Long one of the pillars of the cultural season that makes life in South Florida so distinctive, Miami Swim Week concludes this weekend with a flurry of activities that have earned it the affectionate sobriquet “The Miami Book Fair of Bikinis.”
As the famed designer (checks notes) Mimsy Borogoves once opined: “Not everyone reads, but everyone needs a new swimsuit and matching cover-up. Who has attended Miami Swim Week and not left thinking, ‘Twas brillig’?”
Among the many exhibitions and confabs taking place across Miami Beach (see schedules at DCSwimWeek.com and MiamiSwimWeek.net), the most recognizable talent will be at a runway show by subjects from the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at 8 p.m. Saturday at the W South Beach.
Among the participants will be rugby star and Olympic medalist Ilona Maher, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, gymnast-model Olivia Dunne, model-actor Jena Sims Koepka, pro soccer player Midge Purce, models Remi Bader and Lauren Chan, TV personalities Bethenny Frankel (“Real Housewives”) and Stassi Schroeder (“Vanderpump Rules”).
Celebrities in swimsuits? Who does that better than us? Tickets for the SI runway show cost $58.36 at Swimsuit.SI.com/swim-week-2025-tickets.
THURSDAY
Good faith: Contemporary Christian star Lauren Daigle, who edged into mainstream pop with a Grammy-nominated, self-titled 2023 album, brings her world tour to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Thursday. Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are available, starting at $90.55+. Singer-songwriter Franni Cash (formerly of We The Kingdom) will open. Visit MyHRL.com.
Weekend movie: Perhaps, like me, you were too busy last weekend to see one of the opening screenings of “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” but my wife has it up high on the priority list this weekend. And she likes her Tom Cruise on the big screen. Like, IMAX big. But I’m OK with it. This eighth installment in the espionage thriller is — nearly 30 years after the Brian De Palma-directed original — a big hit with everyone from Entertainment Weekly and Esquire to The New York Times and The Jewish Chronicle. “Final Reckoning” is screening at IMAX theaters all over South Florida this weekend.
Where Taylor met Travis: By now you’ve heard all about the date night enjoyed by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce last weekend at Harry’s, the classy steak-and-cocktails destination in downtown West Palm Beach (384 S. Rosemary Ave.). But what to do with that information? I’m guessing the staff at Harry’s will be pretty tight-lipped about details, but if you want to re-create the date this weekend, our friends at Page Six of the New York Post reported that she had the Dover sole and he had the Wagyu filet, among other things. And according to pictures taken by citizen journalists, they were seated in one of the banquettes along the back wall, on the far right side of the large mural. For reservations, visit HarrysBarRestaurant.com.
D&D in OP: Whether human, half-elf or dragonborn, all are welcome at Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park on Thursday for the mystery, magic and beer of Dungeons & Dragons Night. Gather your group — no experience necessary — for the games running from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Participation will cost $5. Visit FunkyBuddha.com.
FRIDAY
Puerto Rico in the house: Puerto Rican reggaeton sensation Rauw Alejandro brings his theatrical and critically lauded Cosa Nuestra World Tour — extravagantly choreographed performances that have cemented him as “Latin music’s greatest showman,” says Rolling Stone — to the Kaseya Center in Miami for three shows at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Few seats remain for the first two concerts, while Sunday tickets start at $147.10. Visit Ticketmaster.com. … Countryman Yandel will weave reggaeton hits with a full symphony orchestra when his Sinfónico Tour lands at the Arsht Center in Miami on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $49.72 at ArshtCenter.org. … Puerto Rican performer-producer Mora has announced a Dec. 7 stop at the Kaseya Center on the world tour supporting album “Lo Mismo De Siempre,” with tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. Visit MoraTour.com. … Salsa favorite Tito Puente Jr. has shows at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Arts Garage in downtown Delray Beach. Tickets start at $55 at ArtsGarage.org.
Sounds of summer: Styx and The Kevin Cronin Band (led by the REO Speedwagon frontman) are on the road this summer reprising recent residencies at The Venetian in Las Vegas that featured performances of iconic Styx album “The Grand Illusion” and REO’s “Hi Infidelity” in their entirety. The Brotherhood of Rock Tour, which also includes former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, will stop at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Friday at 7 p.m. You can still get tickets, starting at $60.75 at MyHRL.com.
Old-school is in session: The buzz has been incessant, and this may be the weekend to finally make it to Mr. B’s Tavern, a gloriously dive-y restaurant and bar opened along Georgia Avenue in West Palm Beach by Matt and Aliza Byrne (of the highly regarded Kitchen restaurants). Beyond the elevated bar food (I hear the fried chicken schnitzel sandwich is the way to go) and thoughtful cocktail menu, there is a pool table (in a room encased by wood paneling), cold PBR and Miller High Life, and a disco ball with DJs spinning on Friday and Saturday nights. Visit MrBsPB.com.
