This weekend may be defined by a stampede of dancing feats, including the stars of “Dancing With the Stars” at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, youthful dance company Ailey II at Miami’s Arsht Center and the athleticism to be found all over the lineup at UniverSoul Circus in Miramar. Then there is the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine, performing in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday as the Great Capitulation is performed in their homeland. But we’ll always have the Savannah Bananas. Let’s go …
THURSDAY
New by the New River: In your insatiable quest for the new thing, consider the Mediterranean cuisine of Mykonos, which opened this week on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale. A collaboration between The Entourage Group and Breakwater Hospitality Group, Mykonos is located in the old Rivertail space on the water, which has been given a sophisticated refresh. The cocktails look thoughtful and signature dishes should appeal to a range of diners: The Peach Stracciatella salad is punctuated with roasted pistachio and hints of mint and basil, and drizzled with a peach vinaigrette; Beef Carpaccio is served with a Dijon aioli, roasted pistachios, pomegranate seeds and crispy capers; and Chilean Sea Bass is pooled in saffron cream and sauteed mushrooms. Visit MykonosFL.com.
Home girl: Boca Raton-raised multi-instrumentalist Maggie Baugh, who spent a lot of 2024 opening for Keith Urban, will play a hometown show at The Funky Biscuit on Thursday. The show, likely to feature new single “Other Side of the World” and other music from her upcoming album, “Entertainers Heart,” begins at 7 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.). Locals Southern Blood open. Tickets start at $39.24 for general-admission standing room. Visit FunkyBiscuit.com.
Blonde ambition: The Lauderhill Performing Arts Center continues its Broadway at LPAC series with the energetic Tony Award-nominated musical “Legally Blonde,” running through March 16. Weekend performances are at 2 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $45+ at LPACFL.com.
Flying start: On its 2025 East Coast tour, the thrilling UniverSoul Circus is coming to Miramar Regional Park on Thursday, filling its big-top tent with acrobats, trapeze artists, motorcycle stunts, dancers, puppets and more. Performances will be Thursday to Sunday, through March 16. Tickets start at $25; parking costs $10 per car. Visit UniverSoulCircus.com.
Tim Pethel
A teeterboard act from Ethiopia is part of UniverSoul Circus, which opens Thursday in Miramar. (Tim Pethel/Courtesy)
More Feat: On their way to the Cayamo Caribbean cruise leaving from Miami on Friday, Little Feat (still led by founding keyboardist Bill Payne) will bring their long-simmering gumbo of rock and funk to The Parker in Fort Lauderdale at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Fellow Cayamo cruiser Jim Lauderdale will open. Scattered tickets remain, starting at $124.50+, at ParkerPlayhouse.com.
FRIDAY
Weekend laughs: Comedian and actor Nick Swardson — best known as Terry on “Reno 911!” (if you want to say “Grandma’s Boy,” “Just Go With It” or even “Benchwarmers,” fine) — will be at the Palm Beach Improv at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach this weekend. Performances are at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available, starting at $42.50+. Visit Kravis.org. … John Melendez, also known as Howard Stern’s longtime sidekick Stuttering John, will perform on the Box 2.0 stage at the Boca Black Box theater in Boca Raton at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets cost $28+ at BocaBlackBox.com.
Hurricane warning: Riverside lounge The Wharf Fort Lauderdale gets a jump on Mardi Gras this weekend, beginning its party with $10 Hurricanes all day on Friday and Saturday, along with music, masks and beads. Visit WharfFTL.com.
Friday tributes: Two of South Florida’s favorite tribute bands, Smokin’ Renegade (the music of Boston and Styx) and Completely Unchained (Van Halen), will perform at The Banyan Live in West Palm Beach on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Visit TheBanyanLive.com. … Led Zeppelin tribute band Houses of the Holy will return to the Boca Black Box theater on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $48+ at BocaBlackBox.com.
A leg up: Ailey II, the acclaimed troupe created more than 50 years ago as a showcase for younger talent in the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, will perform at the Arsht Center in Miami on Friday at 8 p.m. A handful of tickets are available, starting at $30+. Visit ArshtCenter.org.
The sequin crowd: Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Friday will host favorites from ABC/Disney+ extravaganza “Dancing With the Stars,” among them Emma Slater, Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Britt Stewart, Daniella Karagach, Gleb Savchenko, Pasha Pashkov and Rylee Arnold, joined by guest pro Jenna Johnson and cohosts Joey Graziadei and Stephen Nedoroscik. Needless to say, tickets are sold out. Visit MyHRL.com for updates or consult your local reseller.
Ticket window: Cult-y rockers Vampire Weekend are on their way to FPL Solar Amphitheater in Miami on Friday, June 13, sharing music from their latest album, “Only God Was Above Us.” Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at VampireWeekend.com.
