These are the best things to do in Miami today

Do you have a serious sweet tooth? Are you, like so many of us, on a constant quest for your next fix of digital accolades in the form of likes, comments and reposts? Get your cameras ready: Candytopia’s glistening candy sculpture garden, massive marshmallow pit and other over-the-top interactive confections are taking over Aventura Mall’s third-level Treats Food Hall all holiday season long. Crafted by global candy artist Jackie Sorkin (who once starred in a TLC reality show called “Candy Queen” so you know her stuff is camera-ready), Candytopia has already delighted over 1.4 million guests across the country, including in Santa Monica, New York and San Francisco. The new Miami location will be Candytopia’s tenth to date, featuring its most popular attractions plus a new collaboration with fashion brand Alice + Olivia that includes free co-branded Ring Pop lollipops and limited edition Candytopia-inspired Alice + Olivia tees ($60 for adults, $40 for kids). Look, but please don’t lick the impressive edible candy art and bring on all the super-sweet selfies. 

The iconic Clevelander South Beach kicks off its very own karaoke night celebrating the rock star inside all of us. You’ll be at your best belting out all the hits backed by a live band and competing for a grand prize of $200 in comped drinks. When guests aren’t living their rockstar dreams onstage, the live band (and half-off select drinks) will keep the party going.

If you have one of those annoying coworkers who’s always regurgitating sound bites or viral tweets, the American Echo Chamber installation is going to hit home. PAMM commissioned artist José Carlos Martinat to design this large-scale work made up of mechanical light sculptures and neon symbols that highlight how ideas get amplified and endlessly repeated in our contentious American culture.

Photo opportunities and immersive experiences seem to be the hallmarks of museums these days. The Museum of Illusions is the latest attraction to join the ranks, offering three-dimensional exhibits and trippy optical illusions. Located on Miami’s iconic Lincoln Road, it’s an interactive place to let your imagination soar and snap plenty of Instagram content. Photos aren’t just allowed here, they’re encouraged. 

For the fifth year, the Miami Design District has commissioned an artist to create a major public piece. This year, things are getting seriously hairy with Fernando Laposse’s Pink Beasts. The Mexican designer has created a trail of shimmying rosy tassels that are suspended throughout the neighborhood. Get a closer look to spot the hammocks—conceived in collaboration with textile designer Angela Damman—and the adorable sloths, constructed from agave fibers that were dyed with an insect-derived hue and sustainably woven by Mayan women. Miami Design District

Miami’s contemporary art mecca PAMM, in collaboration with Phoenix Art Museum, presents the first mid-career survey of internationally-acclaimed visual artist Teresita Fernández. “Teresita Fernández: Elemental” debuts this fall with more than 50 of the artist’s large-scale sculptures, installations, drawings and wall works created over two decades. Visitors have unprecedented access to experience the artist's works exploring themes of perceptions of place, the natural world and the US social order through her use of mixed media and natural materials.

Conrado Walter Massaguer (1889-1965) helped shape the aesthetics of Cuba with a body of work filled with satire, caricature and advertising illustrations. These recently gifted works are a lovely peek into his visual life.

Cirque du Soleil revisits its smashing 1994 hit, bringing new life to the beloved production for its winter stint under the big top at Hard Rock Stadium. Alegría explores the classic power struggle between new and old orders through evocative gothic stage designs, colorful costumes and enchanting tunes—including the Grammy-nominated theme song. The decades-old show about hope and renewal was refreshed for new audiences, but purists will be delighted to see the same stunning acrobatics and memorable characters as the original.

Jungle Island’s grand reimagining of an ancient Zen Buddhist tradition weaves enormous, beautifully handcrafted silk lanterns throughout its lush 18 acres, illuminating the story of Miami and its habitats in the process.

What do memories look like? Turkish-born, Los Angeles–based artist Refik Anadol has rendered them as trippy, kaleidoscopic vignettes for his first major retrospective, “Infinite Space.” The immersive exhibition mines data from constellations, landscapes, satellite topography and cultural archives and then transforms that information into billions of shifting visuals that surround and respond to visitors, challenging their perceptions through affecting, abstract illuminations. Complimentary daytime admission will be extended to guests with a pass to Art Basel Miami Beach and Design Miami on Monday, December 2, Wednesday, December 4 and Thursday, December 5 from 12PM-5PM and Tuesday, December 3 from 12-3PM. ARTECHOUSE will then open to the public on Friday, December 6.