The announcement of Ken Griffin’s record-breaking $3 billion gift to Carnegie Mellon University, with $2 billion earmarked for a new Miami campus in Wynwood, has been the talk of the town this week. Hopes are high the new CMU Miami’s focus on computer science and innovation will seed a “Silicon Valley of the East” right here at home.

What it won’t be seeding is another III Points Music Festival, which has taken place every October for the past 13 years at Mana Wynwood - part of the $1.1 billion land deal between Griffin and Miami developer Moishe Mana for the new campus site.

So if you’ve ever thought, “huh, maybe I should check out III Points,” but decided on next year, just know there may be no next year.

Headliners for this year’s fest, which runs October 16th-17th, include Lil’ Kim, Underworld, Men I Trust, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, plus almost 300 other acts across 12 stages. Catch it while you can.

Let’s get planning…

Jump to: Music, Theater, Indie Cinema, Art Events, Book Talks, Dance, or Planning Ahead

New World Symphony gifts us with a true banger: Beethoven’s Ninth, alongside the massive Master Chorale of South Florida and a slate of internationally recognized vocalists, bringing the ecstatic Ode to Joy to New World’s Frank Gehry-designed home for the first time. Need I say more? Tickets will fly for this one, but if you miss out, there’s a free WALLCAST of Saturday’s performance in next-door Soundscape Park. Get tickets.

October 10th-11th, 7:30pm Saturday, 2pm Sunday, New World Center, $145-$275

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Casa Tua, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Pauline | Drinks: Sweet Liberty, Water Lion at the Sagamore

Now in its 13th year, III Points Music Festival takes over Mana Wynwood for two days of nonstop music, with almost 300 acts across 12 stages on the sprawling five-acre site. Unlike Ultra, the bands and DJ’s at III Points run the gamut from hip-hop to indie rock to electronic, with 100+ local Miami bands thrown in the mix. Headliners include hip-hop legend Lil’ Kim, uber-chill indie band Men I Trust, and techno queen Charlotte de Witte. You can check out the full lineup of artists here.

October 16th-17th, 4pm-4am, Mana Wynwood, $160-$475

Neighborhood: Wynwood

Nearby Eats: Lira House, Pari Pari, 1-800-Lucky | Drinks: III Points has you covered there

More Upcoming Music:

Gablestage comes blazing into the new season with Weather Girl, a day in the life of an oversexed, underpaid meteorologist whose daily diet of cocktails, teeth whitening and wildfires devolves into a true global climate catastrophe. Can she save us all? Named a Best Play of 2025 by the New York Times, this blistering one-woman show from the producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer is going to be fire. Get tickets.

Through October 18th, 7:30pm evenings, 2pm matinees, Gablestage at the Biltmore, $60-$75

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Kojin 2.0, Buccan, Luca Osteria | Drinks: Bar Zorro, Bar Mini by Zitz Sum

Actors’ Playhouse kicks off its 39th season with Jekyll & Hyde, the rocking gothic musical thriller inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s timeless tale of ambition and obsession. Featuring musical theater showstoppers like This is the Moment and Someone Like You, the plot follows Dr. Jekyll, whose attempts to eradicate the evil in man instead unleash a super-id alter ego that rampages through London. Get tickets.

October 7th-November 1st, 8pm evenings, 3pm Sunday matinees, Actor’s Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, $65-$100

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Buccan, Francesco, Belluz Pizza | Drinks: Bulla, Maíz y Agave

More Theater:

Not to be outdone by the Progressive Art Brunch, the Little Haiti Little River Art Days series is a quarterly open house of galleries and shops in what Time Out named one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world. You can check out what’s on at Locust Projects, Nina Johnson, Collective 62, Dimensions Variable, and more, with free trolley service provided by the City of Miami. Get info.

Saturday, October 10th, 12-5pm, Various Galleries, Free

Neighborhood: It’s in the name

Nearby Eats: So many! Fooq’s, Sunny’s, La Natural, Bar Bucce | Drinks: Imperial Moto (for coffee), Mi Chini (at Phuc Yea), Conventillo, Sunny’s, Magie

Fountainhead Residency, which has hosted national and international artists for monthlong residencies here in Miami since 2008, welcomes the community to its Session 7 Open House. Current resident artists AD Minoliti, Tobias Bradford, and Walker Bankson will give studio tours and discuss their practice. RSVP here.

Thursday, October 8th, 7-8:30pm, Fountainhead Residence, Free

Neighborhood: Morningside

Nearby Eats: Fiorito, Walrus Rodeo, Boia De | Drinks: Mi Chini at Phuc Yea, ZeyZey

More Art Events:

Miami Book Fair and Books & Books team up to welcome international bestselling author Min Jin Lee, whose debut novel Pachinko was named one of the “100 Best Books of the Century” by The New York Times. Lee will be discussing her latest novel, American Hagwon, a sprawling tale of migration and hope, with independent journalist and activist Katie Phang. Reserve your spot.

