These are the best things to do in Miami this weekend

Don your cowboy boots, button-down and jean mini skirt for Shania Twain’s limited summer tour, which stops for two nights in South Florida on August 1st and 2nd at the iconic Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. Get ready to sing along to the Canadian country queen’s string of hits, including “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” plus plenty of new material.

Celebrate 80 years of the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, Miami’s first and only beach officially designated for Miami-Dade’s Black community on August 1st,1945. The three-day bash takes place from August 1st through 3rd and kicks off with a birthday-themed party on Friday that includes free vehicle entry and free cake and ice cream starting at 10am. Saturday's Community Fun Day features icy treats, a massive waterslide, tours, a beach cleanup, oral histories and live mural painting from noon until 4pm. On Sunday from 3 to 7pm, close out the weekend with the Poetry Potluck spoken word series, a grassroots community assembly that intertwines voices, narratives and culinary delights in a profound celebration of culture and camaraderie.

After last year's sold-out seven-week run, the Miami Beach Classical Music Festival is back with a brand-new production by artistic director Michael Rossi. The psychedelic, space-themed show blends the power of a full orchestra with cutting-edge projection-mapping technology inside Miami Beach’s first permanent immersive theater at Temple Emanu-El. Audiences are wrapped in 360 degrees of live music and visuals for a multisensory experience that transforms traditional orchestra. The galactic program includes Hans Zimmer’s most iconic compositions from Interstellar, Inception and Dune.

An evening-turned-to-day on Club Space’s Terrace is a veritable rite of passage for any club kid. With a well-timed disco nap, lots of espresso martinis or your preferred stay-awake method, you too can experience the after-hours euphoria of dancing as the sun comes up on the iconic Space terrace. This weekend, the lineup includes Channel Tres and Maribou State playing DJ sets upstairs on Friday, August 1st, as well as smaller shows sprinkled throughout the venue's other rooms on Saturday and Sunday.

Looking for a buzzy day party with all the Miami but none of the vice? Unwell Hydration and The Club Palm Beach are taking over The Pool at Strawberry Moon for Florida’s largest social wellness rager on Sunday, August 3 from noon to 3pm. Set on the pastel pool deck of Pharrell's retro-inspired Goodtime Hotel, this detox party blends movement, music and recovery with guided workouts, live DJs, cold plunges and interactive wellness activations. Expect a full-body reset with poolside beats and an appearance by TikTok-famous cowboys, the Montana Boyz.

Summer in Miami is all about slowing down and experiencing the unexpected, like this free outdoor concert featuring members of the Miami Symphony Orchestra at the lush Miami Beach Botanical Garden. On Saturday, August 2, families, couples and music lovers are invited to settle in for laid-back live classical music under the open sky. Bring a blanket or low lawn chair, come early to explore the garden and take in a stellar performance in one of Miami Beach’s most scenic spots.

Located at the base of the trendy Arlo Wynwood, Wyn Wyn hosts a charming al fresco jazz night on the patio every Friday from 7 to 10pm. Make a reservation to enjoy the restaurant's fresh Latin-Asian fare paired with live samba, bossa nova and MPB (música popular Brasileira) under the stars.

ZeyZey in Little River looks like it could be a friend’s bohemian bungalow—if your friend had their own natural wine gazebo, custom sound system and vinyl listening room, shipping container cocktail bar and mainstage for live performances. This weekend, they've curated another lineup of fun events, including  the 2000s-themed Dial-Up party on Saturday, August 2nd, throwing it back to the era of crunk hits, R&B slow jams and iconic aughts anthems. Arrive early for a free live concert featuring Miami faves Jaialai plus Camp Blu and The Floridians. On Sunday at 4pm, stop in for the free Miami Is An Island Record Fair + Tropical Dance Party, or stay late for a DJ set by BOSQ, spinning inside all night long.

Books and boozing have gone hand in hand since the dawn of literature—or so we like to imagine. Available daily through September 21st, the Books & Books Summer Reading Series at The Commodore (inside The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove) invites guests to sip and flip through Miami-inspired reads. Hide away from the summer elements in the handsome hotel bar, order a cocktail crafted by local mixologist Gio Gutierrez, borrow a paired book to enjoy while you sip, then return it before heading out. Boozy bookworms will also score 10% off their next purchase at Books & Books Coconut Grove. Cocktails are $20 each and include the Havana Especial paired with The Last Train to Paradise, the Dérive paired with Seeing Differently: Miami Color Theory and Fuacata paired with Ventanitas: A Window Into Miami’s Coffee Culture. One-off author events include Les Standiford (July 10) and Laura Paresky Gould (August 21).

