This was always going to be an interesting weekend in local entertainment, with long-awaited concerts by Shakira (two shows), Post Malone and Dierks Bentley, the Hukilau’s comeback at the Mai-Kai and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Broward Center. Things got more complicated, of course, with the Florida Panthers’ return to the Stanley Cup Final, again capturing the hearts of fans old and new with their physical and entertaining brand of hockey. Hips don’t lie.
THURSDAY
Wet weekend: The rum-fueled, tiki-tacky freakout known as The Hukilau is back at the Mai-Kai in Oakland Park for the first time in five years — you may remember the tragic flooding of the beloved restaurant in 2020. The Mai-Kai, now spectacularly renovated, and the Beachcomber Resort & Club in Pompano Beach again will host The Hukilau’s Polynesian-inspired parties set for Thursday through Sunday. If you are new to The Hukilau, there will be much to explore in this irreverent gathering of musicians, bartenders and tiki-culture cognoscenti from all over the country. Look out for Detroit-based cocktail pop-up Dead Isla, which will be serving a signature drink called Buoys Don’t Cry. A basic Hukilau weekend pass costs $198.45. Visit TheHukilau.com.
MAI-KAI
After a remarkable renovation, the Mai-Kai in Oakland Park will cohost The Hukilau through Sunday. (Mai-Kai/Courtesy)
Time warp: The Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale will host a special screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at 8 p.m. Thursday. Audience participation and costumes are encouraged, and official “Rocky Horror” prop bags will be provided to fans on arrival (no outside props permitted). Barry Bostwick, the film’s original Brad Majors, will participate in a Q&A session before the screening, and limited VIP tickets will include a pre-show meet-and-greet with the actor, a photo opportunity and autograph. This is an 18-and-older event. Tickets start at $47.20 at BrowardCenter.org.
Pride Film Fest: Savor Cinema in downtown Fort Lauderdale will host The 90’s Pride Film Festival, screening six compelling titles over four days. They include classic documentary “Paris is Burning” (7 p.m. Thursday), Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho” (8:30 p.m. Thursday), buddy road trip “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (7 p.m. Friday), comedy “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything” (9 p.m. Friday), musical “Rent” (7 p.m. Saturday) and documentary “The Celluloid Closet” (2 p.m. Sunday). Tickets cost $5, free for Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival members. Visit FLIFF.com.
Free concerts: In downtown West Palm Beach, the city’s free Thursday concert series, Clematis By Night, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in June. The 6-9 p.m. waterfront concerts, enhanced with food trucks, family friendly games and other activities, will feature Uncle Morty’s Rhythm Cream (horn-enhanced rock and soul covers) on June 5, Swift Nation (nationally touring Taylor Swift tribute) on June 12, Chambers DesLauriers (bluesy soul duo) on June 19 and Matt Stone as Elvis (tribute to the King) on June 26. Visit WPB.org.
Want your ’80s? Tickets go on sale this weekend to see two tours by ’80s club faves stopping at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale this fall. Wang Chung and Men Without Hats will be there on Oct. 16, with tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday. Howard Jones and Haircut 100, joined by DJ Richard Blade, will perform at The Parker on Sept. 5, with tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. Visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.
FRIDAY
Shakira, Shakira: Colombian pop star Shakira arrives at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens this weekend, a long-awaited stop on her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. These concerts, originally scheduled for Miami’s Kaseya Center in November, will feature music from Shakira’s 2024 album, “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” her first since 2017’s “El Dorado.” Tickets are available for both shows, starting at $92.95 (Saturday’s concert). Visit Ticketmaster.com.
Panthers watch: The NHL champion Florida Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final with fans across South Florida gathering to watch Game 2 in Edmonton on Friday at 8 p.m. The major watch parties will happen at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise (doors open at 7 p.m.; tickets $15 at FloridaPanthers.com) and Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, where you can watch from the stands (free) or from the ice (skating costs $17 with advance registration at FTLWarMemorial.com). Also, South Florida-based Paragon Theaters will screen the game in Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach and Davie. Tickets cost $5 at ParagonTheaters.com.
Wes Anderson date night: Wes Anderson’s bleak comedy “The Phoenician Scheme” arrives in South Florida theaters this weekend with another wonderfully Andersonian cast (including Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson and Benedict Cumberbatch) and a wave of intricately written and positive reviews. If you want to see it with a crowd that is in tune with the filmmaker’s distinctive oeuvre, head to downtown Hollywood, where the city’s Art and Culture Center is celebrating its acquisition of 72-seat storefront, art house theater Cinema Paradiso. The signature events of the weekend happen on Friday with a 6 p.m. preview party at wine boutique The Vintage on Harrison followed by a 7 p.m. screening of “The Phoenician Scheme” at Cinema Paradiso. Both of these events may likely be sold out by the time you read this, but there’s no reason you can’t create your own party by stopping in at The Vintage (check out the thoughtful vibe and wine offers at TheVintageOnHarrison.com) before a Cinema Paradiso screening at a time of your choosing. Movie tickets cost $12, or $10 for seniors (matinee is $9 for all). Visit ArtAndCultureCenter.org.
Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel
Jennifer Homan, executive director of the Hollywood Art and Culture Center, in front of Cinema Paradiso in Hollywood. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Las Olas happy hour: First Fridays is a new monthly happy hour that will debut this weekend in the buzzy Las Olas Boulevard courtyard in front of YOLO and adjacent O Lounge in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Hosted by The Restaurant People (Nubé, Boatyard, Rooftop @1WLO, S3, Java & Jam), the party will run from 5 to 7 p.m. and include a gallery of local artists (inside O Lounge), boutique apparel vendors, collabs between live musicians and DJs, and specials on bites and beverages. Visit Instagram.com/yolorestaurant.
More laughs: Actor and comedian Donnell Rawlings (“Chappelle’s Show,” “The Wire”) will be the headliner for “A Grand Laugh Affair” at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines on Friday at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $75.80. Visit CharlesFDodgeCityCenter.com. … Veteran comedian Gary Owen is at the Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach for performances Friday through Sunday. The only tickets remaining as of publication are for Friday’s late show (10 p.m.) and Sunday’s show (6 p.m.). Cost: $45.90. Visit ImprovFTL.com.
Future laughs: Comedian, storyteller and public speaker Ali Siddiq is on the way to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach with his In the Shadows tour stop on Dec. 20. Tickets start at $40.25 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at Kravis.org.
New music: Rock band Dance Gavin Dance will have new music to share when they play the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale at 7 p.m. Friday, with the album “Pantheon” (featuring guest vocals from P-Funk icon George Clinton) set for release in September. The new single (and video), “All The Way Down,” is promising. Tickets start at $63 for general-admission floor access. Visit FTLWarMemorial.com.
Take the kids: A family-friendly entertainment tradition in downtown Fort Lauderdale for more than 40 years, the free Starlight Musicals concert series returns to Holiday Park on Friday with a performance by local R&B-pop favorites the Valerie Tyson Band. The concert will take place on the east side of the park from 7 to 10 p.m., and guests are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, picnic baskets and coolers. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. The concerts continue each Friday through Aug. 8, with the exception of July 4 Weekend. Visit Parks.FortLauderdale.gov.
SATURDAY
Saturday night live: Country star Dierks Bentley will play iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach at 7 p.m. Saturday, a stop on his North American Broken Branches Tour. Zach Top and The Band Loula are the openers. Tickets start at $49.75 at Ticketmaster.com. … Grammy-winning vocalist and actor Fantasia (star of 2023 film “The Color Purple”) will perform at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Saturday at 8 p.m., joined by platinum-selling R&B crooners Joe and Musiq Soulchild. Tickets start at $86.40 at MyHRL.com. … Cuban reggaeton duo Gente De Zona will bring their 25th anniversary tour to the Kaseya Center in Miami at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $79.74 at Ticketmaster.com.
In the name of love: The annual Pride on the Block party in West Palm Beach will kick off Pride Month in a new location on Saturday at The Peach art collective (3950 Georgia Ave.). A fundraiser for local LGBTQ+ support organization Transpire Help, Pride on the Block will take place from 1 to 11 p.m. and feature headliner Suzie Toot, the South Florida drag performer recently featured on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Events will include food, live music and other entertainment. Tickets cost $15+ in advance, $20 at the gate. Free-drink wristbands will be available by donation. Visit PrideOnTheBlock.com.
Whitney forever: Slow Burn Theatre Co. opens its two-week run of “The Bodyguard — The Musical” at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale with weekend performances at 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Featuring timeless Whitney Houston hits such as “So Emotional,” “One Moment in Time,” “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and the show-stopping “I Will Always Love You,” performances will take place through June 22. Tickets start at $85.55. Visit BrowardCenter.org.
Saturday laughs: Legendary Venezuelan comedian Emilio Lovera presents his nostalgic “Now the Thug Is Really Scared” at the Arsht Center in Miami on Saturday. Tickets to the 8 p.m. Spanish-language performance start at $80.73 93.60 at ArshtCenter.org. … Comic and author Leanne Morgan will be at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale for shows on Saturday at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. (sold out). Tickets for the early show start at $35.11 at BrowardCenter.org. … For the record, Nikki Glaser (Emmy-nominated for her HBO comedy special, “Someday You’ll Die”) is a sellout at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Saturday and Sunday.
SUNDAY
Hard Rock star: With music from his impressively genuine and rewarding country album, “F-1 Trillion,” Post Malone brings his BIG ASS Stadium Tour to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. He’ll be accompanied by a strong set of openers in Jelly Roll, Wyatt Flores and Chandler Walters. Tickets start at $54.90 at Ticketmaster.com.
Re-enter the Wu-Tang: Cappadonna of hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan will be backed by eight-piece funk band The Sensi Allstars and other friends on Sunday at Revolution Live in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show start at $15+ at the box office. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and X @BenCrandell.