Audio By Carbonatix
Thursday, March 17
The Irish are known for a couple of things: being lucky and drinking. All right, so that probably doesn’t hold true for all Irish. Stereotypes hurt. However – for better or worse, stereotype or not – on St. Patrick’s Day, much of the world celebrates by getting drunk. Look, it’s probably not the legacy ol’ Patrick would have wanted either, but here we are:
• American Social is hosting a Shamrock Soiree. Like a white party, but green, the suggested attire for the evening is the color of St. Paddy’s Day beer. The festivities begin during happy hour, from 4 to 8 p.m., with 50 percent off everything behind the bar. DJ Livitup is spinning. Am So is featuring $5 Green Bud Light, $6 Jameson, $8 Jameson Mules, $7 Crown and Crown Apple, $6 Guinness drafts, and $6 Captain Morgans. American Social is located at 721 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-764-7005, or visit americansocialbar.com.
• Shooters Waterfront is asking guests to wear green while sipping verdant beverages. The restaurant is celebrating the patron saint of Ireland with $5 Jameson Irish Whiskey shots and $3 green brews. Expect to see party favors and complimentary four-leaf-clover cookies. Shooters Waterfront is located at 3033 NE 32nd Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-566-2855, or visit shooterswaterfront.com.
• LauderAle wants you to dance the Irish jig while listening to live bagpipes. The brewery is not dying its beers, but it is featuring a special Irish Car Bomb randall. Fire & Ice BBQ truck is serving special holiday offerings in addition to its usual fare. The festivities kick off at 4 p.m. LauderAle is located at 3305 SE 14th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-653-9711, or visit lauderale.co.
• Tilted Kilt, Fort Lauderdale’s newest breastaurant, is offering drink specials, raffles, and performances by the Black Pearl Pipes and Drums with a view. It’s offering $7 Irish Car Bombs as well as $5 Guinness, Blondes (beer), and IPA. Tilted Kilt is located at 219 S. Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-763-KILT, or visit tiltedkilt.com.
• The Funky Biscuit is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day celebration with live performances by Portland-based string-infused Fruition and Grateful Dead tribute band Crazy Fingers. Tickets start at $10; at the door, the price is $15. The Funky Biscuit is located at 303 SE Mizner Blvd. in Boca Raton. Call 561-395-2929, or visit funkybiscuit.com.
Friday, March 18
Few foods generate more passion than bacon, and that passion is at the heart of the second-annual Delray Beach Bacon and Bourbon Fest, which returns to the city’s downtown this Friday and Saturday. And this year, it’s even better: Don’t expect the bacon bar to run dry or long lines. Instead, a number of major enhancements will make this year’s overall experience much better, including new and exclusive seminars and dining events, extended festival hours, and tented festival grounds. There’s even a (paper) pig race planned. Most important, the Delray Beach Bacon & Bourbon Fest will have more of the two things everyone loves: booze and bacon. Like last year, guests will be able to sample and learn about more than 40 bourbons – including some of the rarest and hardest-to-find in the world – from six bars catering to different drinking styles. A neat and on-the-rocks bar will allow patrons to sample bourbon and whiskey straight, while another bar will be dedicated to serving five signature cocktails, each batched “on tap” for faster service. Also new this year, an optional $10 pass will get you access to a Bourbon Library all day long, allowing entry to hourly rare releases alongside a limited number of people; and six caterers will be onsite each day, making everything from a bacon-and-bourbon burger to bacon-infused crab cakes and Dr. Pepper-and-bourbon-glazed pork belly. The famous “bacon bar” is also back: $3 slices of bacon served on a stick and covered in toppings like caramel-almond, pecan-rosemary, and chocolate-peanut. And don’t leave without a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Bourbon and Brown Butter ice cream to top it all off.
The second-annual Delray Beach Bacon & Bourbon Fest will take place Friday and Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. General admission is $25. Visit delraybaconandbourbonfest.com.
Pablo Picasso’s assertion that “good art bristles with razor blades” comes to mind when considering “The Nerve,” a two-day festival of performance art at FAT Village. And it’s not just because it will feature the work of Linda Behar and Rahaleh Filsoofi, whose performance “Whose Blood Is Redder?” will use their own blood and printing ink to make a statement about the Middle East. Many of the 14 artists participating in this eclectic showcase of an underappreciated – and often maligned – medium work on the fringes of artistic acceptance: “The Nerve” is intended to be provocative, unpredictable, and, well, unnerving. Some participants will perform ongoing installations for the two days, while others will stage their art at specific times. The results will run a gamut from playful humor to sobering political commentary, from drag shows and monologues to live music and puppet theater. In Strength Test, Lisa Marie Stephens will attempt to split 50 cement blocks with a sledgehammer (take that, Gallagher!), while Nina Gregg’s Breathing Box is an interactive sculpture that requires the collective breathing of audience members to bring it “alive.” Rosemarie Romero’s Porn Nails, meanwhile, is poised to be the weirdest nail salon you’re ever likely to enter.
Tickets run $12 to $15 for a day pass and $20 to $25 for a two-day pass, and the event runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at FAT Village Projects, located at 521 NW First Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-760-5900, or visit fatvillageprojects.com.