SATURDAY
Pleased to meat ya: Rib Round Up 2025, presented by radio station New Country 103.1-FM, returns to iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Saturday with a lineup led by rising young country star Bailey Zimmerman, along with Chase Matthew, George Birge, Montgomery Gentry, Dylan Marlowe, LoCash and others performing on three stages. Beginning at noon, the day also will feature the saucy work of more than a dozen local barbecue purveyors. Tickets start at $44.75+ as part of a four-pack for general-admission lawn access. Visit NewCountry1031.com.
Classic rides: The Muscle on the Beach car show and auction is back in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday, filling Old School Square with vintage muscle cars, trucks and hot rods from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., all hosted by Mike Brewer of reality show “Wheeler Dealers.” Spectator admission is free, with other proceeds supporting the nonprofit Sandoway Discovery Center. Visit MuscleOnTheBeach.com.
From Sir, with love: Versatile rock star Sir Rod Stewart will bring decades of hits to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood for performances at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The singer has continued to dabble in other genres — last year releasing his 33rd studio album, “Swing Fever,” a collaboration with Jools Holland — but recent set lists have leaned into the classics. Longtimers may appreciate that “Mandolin Wind” made a rare appearance at a recent show and, as always, his impeccable taste in covers included a tribute to The Temptations’ David Ruffin with “(I Know) I’m Losing You.” Tickets for both shows are available (more plentiful on Sunday), starting at $85+. Visit MyHRL.com.
Pure energy: Perhaps way ahead of its time with a name inspired by George Orwell’s “1984,” the ’80s band Information Society will perform at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, still led by core members Paul Robb, Kurt Harland and Jim Cassidy. The show is sure to feature hits “What’s on Your Mind (Pure Energy)” and “Walking Away,” as well as their popular cover of ABBA’s “Lay All Your Love on Me.” Doors open at 7:30 p.m. General-admission tickets start at $39.50+. Visit CultureRoom.net.
Take the kids: Colombian comedian Andrés López will bring his celebrated monologue “La Pelota de Letras” — a family friendly show performed (in Spanish) more than 1,500 times in dozens of countries — to the Arsht Center in Miami on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $65.50+. Visit ArshtCenter.org.
Appealing fun: The Savannah Bananas (for lack of a better analogy, the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball) will be at loanDepot Park in Miami for games at 7 p.m. Saturday and 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Each two-hour game will be surrounded by hours of festivities before and after, including a parade, meet-and-greets, merchandise sales and more. Tickets start at $25+ for standing room at SeatGeek.com. For more information, visit Marlins.com.
London calling: The famed London Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of famed conductor Sir Antonio Pappano, will make two South Florida debuts this weekend. First, on Saturday at 2 p.m., the LSO will perform its first concert at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, a program that will feature celebrated Dutch violinist Janine Jansen performing Leonard Bernstein’s only violin concerto, “Serenade,” and Mahler’s dramatic Symphony No. 1 in D Major. Tickets start at $40+ at Kravis.org. On Sunday at 7 p.m., the orchestra will make its debut at Knight Concert Hall in Miami’s Arsht Center with a performance of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker’s compelling Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions,” along with Bernstein’s “Serenade” and Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.” Tickets start at $55+. Visit ArshtCenter.org.
Made in the shade: The almost-spring edition of the Las Olas Art Fair will take over downtown Fort Lauderdale’s main dining and shopping thoroughfare on Saturday and Sunday. Under the street’s signature tree canopy, you’ll find the work of hundreds of artists from around the country displaying photography, paintings, sculpture, jewelry and other wearable pieces from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit ArtFestival.com.
SUNDAY
And the winner is …: Sunday is Oscar Night, when the nonprofit Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival hosts its kitschy Academy Awards Watch Party at Savor Cinema. Fashionable partygoers (suggested attire: Hollywood beachwear) can walk the red carpet (beginning at 6:30 p.m.) and enjoy buffet bites, then take in the Oscars telecast on the big screen (7 p.m.). The evening includes an open bar and light bites from 7 to 9 p.m. Of course, there will be a Pick the Winners contest (ballots cost $10) and other prizes awarded for best-dressed guests, nominee-themed attire and Hollywood spirit attire, along with trivia questions all night. Advance tickets cost $60. Visit FLIFF.com.
Delicate beauty: One of the country’s most prestigious cultural institutions, The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine will bring the sumptuous grace of Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty” to The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets start at $57.94. Visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.
Seagulls for brunch: DJ Gio Black will test your memory while spinning the hits when ‘80s Brunch & Bingo returns to Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton on Sunday. Brunch starts at noon and bingo (four rounds) at 1 p.m. Ladies get a free bottle of bubbly with the purchase of an entree. Feel free to dress the part. To reserve a table, visit CrazyUncleMikes.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and X @BenCrandell.