The best things to do in Miami this week

Do you need a break from dating apps? Are your digits—and your brain—totally fatigued from all the swiping and scrolling? We get it, and we want to help you meet someone IRL. Rather than an awkward set-up, we’re partnering with Date Nite Miami to give you the chance to pick out your potential love interest from a pool of eligible singles.

You’ll make your way around Time Out Market Miami, striking up conversations with fellow speed daters for 5 minutes or less before moving on to the next person. If your mini date is a dud then it’s on to someone else until you find your match. Your ticket to the speed-dating experience includes a drink plus access to happy hour pricing from 7 to 10pm should you need a little extra liquid courage.

Forget the lame, deadpan number callers you’ve experienced at other game nights because we’ve got the fierce Athena Dion taking over bingo night at Time Out Market Miami. The city’s most in-demand diva keeps you entertained throughout the night, featuring extended happy hour pricing on cocktails for players and lots of $25 Time Out Market cards up for grabs. Games are free to join and groups of all ages and sizes are welcome to try their luck at filling up a card. Not into games? Hang with the fabulous crowd and taste your way around the market’s delicious eateries.

South Beach isn’t exactly known for its wallet-friendliness, especially when it comes to adult beverages. But at this sprawling food hall located right off Lincoln Road (lovingly curated by yours truly), you can score sweet drink discounts Wednesday through Sunday from 4 to 7pm. The deal: Pay $5 for all local draft beers, $7 for selected wines and $8 for selected craft cocktails. For a refreshing afternoon buzz, try the Cucumber Cooler made with vodka, cucumber shrub, lemon, lime, mint and tonic—it pairs perfectly with bites or a full-on meal from any of the Market’s eateries.

It’s been over a year since the Wynwood Walls introduced a new work of art, but that’s all about to change. This week, Goldman Global Arts (GGA) unveils "Pure RISK," a solo gallery show featuring 22 original works by Kelly Graval, better known as RISK. The show opens on Tuesday, June 15, with a special screening of the locally produced feature film Vandal. 

When is it? "Pure RISK" opens June 15, but runs indefinitely. Where is it? Wynwood Walls. Tickets for opening night are $50 and include access to the film screening and refreshments. 

The highly anticipated Vincent Van Gogh exhibition you’ve seen all over Instagram is finally here. “Beyond Van Gogh” brings the Dutch painter’s most iconic works to life with larger-scale projections that flow freely across the Ice Palace backdrop. You’ll find yourself suspended in the heavens while walking through The Starry Night and then frolicking through fields of bright yellow flowers in a scene from Sunflowers, among the 300 different artworks depicted throughout the space.

When is it? Through Aug 14 at various times. Where is it? Ice Palace Film Studios, 1401 N Miami Ave. Tickets are online.

The PAMM’s new installation is going to make your pop-culture-loving heart very happy. Artist Marco Brambilla presents Heaven’s Gate, a satirical, vertigo-inducing video installation featuring collaged film samples of iconic Hollywood moments, like Leonardo DiCaprio toasting your arrival from Great Gatsby and Matthew McConaughey from Wolf of Wall Street, plus internet cats and other highly recognizable images. The piece’s title is a reference to Michael Cimino’s 1980 film that subsequently bankrupted United Artists and became known for its excess and symbolism of Hollywood indulgence. The piece is heady but fun, as all technicolor art ought to be.

When is it? Heaven’s Gate opens June 17. Where is it? The video installation is on view at the Perez Art Museum Miami. Tickets to the museum are available at the front desk.

It’s been a while since Miami was known as a comedy city but, slowly, it’s gaining back its sense of humor. Brittany Brave is one of the comedians leading the charge—writing, producing and hosting a monthly showcase at SHOWFIELDS Miami. Catch the Miami-native alongside Esther Ku, Noe Noel, Mike Valdes and other featured funny people. 

What’s better than a dozen oysters? Freshies by the sea. Head to the Mondrian’s glitzy waterfront restaurant for its new weekly oyster happy hour, featuring $2 bivalves and $18 Beau Joie Brut, or $22 when you opt for a rosé pairing. Pro tip: the sunsets here are next-level, so make sure you stay till the end.

When is it? Wed 5–7pm. Where is it? Baia Beach Club at the Mondrian South Beach. 

