BonnetHouse.org.
Sunday
Free funk: The Hollywood ArtsPark Experience series returns to the ArtsPark at Young Circle in downtown Hollywood on Sunday with a free 7 p.m. concert by Tank and the Bangas, whose joyful funk music won them a Grammy Award and NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. Local neo-soul group Burgundee will open. Admission is free with RSVP at HollywoodArtsParkExperience.com.
Grammy-winning band Tank and the Bangas will play a free show at the ArtsPark in Hollywood on Sunday. (Tank and the Bangas/Courtesy)
Local listening: There was a time, maybe 30-odd years ago, when the South Florida indie scene seemed to be headed somewhere and Black Janet was one of the most important bands around. On Sunday, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Jim Wurster — a longtime Hollywood resident and former AP history teacher at Cypress Bay High School — is getting the band back together at Luna Star Cafe in North Miami. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. George Robert Zhen will open. Cover is $10. Bring cash. Information: LunaStarCafe.com.
Overheated brunch: Because this is what we do here in South Florida, the Heated Rivalry Drag Brunch will take over the Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach beginning at noon Sunday. Hosted by the inimitable Kat Wilderness Dion, the event will include favorite music and reenactments of favorite moments from your favorite hockey-not-hockey soap opera. Tickets: ImprovFTL.com.
Bridal party: A screening of Rob Reiner’s beloved fantasy “The Princess Bride” at Miami’s Arsht Center on Sunday will be accompanied by a live performance of composer Mark Knopfler’s score by none other than The Cleveland Orchestra. Showtime: 3 p.m. Tickets: ArshtCenter.org.
Dance fever: The touring production of TV favorite “Dancing With The Stars” comes to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Sunday, with performances at 3 and 8 p.m. Among the cast of dancers on the tour are Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa, Britt Stewart and Hailey Bills. Tickets: MyHRL.com.
Sunday laughs: Classic comedian Andy Huggins, still a rising talent as a septuagenarian with 50 years in the business (as seen on “America’s Got Talent” and “The View”), will bring his snappy one-liners to the Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach on Sunday for an early-bird show at 6 p.m. Tickets: ImprovFTL.com.
Catch comedian Andy Huggins at the Fort Lauderdale Improv on Sunday. (Andy Huggins/Courtesy)
Cher date night: The Miami Film Festival will offer a free screening of Cher’s treasured 1987 romantic comedy “Moonstruck” on the sands of Bal Harbour Beach on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The gathering will include complimentary popcorn, snacks and sofa seating, which will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. You’re encouraged to bring a beach chair or blanket. Free tickets at MiamiFilmFestival.com.
Sunday tributes: Nationally touring tribute bands Abbey Road and Satisfaction will duke it out in “Beatles vs. Stones — A Musical Showdown” at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center on Sunday at 3 and 8 p.m. Tickets: AventuraCenter.org. … Brit Floyd will accompany favorite Pink Floyd hits with lasers, video projections and inflatables at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: MiznerAmp.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.