As the fever of summer breaks in South Florida, locals emerge from their climate-controlled summer dens. As tourists and snowbirds flock back into town, season kicks into high gear with art, stage, music, community, and cultural events. Summer may be sleepy and slow, but there's no shortage of things to do and see through fall and winter.
Flow Fest 2015: Luminous
October 23 to 26 at Bryant Park, 10 S. Golfview Road, Lake Worth. $125 for three-day pass, $50 for single-day pass. Visit FloridaFlowFest.com.
Ever wondered how to go with the flow? It's not quite as simple as changing your attitude, but the flow artists of Monkey Dust Productions can teach you a trick or two in Bryant Park from October 23 to 26. A kind of meditation through movement, flow arts is defined as a combination of movement and dance that uses props to enter a Zen-like state of "flow." If you've ever seen a free-style dancer using props such as a poi (a tethered weight on a string swung rhythmically around the body), a staff (yes, think Donatello of the Ninja Turtles, sans the fighting), and Hula-Hoops for a performance, then you've seen flow arts. To increase understanding of the art, Flow Fest 2015 is offering three major workshops for dance participants during the day that conclude with a live music party each night. If you need some help activating your flow, then don't hesitate to take advantage of the free public workshops and arts and craft vendors selling handcrafted flow props.
Art Fallout 2015
5 to 9 p.m. October 17. For details and a site map, visit ArtFallout.Blogspot.com. Free.
There's no shortage of reputable art in Fort Lauderdale these days, and this event proves it year after year. In observance of National Arts and Humanities month, the Girls' Club has conjured a route of Fort Lauderdale's creative assets for the sixth year in a row. The Fallout Zone, as it is called, is two miles wide and will be continuously looped for free by NSU's Shark Shuttles. Volunteers will be stationed throughout to answer questions and point art lovers in the right direction. Enjoy art galleries, interactive exhibits, open studios, music, and outdoor video projections at all of the city's hot spots: FAT Village, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, Cadence Pop Up Gallery, MASS Arts District, Glavovic Studio, Made in Broward at the Cottage, 1310 Gallery at Sailboat Artist Lofts, MAC Fine Art, and Laser Wolf as well as three outdoor public art projects: Mockingbird Trail, Giants in the City, and an outdoor video-projection project curated by Jen Clay. Food trucks will be available throughout the Fallout Zone so you don't fall out with hunger.
18th-Annual New Times' "Original" Beerfest
6 to 10 p.m. October 10 at Esplanade Park, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale. Visit BrowardPalmBeach.com. Tickets cost $25 in advance, $30 at the door; VIP is $75.
For nearly two decades, the New Times "Original" Beerfest has been one of the biggest and best fests du suds in South Florida. Now in its 18th year, it is one of the longest-running fests in the area, in no small part because nothing beats unlimited sampling of more than 100 craft, local, and international beers. Add to that live performances by local bands, interactive games, and plenty of food provided by local food trucks and restaurants and the New Times Beerfest is an annual celebration not to be missed. This year, in addition to the VIP area, there will be the first Miss Beerfest contest. This is no beauty contest, however. If you can pour "The Perfect Head" of beer and hold the beer boot the longest, all while strutting your stuff for the judges, then you may just win the coveted title of Miss Beerfest 2015. See page 10 for more about Beerfest.
Florida Day of the Dead Celebration
4 to 10 p.m. November 2 at Huizenga Plaza, 32 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Visit DayoftheDeadFlorida.com. Free.
The sixth year of Fort Lauderdale's Day of the Dead celebration will be its biggest yet, spanning eight weeks of skeleton-themed workshops, exhibits, and events, all leading up to the main festival in early November. Though the celebration is committed to honoring the traditions of Mexico's Day of the Dead, Jim Hammond of the Puppet Network's version aims to support the perspective of regional artists. In addition to the Skeleton Processional, highlights include the Ofrenda exhibit, Craft Crypt, Folklorico Stage, and the Muertos Street Festival. And don't excuse yourself from the festivities if you didn't make a skeleton costume on time, because there's a new event to solve that issue: Calavaras in the Plaza. Throw together a last-minute costume and get your face painted while listening to live Mexican classical music to get you excited.
