The best things to do in Miami this week

A monumental collection of modern art has landed in Miami by way of Berlin’s Museum Berggruen, featuring nearly 100 works by artists such as Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Paul Klee, and others. On view October 29, 2026 through February 28, 2027, the exhibition traces key movements and figures of early European modernism, including Heinz Berggruen, the famed art collector and dealer behind this storied collection. Highlights include Matisse’s iconic cut-outs, Giacometti’s haunting sculptures, early Cubism works by Picasso, and Cézanne’s vibrant post-impressionist paintings.

This James Beard Award-winning chef is throwing a dinner party, and you’re invited to the table. On Thursday, October 29, Chef Michael Schwartz draws from the culinary traditions of Oaxaca to prepare a seven-course menu at his Design District restaurant, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink. Along with the cooking, Chef Michael is leading the small-group dinner himself, layering the experience with personal stories and insight to each dish. Your $200 seat also includes a welcome cocktail and seven beverage pairings to accompany courses like mussels in mole de mar with chochoyotes, crispy sweetbreads with whipped hominy, and charcoal-grilled lamb loin with mole negro, Seminole pumpkin and Mexican pepperleaf.

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, which means Miami has even more parties and events than usual. We’re talkin’ neighborhood takeovers in Coconut Grove, a spooky cocktail bar in Midtown, sunset soirees with world-famous DJs and views of Biscayne Bay, and family-friendly festivals that welcome little ones. Get the scoop with our inside guide to the best Halloween parties and events this year.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…a giant cafetera? On Saturday, October 31, wannabe pilots and crafty engineers will compete in the Red Bull Flugtag. Here’s how it works: Thirty teams will bring their homemade human-powered aircrafts to Bayfront Park. Some take more conventional shapes while others get creative (local restaurant Sanguich is flying a Cuban sandwich). The aircrafts make it to the top of a ramp, where teams will run to propel them into flight over Biscayne Bay. Spoiler alert: Most will crash into the water, but a few lucky handful will glide to victory. Be there for the hilarity of it all, starting at 10am. Free to attend with RSVP.

Back for its 13th year, Miami Film Festival GEMS offers eight days of cinematic fun with exclusive screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and red carpet moments. Events take place all over South Florida including Coral Gables Art Cinema, the Koubek Center near Little Havana, and Silverspot Cinema in Downtown. Catch the Florida premiere of Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid, get a first look at Oscar hopefuls like Fjord and All of a Sudden, or experience Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette with a special 20th anniversary screening at Vizcaya. On Monday, November 2, actor John Turturro ponders his decades-long career with Variety magazine and accepts the Variety Creative Vanguard Award. On November 9, director-actor John Cameron Mitchell performs at a special 25th anniversary event of Hedwig and The Angry Inch.

Afroman brings swagger to the stage at ZeyZey this Sunday, November 1. The Grammy-nominated rapper has a cheeky sense of humor, epitomized in his 2001 smash hit “Because I Got High” and, more recently, “Lemon Pound Cake”, inspired by a real-life police raid on Afroman’s home. Relive the good ol’ days of Colt 45s and settle in for some wild stories. Tickets from $35.

Jazz at MOCA is a monthly ritual for music lovers in North Miami. On the last Friday of the month, the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (aka MOCA) welcomes the public for a free live jazz concert on the plaza, featuring local artists and world-renowned musicians. On Friday, October 30, the series continues with Mike Gerber, a celebrated jazz pianist, composer and educator whose decades-long career has seen collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, and Pat Metheny. The outdoor event has first-come, first-served seating starting at 7pm. (You can bring your own chairs, too!) Music kicks off at 8pm. Concert-goers also enjoy free admission to MOCA galleries that same evening, from 7 to 10pm. All ages welcome.

Catch a free outdoor movie every Wednesday night at SoundScape Park in Miami Beach. Running October through May, the annual SoundScape Cinema Series welcomes all ages for weekly screenings spanning Blockbuster hits, vintage classics, and holiday films. The series kicks off with Selena (Oct. 7), followed by The Goonies (Oct. 14), Casper (Oct. 21), and The Addams Family (Oct. 28). Screenings take place rain or shine, starting at 8pm. Bring your own setups to watch comfortably; think lawn chairs, picnic baskets, and fresh-made subs from La Sandwicherie. The venue accommodates 200 to 300 on the lawn, but prime spots get scooped up quickly, so plan accordingly. Free to attend, no reservations required.

Little Havana's street party and gallery walk, Viernes Culturales, happens every last Friday of the month along Calle Ocho from 8th to 27th Avenue. Running strong since 2000, it celebrates Latin culture with an old-school pachanga, featuring art exhibits from over 30 local artists, an artisan market at Domino Plaza, live music, and dancing in one of Miami's most famous cultural hubs. Dr. Paul George's free Little Havana Walking Tour begins at 7pm from the Historic Tower Theater for anyone who wants the deeper history alongside the party.

We may not experience fall weather in Miami, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play pretend. Throw on a flannel shirt and head south to Homestead for the seventh annual Harvest Festival at The Berry Farm. Open seven days a week through November 15, the sprawling estate welcomes families and teens to explore a five-acre corn maze, sunflower fields, hayrides, and a giant pumpkin patch that makes for a great photo backdrop. For the grown-ups, an on-site bar offers themed cocktails like the Tipsy Apple Mule and Harvest Sangria. Tickets run $17 for adults and $14 for children ages 12 and under. Free for ages 2 and under.