Superblue Miami, the long-awaited immersive art experience dedicated to the production of experiential mediums, is now open. Under construction for nearly two years, the Allappattah institution debuts with an inaugural program titled "Every Wall Is a Door," which features a new immersive environment by stage designer Es Devlin, a transcendent digital experience by Japanese art collective teamLab and an extrasensory light-based work by American artist James Turrell. Meadow, a kinetic installation by Amsterdam-based artist studio DRIFT, is also on view in Superblue’s main lobby area.

When is it? Superblue opens Sun–Wed 10am–7pm, Thu–Sat 10am–8pm. Where is it? Superblue Miami, 1101 NW 23rd St. Tickets are available online.

The posh outdoor mall partners with Miami’s premier performing arts center, the Arsht, for a delightful musical showcase this summer. Starting this week, Bal Harbour Shops hosts free live performances every Thursday from 4 to 7pm, featuring the likes of rock/funk/jazz trio Aaron Lebos Reality and the French Horn Collective. As if the shopping experience wasn’t already enjoyable there, now there’s an upbeat soundtrack to stroll to. 

When is it? Thur 4–7pm. Where is it? Outdoors at the Bal Harbour Shops. Concerts are absolutely free.

What’s your first memory of Coconut Grove? Is it the arts festival? The theater and parks on Main Highway? It’s likely that your recollections of Miami’s oldest neighborhood exceed just one moment—it’s been around that long. In this latest exhibition, Frost Art Museum FIU tracks the Grove’s incredible transformation and its lasting reputation as a wellspring of creativity. Dozens of photographs help paint a picture of a thriving artistic community, including the Miami Black Arts Workshops in historic Bahamian Coconut Grove of the ’60s as well as future creative endeavors, like the beloved King Mango Strut Parade (founded in 1982). Prepare to leave the exhibit with an entirely new perspective on the well-trodden neighborhood.

When is it? The exhibit runs through Sep 19; Wed–Sun from 10am–3pm. Where is it? Frost Art Museum at FIU.

As artists continue to examine themes of Black identity, London-based surrealist Vince Fraser endeavors to offer his own perspective as a Black creative breaking boundaries and transcending reality. With "Aṣẹ: Afro Frequencies," his solo exhibition at experiential museum Artechouse, Fraser proposes that concepts of aṣẹ (the West African idea of one’s power to produce change) and Afrocentricity exist as their own frequencies—metaphorical wavelengths that people can tap into. Through the use of technology, lights, sounds and projections bring these frequencies to life and give them a new digital context.

When is it? The exhibit runs daily through Nov 7. Where is it? Artechouse Miami, 736 Collins Ave. Tickets are available online.

Top tip: Folks who live in South Florida (residents of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties) can use the code LOCAL5 at checkout to receive $5.

Curious prehistoric lovers, you’re in for a treat. Organized by New York’s American Museum of Natural History, Frost Science presents an immersive exhibition of the largest flying animals that ever lived, the pterosaur. Using findings from paleontological research, the exhibit presents a combination of life-size models and engaging interactive opportunities to bring these ancient animals to life. What did it feel to roam the Earth at that size 150 million years ago? Find out using your body to pilot a pterosaur over a prehistoric landscape in a virtual flight lab. How big were they exactly? Glimpse the many fossils for a peek at their size. 

When is it? Daily through Sep 6, 10am–7pm. Where is it? Frost Science, 1101 Biscayne Blvd. Tickets are $30 online.

Break a sweat while experiencing the immersive Van Gogh exhibition currently on display at the Ice Palace Studios. Local fitness trainer Tiffany Levy leads guests through a yoga flow while whimsical projects of more than 300 works by the iconic Dutch painter flash by. The weekly class takes place at 8:30am and includes admission to the exhibition immediately following the session. 

When is it? June 17 at 8:30am. Where is it? Ice Palace Film Studios, 1401 N Miami Ave. Tickets are $62 online.

Pretty much everything pairs well with champagne, but oysters and bubbles are a timeless classic. And the duo is on sale every Thursday night at Freehold. Stop by from 8pm to close for $1 oysters and $6 flutes of G.H. Mumm Champagne, plus regularly priced pizzas—the second-best coupling for a glass of sparkling vino. A roster of female DJs bring the tunes all night long. 

When is it? Thu 8pm–midnight. Where is it? Freehold Miami in Wynwood. 

Already looking forward to Friday 😎