Broward 100 Presents Duende: "We — the Passion and Rhythm of the People"
8 p.m. October 3 at Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $25 to $160. Visit BrowardCenter.org, or call 954-462-0222.
Broward County has a big birthday coming up, and you're invited. In celebration of the county's 100th year, organizations and businesses across Broward are in collaborating to demonstrate the meaning of duende, a heightened state of emotion, expression, and authenticity. And while the rest of the world may not know it, "We" have talent. The creative luminaries of the performing arts, including Director and Cirque Dreams Founder Neil Goldberg and Broadway and recording artists Linda Eder and Jon Secada, will showcase the repertoire of our community through a compilation of more than 100 South Florida musicians, dancers, poets, choirs, athletes, and creative variety acts in a Broadway-style show. See page 7 for more about Duende.
Bill O'Reilly and Dennis Miller: Don't Be a Pinhead Tour 2015
November 7. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Show starts at 7 p.m. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood. Tickets cost $80 to $145.
Bill O'Reilly has had a fruitful career in media and politics, but he is best-known for his right-leaning political commentary program on Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor. Dennis Miller is a Saturday Night Live alum who has hosted a variety of talk shows throughout his career, including his current segment, "Miller Time," on The O'Reilly Factor. So if you tune in every week to watch, then you know there is no telling what O'Reilly and Miller are capable of in front of a live audience. And with a handful of new shows this fall, it's clear both will be telling it the way they see it on the airwaves for some time to come. Whether you love to watch or can't resist hate-watching, that's all fine by O'Reilly and Miller, as long as you understand their one condition: Don't be a pinhead!
Art of Wine and Food Series: Bubbles for Basel
6 to 8 p.m. December 3 at NSU Art Museum, 1 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $40, $25 for Members at the Patron level and above. Call 954-262-0204 to reserve a seat.
Just because Art Basel is in Miami doesn't mean the rest of South Florida can't enjoy the celebrations... from afar. An unofficial kickoff of the festival, NSU Museum of Art invites the public to sip on some Bubbles for Basel with host Dan Cooper from Mionetto USA. Enjoy a mixture of sparkling wines and Champagne while you peruse the museum's latest exhibitions, including "Pablo Picasso: Painted Ceramics and Works on Paper, 1931-71," "War Horses: Helhesten and the Danish Avant-Garde During World War II," "The Indestructible Lee Miller," and "Revolution of the Eye: Modern Art and the Birth of American Television." These exhibitions are all the prepping you'll need for the main event.
Riverwalk's Third-Annual Smoke on the Water BBQ Feast
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. October 18 at Esplanade Park, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale. Visit GoRiverwalk.com. 21 and over in the beer garden. Free admission.
Imagine the smell of smoked meats wafting through the air on a Saturday afternoon. Hungry? Riverwalk's Third-Annual Smoke on the Water BBQ Feast has what you're craving. With BBQ items starting at $5 a pop, you can get as much BBQ sauce as you want all over your face until your heart's content. After you're done listening to the vibrations in your stomach, you'll be able to tune into the live jam of the hour while sipping on some cold brew. This event is designed for the whole family, but adults can have a little extra fun at the pop-up beer garden, courtesy of Stephens Distributing. Get a head start on planning your eating schedule by checking out the menus of confirmed vendors: Smokey C's Catering, Tikiz Shaved Ice & Ice Cream, Mr. Cobbs Barbecue, Sweet Dewey's BBQ, Smokin' Hot Ribs & Wings, Pirate Brothers BBQ, and Jerk Juice Bar & Grill.
FAT Village Artwalk
The last Saturday of each month. 6 to 11 p.m. at Flagler Arts and Technology Village, 521 NW First Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Visit FatVillage.com. Free.
The FAT Village Artwalk is an escape for local art enthusiasts and an opportunity for many of the local shops to stay open past normal business hours, inviting in curious art walkers. The free event has grown exponentially in a few short years and features a variety of local photography and art created locally. Increasingly known as the art walk that's giving Wynwood a run for its money, local creative businesses and artists are recognized through gallery visits and experiential events. Food trucks line the street for hungry art enthusiasts, and there's a market populated with local vendors hawking their wares.