This casual backyard kiki happens every Sunday afternoon this summer at Willy's Neighborhood Bar, honoring the New York-born gay social tradition that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s. Back then, the dances included tea service (a nod to traditional tea dances of the English countryside) and were a place for singles to meet, since it was illegal for bars in New York to sell alcohol to people known to be gay. Over time, tea dances proliferated everywhere from Miami and Fort Lauderdale to Provincetown, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Willy's is the latest local spot to carry the torch. The free party features DJs and happy hours from 5 to 7pm. The first 50 RSVPs to check in with the host before 8pm will receive a token to redeem a free shot at the bar.

LIV has been leading the pack in Miami’s club scene since it debuted in 2008 as the crown jewel of the Fontainebleau Hotel’s unprecedented billion-dollar renovation. This Sunday, August 3rd, celebrate the XXL Freshman Class 2025 with a lineup of hip-hop's most exciting new artists, including Gelo, Lazer Dim 700, Ray Vaughn, Samara Cyn, Nino Paid, Loe Shimmy and more.

The NYC-imported Smorgasburg, Miami's largest outdoor food market, returns to its Wynwood outpost for a new season featuring over 40 vendors (including 10 new concepts) and more shaded areas for noshing. Graze from a variety of local street foods, international fare, healthy options and inventive creations from the likes of Acai Way, Korean Kitchen, Kabuki Soba, The Lazy Oyster, La Picaña Grill, Lechona Truck, Tio Paella, Puro Chocolate, Cool & Creamy Truck and more. Hours have shifted from 2 to 10pm every Saturday and Sunday this summer.

Bodega is celebrating Miami's bountiful mango season the best way we can think of—with free cocktails. Through Sunday, August 31st, hand over a fresh mango to the bartender at any Bodega location (South Beach, Coconut Grove or Coral Gables) and score a free Mango Tango cocktail. The tropical concoction includes Dobel Diamante, 1800 Coconut, mango puree, pineapple and lime juice. No mango? No worries: this refreshing seasonal bevvie is available to purchase for $16. Limit one free drink per guest.

Pioneering modern Peruvian chef Jaime Pesaque brings his vibrant, award-winning Nikkei culinary interpretations to the Magic City for a limited residency on the rooftop of the Four Seasons Hotel Miami in Brickell. Chef Pesaque's Lima restaurant, Mayta, recently ranked No. 39 in the annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants guide. Expect a selection of his signature dishes, like Ceviche Limeño with corvina, leche de tigre, sweet potato and cilantro, served in a lively indoor-outdoor dining room perched in the heart of the city.

Think of it as a fun foray into an exciting new technology—or a harbinger of the imminent robot takeover. Either way, this new exhibition at Frost Science aims to fascinate with four thought-provoking sections that trace the evolution of AI and feature everything from research to artistic collaborations. Curated and organized by the City of London’s Barbican Centre and co-produced by Groningen Forum, Netherlands, AI: More Than Human presents works by leading artists, scientists and researchers, exploring what it means to be human, the definition of consciousness, ethics around AI and whether machines will ever outsmart us.

Miami graffiti legend Jona Cerwinske flips the script on failure in Dog Ate My Homework, his new solo show opening on June 7th at the Museum of Graffiti. Instrumental in Wynwood's genesis as a street art mecca, Cerwinske brings his signature black-and-white, super-detailed aesthetic to a playful, immersive exhibition that reimagines classic classroom excuses as bold, satirical masterpieces. Curated by Alan Ket, the show merges street culture and contemporary art while exploring blame, creativity and the beauty of imperfection. A free opening party on Saturday, June 7th includes music by DJ Top Cat, drinks at the Modelo bar and artist-Levi's Trucker jackets while supplies last.

Lest we need another reminder that Miami summers really bring the bugs out, Fairchild is throwing a larger-than-life celebration of our six-legged friends from May 23rd through September 28th. From towering robotic sculptures to a walk-through butterfly pavilion and AR selfie station, hands-on bug encounters and interactive trails, this family-friendly exhibit zooms in on the tiny world of bugs. Select dates will also include the Bugs on Parade insect runway shows, Wander & Glow illuminated nighttime trails, Bug Bites & Brews 21-plus tastings and Big Bug outdoor movies under the stars. Included with general admission; free for members.