It’s nice that March is Women’s History Month. But, really, shouldn’t every day be a celebration of all things women? It’s almost in defiance of mathematics and physics that we continue being so ass-backward in our treatment of women, and quite frankly, enough is enough. Wilton Manors’ Pride Center knows what’s up and in the acknowledged month, it brings awareness and a spirit of bonhomie to the proceedings with a Women’s History Month art show for the community. Featuring the art of locals like Jennifer Ramos, Trish Stypka, Whitney Leon, Paloma Dueñas, Jane Kreinberg, Diana Escamilla, and Susan David, the Pride Center and cosponsor the Closet Talk are pulling out all the stops with a gallery show filled with music, food, and drinks accompanying the visuals. A little awareness and an opportunity to buy some cool pieces at nongallery prices are always good things, but what’s most important is for you to recognize the role of women in history and your life. All day, every day.
Gallery reception is from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Pride Center at Equality Park, 2040 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors. Free parking. Call 954-463-9005 or visit pridecenterflorida.org.
Saturday, March 19
If we are to believe the personality test applied to other instruments (lead guitar players crave the limelight, bass players and drummers prefer to solidly hold the beat down in the background), then where do we really stand on ukulele players? Would they be the fun and quirky types who have nimble fingertips and excellent dexterity? Those who hate loading lots of heavy gear from performance to performance? Are they Hawaiian history buffs who want to master the area’s beloved sound popularized by the small wooden instruments? Trick question – the ukulele player can be all of these types and more. See evidence of this during the fifth-annual South Florida Ukulele Festival this weekend. Put on by the 500-plus members of FUN (that’s the Florida Ukulele Network, of course), the festival is for “ukulele lovers and the ukulele curious” in all of us with open mics, skill workshops, vendors onsite, top ukulele performers, and even a ukulele brunch on Sunday followed by a performance by the world-famous Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra from New Zealand.
Festivities start Friday at 6 p.m. with a welcome party, the “Friday Night Jam Stand,” at Two& (1517 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale) followed by a day of workshops on Saturday at ArtServe (1350 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale) addressing all levels of ukulele and all styles of music, from country and Americana to blues, jazz, and swing. At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, featured festival performers including Ukester Brown, Frets Halligan, and festival founder Ty Olopai will have a jam session. Festivities close out with a concert on Sunday evening at Parker Playhouse. All-access passes for the three-day event start at $139 and are available for purchase at southfloridaukulelefest.com.
What is pride? It’s being happy about who you are no matter what anyone says to you make you feel contrary – epecially in South Florida, where the LGBT pride scene is as robust as ever. On Saturday, join PrideFest of Lake Worth and the Palm Beaches not because of your sexual orientation but because it’s fun. If you’ve ever been to a pride festival before, you know what to expect. If not, get ready. Bryant Park is where everyone meets for the action. Starting at noon, there will be nonstop entertainment. All-female D.C. alternative rockers Betty are expected to perform onstage Saturday. If you don’t know who they are, it’s time to get hip. Using spoken word to heavy rock, the trio’s been touring together for nearly 30 years, raising awareness for a number of women’s rights, gay rights, and human rights issues. It’s going to be a huge celebration and should attract up to 20,000 people. It’s possibly the biggest pride event for the Treasure Coast and the Palm Beaches. Get ready for rainbows, glitter, and lots of beefcake. Don’t be fooled; it’s an all-ages event. Other than entertainment, delicious food, awesome merchants, and fun and games await all.
PrideFest begins at noon Saturday in Bryant Park, located at 6 S. Golfview Road in Lake Worth. Presale tickets cost $8 or are $10 at the gate. Tickets can be purchased online or at various locations. To get the list of ticket locations, visit compassglcc.com, or call 561-533-9699.
Charitable nonprofits are great, and they can help people in meaningful ways. But how do you know your contribution is really supporting the cause? It’s difficult to tell many times. And with your money going toward enriching the salary of a CEO and administrators who keep the gravy train rolling, it’s hard to get behind their cause. Why trust people when you can do it yourself? This is what direct action is all about. The RiSKi Action Coalition presents Spring Fling Cha-Chaing, its fourth-annual direct-action food charity bike event. It’s a bicycle scavenger hunt to benefit the Peanut Butter and Jelly Project, a local charity feeding the homeless. The 4.3-mile ride sets out from Equality Park in Wilton Manors. There’s no registration for the event, but bring $20 to purchase the food items you’ll be donating directly at the end of the ride. Remember to bring a backpack to carry the goods and a bike lock, because you don’t want your bike getting stolen. This isn’t a race, so riders of all experience are welcome.
Registration begins at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Bunker at Equality Park (2034 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors), where there is also free parking. There will be two afterparties, with the first stop at Riverside Market (608 SW 12th Ave., Fort Lauderdale) before finishing up at Two& (1517 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.) Visit facebook.com/riski.ac.
For more events, visit our online calendar or pick up the print edition of the New Times Broward-Palm Beach every Thursday. To submit an event, use our online form.
