The best September events in Miami

Start your night with a sexy little skate sesh at Basement Bowl + Skate: Disco Hour at The Miami Beach EDITION. Every Saturday, house spirits, beer, and wine are half off from 10pm to midnight, with half-hour skate sessions starting at $30 and skate rentals included (just don't forget your socks). Between the neon-lit bowling lanes and the ice rink, DJs play rotating parties like Vibras Y Bowl on the first Saturday and Neon Nights & Strikes on the third.

Elliot & Erick Jiménez: El Monte is the Cuban twin photography duo’s first solo museum exhibition, marking their leap from award-winning image makers for the likes of Prada, Tiffany’s, Bad Bunny and Selena Gomez to multi-disciplinary artists on an institutional stage. Inspired by the Afro-Caribbean spiritual tradition of Lucumí and Lydia Cabrera’s seminal text El Monte, the show centers on a womb-like, chapel-meets-forest installation alongside photographs and sculptural works that explore spirituality, ancestry and identity. 

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).

Legion Park is the place to be on a beautiful Saturday morning, as tents pop up from Biscayne Boulevard all the way to Biscayne Bay. Run by Urban Oasis Project, which oversees some of Miami’s most important farmers markets, you’ll find produce from local favorites like Little River Cooperative and French Farms, artisan-made goods like fresh bread, hummus and empanadas (the Chilean ones are excellent), and even dog treats. (Don’t worry, Fido always gets a free sample.) In the morning, a hundred or so yogis gather under the Spanish oak-draped banyan trees for a donation-based yoga class and then stock up on goods from some of the new-age vendors onsite.

If you're looking for a trippy light show the whole family can enjoy, there's nowhere better than the Frost Planetarium’s 67-foot dome. Every month, they host a night filled with mind-boggling visuals, music and fun, with a different theme every hour. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids ages four to 11. Refreshments and light snacks are available for purchase in the Main Atrium until 10pm.  September 13: Elton John, ABBA, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny

Hosts Mickey and Minnie Mouse guide audiences on a high-flying adventure in Disney On Ice presents Jump In! This year's sprawling new production brings together epic storylines, magical sets and over 50 all-star characters from Frozen, Encanto, Zootopia, Toy Story and more. For the first time ever, the show also incorporates Moana 2 and Inside Out 2. Splurge on your little one with a character experience add-on: This year's meet-and-greet includes 45 minutes of hang time and photo ops with Moana and an appearance by Mickey Mouse. How much are tickets to Disney On Ice in Sunrise, Florida? Tickets to the show start at $37. The optional Follow The Stars with Moana character experience costs an additional $67 per person.

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.

Raw Figs, a figure drawing pop-up that endeavors to unite the community through the arts, holds court at the funky Arlo Wynwood throughout September. Partake in a self-guided drawing session where you’ll connect to the present moment by doing you—no matter your skill level. This donation-based art-making event kicks off at 6pm with materials available on a first-come, first-served basis, though guests are encouraged to bring their own supplies. There will also be food and drinks available for purchase from the bar. Just be sure to RSVP in advance to guarantee admission.

The Negroni is a perfect cocktail. Anyone who agrees with this statement should plan to visit ViceVersa at least once—ideally, numerous times—throughout this September. Award-winning bartender-owner Valentino Longo's impeccably executed downtown cocktail bar extends Negroni Week (September 22–28) into a month-long celebration of Italian aperitivo and American produce. Each week brings a new fruit-forward collaboration with boutique produce purveyor Natoora, beginning with the Grenade Pluot Negroni, made with stone fruit from Galpin Family Farms. More $16 limited-edition Negronis drop on September 8th, 15th and 22nd, with all four available in the final week of the month. While you're there, order from ViceVersa's refreshed aperitivo menu (Tuesday–Friday, 5–7pm), featuring $1.50 oysters, Italian tramezzini sandwiches ($8–10), salumi, cheeses and $10 specialty cocktails like the VV Martini and White Wine Spritz. To close things out, buzzy Roman chef Sarah Cicolini pops in for a special dinner on September 25th.

This moody live music series has been popping up in some of Miami's most intimate and iconic locales for years now. But the Candlelight Concerts at the historic Scottish Rite Temple just might be the most stunning yet. Set in a grand, atmospheric example of Egyptian Revival architecture built in 1924, these dimly lit performances transform the space with hundreds of glowing candles and live orchestral interpretations of modern music by local talent. What began as a classical series featuring composers like Mozart and Chopin now includes tributes to artists like Queen, Coldplay and BTS, plus themed shows featuring jazz, flamenco, film scores and more. Find the full schedule of upcoming performances below. Candlelight Concerts at the Scottish Rite Temple Schedule   Saturday, September 66:30pm - Candlelight Jazz: The Best of Frank Sinatra & Nat King Cole9pm - Candlelight Jazz: The Best of Frank Sinatra & Nat King Cole Friday, September 196:30pm - Candlelight: A Tribute to Adele9:00pm - Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer Sunday, October 266:30pm - Candlelight: A Tribute to Coldplay on Strings Sunday, November 236:30pm - Candlelight: A Tribute to Coldplay on Strings9pm - Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer