The snowbirds are gone, the equestrian crowd (horsebirds?), too. So why is this weekend so disorientingly packed with things to do? Not complaining, just trying to plan my outfit.
We have F1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix and all the DJs and celebrity-encrusted hoopla that comes before the main event on Sunday outside Hard Rock Stadium. In town to perform at the race, pop star Ed Sheeran also has a show at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Friday that is very sold out, as is DJ Kaskade at the Guitar Hotel pool on Saturday.
Closer to Earth, SunFest returns to downtown West Palm Beach this Friday through Sunday, with a lineup led by Cole Swindell, Nelly, Third Eye Blind, Billy Idol and dozens of others. This year’s festival can also be recommended for a strong presence of local performers.
Of course, we’ll be gathering over mint juleps on Saturday evening for the Kentucky Derby while also celebrating at spoofy “Star Wars”-themed May the Fourth parties (they’re everywhere). The drinky revelry of Cinco de Mayo on Sunday (also ubiquitous) will allow me to repurpose my Kentucky Derby hat, a sombrero, and lightsaber, perfect for any ensemble really.
THURSDAY
Bohemian rhapsody: We begin with a cultural palate cleanser — Florida Grand Opera’s production of Puccini’s iconic love story “La Bohème” at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, with 7:30 p.m. performances on Thursday and Saturday. Each show will include a lecture an hour before curtain time and a talk-back session after the performance. Tickets start at $28.50+ at FGO.org.
Celebrity chef: Charismatic TV chef Aarón Sánchez — as seen on multiple Food Network shows, as well as FOX’s “MasterChef,” “Toque de Aarón” on Discovery Familia and Hogar de HGTV, and new Hulu series “Talking Sabor with Aarón Sánchez” — will be at Abiaka Wood Fire Grill at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood this weekend to host a four-night series of pop-up dinners. For this satellite event of the Miami Grand Prix, Abiaka will have a “sexy new look” and a new a la carte menu for the series called Abiaka x Aarón Sánchez: Celebrating the flavors of Mexico. Seatings are 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Sunday, 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For reservations and information, visit Casino.HardRock.com/hollywood.
Noam Galai/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
Chef Aarón Sánchez will host a four-night series of pop-up dinners at Abiaka Wood Fire Grill at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
Reggaeton royalty: Puerto Rico’s reggaeton star Don Omar, another one of the luminaries in South Florida for the MIami Grand Prix, also will perform at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. Surprisingly, tickets for the 8 p.m. Thursday concert are still available. Prices start at $75+ at MyHRL.com.
One woman, many laughs: At Miami’s Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Zoetic Stage will open the world-premiere run of the one-woman comedy “Cuban Chicken Soup: When There’s No More Café,” starring three-time Carbonell Award-winning actor Elena Maria Garcia. The show is a sequel of sorts to “¡Fuacata! A Latina’s Guide to Surviving the Universe,” also written by Garcia and Zoetic Stage artistic director Stuart Meltzer, and includes many of the lovably eccentric characters who made “¡Fuacata!” so memorable. The show is at the Arsht Center through May 19. Performances this weekend are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $55+ at ArshtCenter.org.
Future laughs: Chelsea Handler will bring her Little Big Bitch Tour to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Sunday, July 28. Tickets will be available at 10 a.m. Thursday with a presale on the Hard Rock Facebook, X and Instagram, then via the general on-sale at 10 a.m. Friday at MyHRL com. … Bert Kreischer is bringing the third annual Fully Loaded Comedy Festival to iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Saturday, June 15, accompanied by Big Jay Oakerson, Bobby Lee, Cipha Sounds, Chad Daniels, Dan Soder, Kelsey Cook, Kyle Knane and others. For tickets, visit FullyLoadedFestival.com. …Actor-comedian Dane Cook is on his way to the Fillmore Miami Beach on Saturday, Nov.16. Presale tickets are available on Thursday before the general on-sale at 10 a.m. Friday. Visit LiveNation.com. … Seen most recently on Peter Farrelly’s cult-y Netflix series “Loudermilk,” actor-comedian Brian Regan will perform at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at BrianRegan.com.
Colombian beats: The free Global Sounds Series continues at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Thursday at 8 p.m. with Colombian percussion trio La Perla and an opening set by DJ Achiote. Admission is free, with a suggested donation. Visit MiamiBeachBandshell.com.
FRIDAY
Local sounds: SunFest 2024 unravels on the waterfront in downtown West Palm Beach on Friday through Sunday, with big names you’d expect but also an admirable dedication to creating a showcase for local voices. Among the South Florida musicians to keep an ear out for are the Fox Maple Band (6 p.m. Friday), Shaw Davis & The Black Ties (6:30 p.m. Friday), Leah Dibut (6:45 p.m. Friday), The Lubben Brothers (1:15 p.m. Saturday), Killbillies (1:45 p.m. Saturday), Brett Staska & The Souvenirs (5 p.m. Saturday), Ben Krieger (4 p.m. Sunday) and DJ Adam Lipson (7:30 p.m. Sunday). At the top of that list add Cassadee Pope (2:30 p.m. Sunday), the onetime Nashville-based country star who has been working her way back to the pop-punk sound that propelled her West Palm Beach band Hey Monday (before Blake Shelton helped her win “The Voice” in 2012). On Wednesday, Pope released a video for “Three of Us,” a song on her new album, “Hereditary,” set for release July 12. SunFest tickets cost $82+ for a one-day pass, $160+ for a two-day pass and $170+ for a three-day pass. There also are various levels of exclusive-access and VIP tickets available. Visit SunFest.com.
Three-day Cinco: The three-day Cinco de Mayo Fiesta at Carlos & Pepe’s is the iconic 17th Street restaurant’s 44th celebration, but the first since new owners Paula and Rich Ehmke revitalized the Fort Lauderdale institution last year. Running Friday through Sunday, the family-friendly party will begin at around noon each day and include taco and tequila specials, raffles, giveaways, kids’ activities, piñatas, DJs and live entertainment. Not to go too far out on a limb, but the mariachi band returning this weekend to Carlos & Pepe’s, Mariachi Voces de América, is the best I’ve heard in Florida (unless it was the tequila talking). Visit Facebook.com/carlosandpepesfl.
Faux show: Nationally touring Earth Wind & Fire tribute band Let’s Groove Tonight is in Boca Raton for three shows at The Funky Biscuit at 9 p.m. Friday and 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $25+ for standing room. Visit FunkyBiscuit.com.
Country stars: Country Music Hall of Famers Brooks & Dunn bring their Reboot 2024 Tour to iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Friday at 7 p.m., joined by singer-songwriters David Lee Murphy (“Dust on the Bottle,” “Party Crowd”) and ERNEST (“Flower Shops,” “Would If I Could”). Tickets start at $48.65+ at LiveNation.com.
Weekend laughs: Peabody and Emmy Award-winning actor and writer Craig Ferguson, also one of the more refreshing voices on the late-night talk landscape of the past two decades, comes to the Dania Improv in Dania Beach this weekend on The Fancy Rascal Tour. Performances are at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $35+. Visit DaniaImprov.com. … Actor and comedian Billy Gardell, star of sitcoms “Bob Hearts Abishola” and “Mike and Molly,” has dropped a remarkable 150 pounds and defeated his Type 2 diabetes since we saw him last. Lots to talk about at the Boca Black Box Center for the Arts in Boca Raton, where Gardell has shows at 7 and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at $48+ at BocaBlackBox.com.
It’s a smash: Good weekend to hit Old Town Untapped in the historic heart of downtown Pompano Beach, with the monthly first-Friday event including music from energetic locals Girlfriend Material and smashburgers from popular Eat BMC food truck. The free street party runs from 6 to 10 p.m. near Bailey Contemporary Arts Center. Visit PompanoBeachArts.org.
SATURDAY
Run for the roses: Batch New Southern Kitchen & Tap will host Kentucky Derby watch parties sponsored by Maker’s Mark, which may be all you need to know. At restaurants in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, they’ll give a $1,000 gift card to the guest who predicts the Derby trifecta (first, second, and third-place horses). Visit BatchSouthernKitchen.com. Batch Gastropubs in Delray Beach and Brickell will offer a chance to win a $500 gift card. Visit BatchGastropub.com. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is just before 7 p.m. Saturday. … The nonprofit Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival will host a Kentucky Derby watch party beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday, showing the race on a 30-foot screen at Savor Cinema downtown, with live entertainment, a BBQ buffet, open bar (yes, mint juleps) and prizes for most creative hats and outfits. Tickets are $100 at FLIFF.com.
Run for the poses: If we have to declare a winner of the weekend, and we must, it is Kapow Noodle Bar. Both Palm Beach County locations will simultaneously observe the running of the Kentucky Derby and Star Wars Day on May the Fourth with a celebration called May the Horse Be With You. Taking place at the restaurant’s Boca Raton and West Palm Beach locations, the party will include themed drink specials, but more importantly allow you to come attired in a mash-up of bluegrass dandy and Stormtrooper. It’s probably sombrero optional. Visit Instagram.com/kapownoodlebar.
Board games: West Palm Beach art collective The Peach and Post Modern Skate Shop will celebrate skateboard culture during the May the 4th Be WIth You Skate Jam and Art Walk on Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. The gathering will feature live music, food and drink by El Segundo, tours of six art studios and the work of artist-skater Brian Wood (recommended). Bring your board: Post Modern Skate Shop is offering more than $350 worth of prizes for the best skateboard trick. The Peach is at 3950 Georgia Ave. Visit Facebook.com/ThePeachWPB.
SUNDAY
Courtyard by margarita: The Restaurant People’s annual Margarita & Music Festival in downtown Fort Lauderdale returns on Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m., a free-flowing affair with unlimited margs from 10 tequila brands, a taco stand, DJ and mariachis in the courtyard of Las Olas Boulevard hotspot YOLO. Attendees will be encouraged to vote for the People’s Choice Margarita. Tickets cost $35+. VIP tickets cost $75+ and come with early admission at 12:30 p.m. and entry to a VIP area with food and premium tequila samples. For tickets, visit Instagram.com/yolorestaurant or Eventbrite.com.
Future cocktails: In case you were wondering about it just now, the third annual Mezcal Lauderdale festival is on its way back to South Florida on June 22 to 24, with events at downtown destinations Sistrunk Marketplace & Brewery and The House on the River. Events will include a mezcal brunch, tasting dinners, food pairings, classes, workshops and a mixology competition. For details and tickets, visit MezcalLauderdale.com.
Girls power: Treasured duo Indigo Girls bring time-tested songs including “Closer to Fine,” “Galileo” and “Kid Fears” to Coral Springs Center for the Arts on Sunday at 7 p.m., with compelling opener Lucy Wainwright Roche (daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche of The Roches). Tickets start at $39.17+ at TheCenterCS.com.
Fun with punk: Possibly the most pure fun you can have this weekend will come courtesy of Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and their exuberant, irreverent covers of punk-era hits (with detours into Gloria Gaynor and Cher) at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday. Tickets for the all-ages show start at $28+. Doors open at 7 p.m. Openers include The Defiant and Ultrabomb. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.