Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science Planetarium
Photography: Courtesy Frost Science | Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science Planetarium
Photography: Courtesy Frost Science

These are the best things to do in Miami this weekend

Party at Wynwood's biggest music festival, shop exotic orchids, and feast with the city's best chefs at these top events in Miami this weekend.

Caitlin Driscoll
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So long, summer! It's officially fall in Miami, the start of "busy season" and jam-packed calendars filled with music festivals, culinary pop-ups, and lots of Halloween flair. Call up a friend and try something new!  

Visit the myriad art museums around the city, check out our many locals-approved attractions, or book a reservation from our ever-changing list of Miami's best restaurants. If you happen across a downpour (it's still hurricane season!), we have a few ideas to keep you busy when it rains. Read on for our curated guide to everything worth doing this weekend.

RECOMMENDED: Things to do in Miami

The best things to do in Miami this weekend

  • Things to do
  • Wynwood

Gird your loins! The much-anticipated III Points Festival returns to Mana Wynwood this weekend, October 16-17, featuring nearly 300 artists and 13 stages sprawled across five city blocks. This year, local musicians comprise nearly one-third of the lineup and share the spotlight with world-famous acts like Underworld, Lil’ Kim, Blood Orange, Tokischa, and Adam Port.

Performances take place from 4pm to 4am each day, rain or shine. While you’re bouncing from stage to stage, carve out time to explore. The III Points team is all about hidden “Easter eggs” and surprise moments. Visit the interactive wonderland of Miami-born multimedia artist Mokibaby, or pick up a disposable camera and develop your pics on-site at Cardinal Labs’ film pop-up. Several of Miami’s best restaurants will pop up, too, including Tâm Tâm, Ghee Indian Kitchen, and Wolf of Tacos. Arrive early to beat the traffic, and maybe bring a poncho, just in case (it’s still hurricane season). Remaining two-day tickets start at $379 for General Admission Plus and $475 for VIP.

Can’t make the festival? III Points has expanded its pre-festival program with seven days of satellite events taking place all over town, from October 13 to October 20. Mingle with III Points’ creative team at their magazine launch party, October 13 at Dalé Zine, or head to ZeyZey on October 14 for rare DJ sets by Washed Out and Neon Indian. Bone Thugs & Harmony takes the stage at E11EVEN on October 15, rock bands take over Las Rosas all week long, and Club Space keeps the party going with star-studded lineups including horsegiirL, Honey Dijon, Adam Ten, and dozens more. View the Satellite schedule online and pick your poison. Prices and age restrictions vary by venue.

  • Things to do
  • Redlands

One of the largest orchid festivals in the world returns to South Florida this weekend. October 16 to October 18 at the Fruit and Spice Park, Redland International Orchid Festival features leading orchid growers from Brazil, Ecuador, Singapore, and beyond. Shop for exotic orchids, catch the juried orchid contest, enjoy food and drink specials from local vendors, and wander the park to learn of 500 varieties of fruits, vegetables, spices, and more. Pro tip: pair your outing with a visit to Knaus Berry Farm, just a 10-minute drive away.

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  • Things to do
  • Cutler Bay

Reggae lovers, this one’s for you. On Saturday, October 17, The Legendary Wailers headline a free concert at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center, fronted by Julian Junior Marvin, a celebrated guitarist who regularly performed and recorded with Bob Marley & The Wailers. Also gracing the lineup is Third World, a nine-time Grammy-nominated group hailed as one of the longest-running reggae bands in history. Advanced tickets have sold out, but dedicated fans can purchase tickets in person at the center on the day of the concert, October 17, starting at 12pm.

  • Things to do
  • Doral

Tripping Animals is bringing together some of Miami’s top chefs and stand-out restaurants for Skip The Line, a mouthwatering food festival with unlimited tastings, beer, wine, seltzers, and live music. Grab your ticket for bites by Bar Bucce, Los Félix, Mandolin Aegean Bistro, Coney Burger, To Be Determined, Vice City Pizza, Midorie, Off Site, and more. It’s all going down at the Doral brewery on Saturday, October 17, 1-5pm. Remaining all-inclusive tickets priced at $116.15.

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  • Things to do
  • Little Haiti / Lemon City

Miami’s Little River neighborhood now has its very own rum house. Celebrating its grand opening this Friday, October 16, the Little River Distillery is a sprawling 22,000-square-foot facility designed for on-site production as much as social gatherings. Join a distillery tour ($45) and get a taste straight from the barrel as you learn how rum is blended with Venezuelan technique. Slink into the hidden speakeasy for fanciful rum-based cocktails like El Pastelito, a clarified guava and cream cheese daiquiri, and get the details on the Private Barrel Program, where members get their own rum cask and the 400-some bottles it produces over time.

  • Things to do
  • South Beach

A night of Cuban sazon is served at UMA House South Beach on Sunday, October 18, as Miami chef Mika Leon celebrates her debut cookbook, Cuban Soul: 100 Vibrant Recipes from Mi Cocina. Your $35 ticket includes a rooftop soirée with Havana Club cocktails, live music by a four-piece Cuban band, and passed bites prepared by Chef Mika and her culinary team. Feeling inspired? Pick up a signed copy of Cuban Soul and try the recipes at home.

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  • Things to do
  • Little River

If your Halloween style leans more sculptural than spooky, consider this mask-making workshop in Little River. On Sunday, October 18, “it girl” retailer Simonett will host Miami-based artist Daniel Ochoa for a guided workshop that experiments with form and earthly materials like stainless steel, crystals, feathers and more. Tickets from $125.

  • Things to do
  • Downtown

On Saturday, October 10, the Frost Science museum debuts The Science Behind Pixar, a multimedia exhibition that pulls back the curtain on Pixar’s movie-making magic through sophisticated math, engineering, state-of-the-art technology, and good old-fashioned human imagination. More than 50 interactive experiences offer rare insight to the studio’s filmmaking techniques behind such classics as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, WALL-E, Monsters, Inc. and more. Admission is included with all museum tickets, priced at $24.95 for children (ages 4-11) and $29.95 for adults. Free for ages 3 and under.

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  • Things to do
  • Coconut Grove

Shop ‘til you drop at The Grove Bazaar, a recurring pop-up market with local vendors slinging everything from vintage heirlooms to home decor to footwear, swimsuits, and matcha. This week’s edition takes place on Sunday, October 18, at the Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, from 11am to 4pm. Consider this an excuse to walk off brunch from one of Coconut Grove’s best restaurants nearby.

  • Things to do
  • Coral Gables

Actors’ Playhouse is leaning into the spooky season with Jekyll & Hyde, a Broadway musical inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s Gothic novella, The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. Running October 7 through November 1 at Coral Gables’ Miracle Theatre, the psychological thriller follows a London lawyer as he investigates the experiments of Dr. Henry Jekyll and ties to a mysterious criminal, Mr. Hyde. Tickets from $65. Ages 13 and up.

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  • Things to do

A new citywide cocktail program is offering discounted drinks at some of the best bars and restaurants in Miami, all October long. Back for its second year, ¡Salud! is sort of like the Miami Spice program, but instead of prix-fixe dinner, you get happy hour pricing on exclusive ¡Salud! cocktail menus. The catch? Offers are only available ‘til 10pm. More than 50 local spots are participating this year, including old favorites like Macchialina, Grazianos, Fox’s Lounge, and Sweet Liberty. See what the hype is about at spots like ViceVersa, go for glamour at the Delano’s Rose Bar, or check out newer, curious spots like Lovecat by Bar Not Found.

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