Take the kids: Las Olas Oceanside Park on Fort Lauderdale beach will celebrate the end of school with the ultimate tutorial on how to play hooky — a free outdoor screening of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on Friday as part of its Movies by Moonlight Series. The film starts at 8 p.m., but pre-screening activities on the LOOP’s turfed lawn will begin at 6 p.m. and include a green-screen photo booth with Ferris-inspired costumes, a “Twist and Shout” parade featuring the South Florida Pride Marching Band, a baseball challenge, hot dogs, ice cream and popcorn. Admission is free. Visit TheLOOPFLB.com.
Gotta have that funk: The creative and communal Art After Dark series returns to the Norton Museum of Art in downtown West Palm Beach on Friday, a gathering highlighted by a performance by energetic Miami funk outfit Los Wizzards from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Goergen Garden. Art After Dark runs from 5 to 10 p.m. and includes docent tours, workshops and access to food and drink at The Restaurant at the Norton. Art After Dark admission is $10, or $5 for students, and can be purchased in advance or at the reception desk. Museum parking is $6. Visit Norton.org.
Friday night live: Here’s a prediction — by the end of Indian-American vocalist Raveena’s concert at the Miami Beach Bandshell at 8 p.m. Friday, she will be your new favorite soul-pop singer. At least for the summer. Tickets cost $40.58. Visit MiamiBeachBandshell.com. … Noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells will bring new music from album “Bunky Becky Birthday Boy” to the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale on Friday with guest Sophie Hunter. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. General-admission tickets (surprisingly still available) cost $43.35. Visit CultureRoom.net. … Ridiculously talented Australian guitar phenom Taj Farrant (find his recent performance of “Texas Flood” on YouTube) will play the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $46.61. Visit BrowardCenter.org.
Weekend laughs: Comedian Anthony Rodia tells stories about growing up in an Italian-American family in suburban New York (New Rochelle), illustrated most vividly in his Uncle Vinny and Zia Lucia videos on YouTube. Of course, this resonates in South Florida, where he is scheduled to perform two weekend shows at the Fort Lauderdale Improv (formerly Dania Improv) in Dania Beach. Tickets to his 7:30 p.m. Friday performance cost $35.90. Saturday’s 7 p.m. show is sold out. Visit ImprovFTL.com.
SATURDAY
Big-game Hunt: Enigmatic country heartthrob Sam Hunt is opening his summer tour with three shows in Florida, including Saturday’s 8 p.m. concert at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. You can find scattered seats starting at $104.85, and tickets to the standing-room pit area in front of the stage for $125.40. Visit MyHRL.com. Fans are still waiting on a new album, but in the meantime he’s got plenty of ammo: “Body Like a Back Road,” “Kinfolks,” “Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90’s,” “Hard to Forget” and “Outskirts.”
South Florida Sun Sentinel file
Sam Hunt, shown performing at SunFest 2022 in West Palm Beach, will play Hard Rock Live on Saturday. (Michael Laughlin/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)
Weekend beers: Garden District Taproom in downtown West Palm Beach will celebrate the brewers of Europe on Saturday, with more than 15 of the continent’s top beers on tap (St. Bernardus, Delirium, Ayinger, Tilquin, Weihenstephaner and more) beginning at 2 p.m. Did we mention that GDT is a self-pour bar? Visit Instagram.com/gardendistrictwpb.
Saturday night live: Psychobilly hellcat Reverend Horton Heat returns to the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale, sure to be one of the most passionately sweaty rooms in the area on Saturday night. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $39.20. Visit CultureRoom.net. … Country crooner Dylan Gossett will play Revolution Live at the Backyard in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, joined by opener Kashus Culpepper (as seen at Tortuga Music Festival in April). Tickets start at $27. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net. … Dynamic jam rockers Umphrey’s McGee will set up for an all-ages show at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost at $56.65. Visit MiamiBeachBandshell.com.
SUNDAY
Pride brunch: Kicking off Pride Month on Sunday at 1 p.m., the Hard Rock Drag Brunch is a fundraiser for The Pride Center at Equality Park, with an elevated menu, top-shelf open bar and crème-de-la-crème performers including Daisy Deadpetals, Velvet Lenore, Christopher Peterson and Michael Dean as Cher. Taking place in the Hard Rock’s Seminole Ballroom, the afternoon will include a presentation of Pride Center Honors to Nadine Smith, cofounder and CEO of Equality Florida, and Ana Navarro, cohost of ABC’s “The View.” Events will be hosted by WSVN “Deco Drive” reporter Alex Miranda. Tickets start at $150. Visit MyHRL.com.
Blue magic: Eric Eaton, as seen on TV’s “Masters of Illusion,” will bring magic for mature audiences to the Fort Lauderdale Improv on Sunday. Eaton started doing magic to meet girls, like his hero, Criss Angel, and learned his comedy chops while trading insults on ice as a young hockey player. Good start. His show, “The Magic Of Eric Eaton: Magic For Adults,” starts at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $30.90. Visit ImprovFTL.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and X @BenCrandell.
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