On view from May 1 through October 12, ICA Miami debuts a landmark retrospective of Olga de Amaral, the visionary Colombian artist whose 60-year-plus career transformed textile and fiber art as it merged indigenous weaving with Bauhaus design and Modernist abstraction. Presented with Fondation Cartier, the show features over 50 works, from goldleaf Estelas to airy Brumas, including pieces originally commissioned for major public spaces and many never before seen outside Colombia. The show invites viewers to step into a meditative “vertical forest” designed by award-winning architect Lina Ghotmeh, where Amaral’s tactile, light-absorbing works take center stage.

The Dig at Frost Science is the region's only paleontology exhibition and research department, inviting visitors to step into the shoes of a real-life fossil hunter. On view in the museum’s West Wing, this interactive experience lets you explore the science behind prehistoric life through tactile displays, hands-on activities and a team of on-site paleontologists and technicians. Watch trained pros work in a real fossil prep lab, digitally try your hand at cleaning fossils, hear how a living dinosaur may have sounded and marvel at a life-size cast of the “Tufts-Love” T. rex skull—the most complete of its kind ever found. The Dig is included with general museum admission.

R House in Wynwood has earned its crown as the queen of mainland Miami drag brunches. This adults-only spectacle takes over the dining room and patio every weekend with high-energy performances, Latin-inspired eats and bottomless mimosas, sangria and mojitos. Brunch is $60 per person (or $80 for the premium seats) and includes the show, drinks and a family-style feast—just be sure to book early, since it sells out fast. If you do miss your chance to snag a brunch seat, R House also serves up weekly evening drag shows and themed drag bingo nights.

Tuesday and Saturday nights are prime times to get an authentic taste of Miami's vibrant salsa scene at La Pachanga, a free live music and dance party in the heart of Little Havana. The historic Calle Ocho venue opens up its doors, spilling the sounds of Miami's best salsa bands onto the streets as revelers sip excellent mojitos and take to the wooden dancefloor. Ball & Chain also hosts free salsa and bachata dance classes regularly (check their website for the latest schedule), so you can brush up on your moves—or just watch the pros do their thing as they twirl and gyrate around the crowds.

Nestled in the lobby of The Betsy, a Michelin-awarded hotel famed for its arts programming, The Piano Bar hosts Miami Beach’s longest-running live music series. The space's relaxed, Old Havana atmosphere gets amped up by a rotating roster of local and visiting talent, with free public jazz shows nightly through December starting at 6pm. Some of the scheduled musicians include Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Tal Cohen, composer Leonard Reina, Beau Cornelius, Pato Romero, Brian Murphy and Jim Gasior. Food and drinks are available for purchase from LT Steak & Seafood, The Betsy's on-site restaurant by chef Laurent Tourondel.

In this seductive new production at Faena Theater, free-spirited heroine Carmen finds herself in a labyrinth of two opposing lovers. The provocative, adults-only journey explores themes of devotion, jealousy and betrayal as it blends elements of flamenco, cabaret, fire artistry, cirque nouveau and modern beats, all infused with a Spanish flavor. Master of Ceremonies Mimi Barber lends her soulful vocals to the show, accompanied by an award-winning ensemble and stunning visuals that all come together to breathe new life into this reinterpreted classic.

Miami's biggest night for improv comedy happens every Saturday at Villain Theater in the heart of Little Haiti. Enjoy original, spontaneous live performances from some of the fiercest improvisers across South Florida. Shout out a suggestion and become a part of the action as the theater's talented cast of actors spins hysterical yarns over the course of two Second City-style improv shows. Mingle and sip beers in the lobby lounge in between sets: A ticket grants you access to both the 8:30 and 10pm showtimes.

The Coconut Grove Farmers Market is probably Miami’s most well-known. Every Saturday, Homestead's Glaser Organic Farms transforms an unoccupied corner of Coconut Grove into a full-fledged produce market with dozens of fruit and vegetable stands, a raw bar featuring prepared foods and salads and coolers filled with cold-pressed juices and nut mylks. There’s even velvety vegan ice cream for sale and several rows of picnic tables where you can sit and enjoy your bounty.

Along its periphery, you’ll find other local vendors selling honey, homemade soaps, handmade jewelry and other artisanal items. And the setup and breakdown are so fascinating to watch! Much like the circus leaving town, everyone quickly dismantles their tents and packs up just after sunset, leaving no trace of the bustling day on the empty gravel lot.