Wednesday, October 7th, 7pm, MDC Wolfson Campus, $42 (for 1 or 2 guests with one book copy)

Neighborhood: Downtown

Nearby Eats: Tâm Tâm, Mangrove, NIU Kitchen | Drinks: Lost Boy Dry Goods, Over Under

Books & Books and Miami Book Fair present an evening with rock legend Patti Smith, visiting the Arsht Center to sing a few songs and talk about her acclaimed new memoir, Bread of Angels. Her most intimate work yet, the book recounts her Post-War childhood in a condemned housing complex and the profound losses that have fed her influential poetry, music, and lyrics. Get tickets.

Friday, October 9th, 7pm, Ziff Ballet Opera House at Arsht, $40 (incl. book copy)

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Cafe Fenicia, Bunbury, Miami Slice | Drinks: Vice Versa, The Corner

In partnership with Books & Books, The Hub at Beth Am welcomes New York Times bestselling cookbook author, restauranteur, and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi to discuss his brand new cookbook, Simple Too. A follow-up to the award-winning Simple, which was named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Simple Too gives us 135 recipes that can be made in under 30 minutes, prepped ahead, or cooked in one pot. My hero! Reserve a seat.

Saturday, October 10th, 7pm, The Hub at Temple Beth Am, $52 (incl. one book copy)

Neighborhood: Pinecrest

Nearby Eats: Recoveco, Ghee Indian Kitchen, Beauty & The Butcher | Drinks: Fox’s Lounge, Ivy Rooftop

Books & Books welcomes internationally bestselling author Michael Lewis (Liar’s Poker, Moneyball, The Blind Side, The Big Short), whose nonfiction has shaped our national discourse for decades, to discuss his new book, Blockers, with none other than Miami comedy legend Dave Barry. Blockers examines the stories of six federal workers who believed they had a calling - that they were doing something the country couldn’t do without - only to get axed by DOGE. If Lewis’ previous work is any guide, he’ll make these stories positively Shakespearean. Free with RSVP!

Monday, October 12th, 7pm, Coral Gables Congregational Church, Free or $35 (incl. one book copy)

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Luca Osteria, Zitz Sum, Rò Steakhouse | Drinks: Sospiro Wine Bar, Books & Books Café

Back for its 3rd edition, the Hispanic Heritage Film Festival takes over Little Havana’s Koubek Center for three days of screenings and conversations. This year’s theme, “Bienvenidos a Miami,” celebrates the city we call home and the vibrant cultures that collide here. Case in point: the Opening Night screenings include Colada, a tale of one diner’s ICE standoff, written by Miami playwright Carmen Pelaez, and The Old Man and The Parrot, an award-winning feature starring local theater regular Ruben Rabasa. Get tickets.

October 9th-11th, MDC Koubek Center Theater, $16 Screenings or $100 All-Access Pass

Neighborhood: Little Havana

Nearby Eats: Tín Tín, Lung Yai Thai Tapas (get a beer from the cooler while you wait), Ahi Sushi Bar | Drinks: Cafe La Trova, Ball & Chain

Coral Gables Art Cinema presents the Miami theatrical premiere of Fjord, winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, starring Sebastian Stan and indie darling Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value, The Worst Person in the World). This comes as a relief for everyone who missed out on tickets for Miami Film Festival’s sold-out “preview” screening two days earlier. People are psyched for this movie! Get tickets.

Friday, October 16th, 1:30pm, Coral Gables Art Cinema, $13

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Belluz Pizza, Luca Osteria, Eating House | Drinks: Books & Books Café, Cebada Rooftop

Miami City Ballet’s new Artistic Director Gonzalo Garcia has had a year to bring his full programming vision to life and this season is the big reveal. First up, American Rhythms presents an exciting triple bill: the company premiere of Jerome Robbin’s N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz, a sparkling Balanchine, and the world premiere of a commissioned work by former MCB principal Patricia Delgado. Delgado is a New Yorker now, having won a Tony for her choreography on Buena Vista Social Club (which coincidentally played at the Arsht last week), but her artistic homecoming is sure to be an exciting one. Get tickets.

October 16th-18th, 2pm Sat. & Sun., Ziff Ballet Opera House, $45-$257

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Cafe Fenicia, Bunbury, Giotto | Drinks: ViceVersa, Kaona Room

Now in its 16th year, the Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler presents a season opener for the Miami’s dance community, with short pieces from ballet to modern, contemporary to flamenco, performed by some of our best local dance companies - Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, Karen Peterson and Dancers, and Dance NOW! Miami, among others. It’s a pretty unique chance to see what our local companies have in store for the season. Get tickets.

Saturday, October 18th, 8pm, New World School of the Arts, $25

Neighborhood: Downtown

Nearby Eats: NIU Kitchen, Fratesi’s Pizza, Pho Nam | Drinks: Right Hand, Over Under

Miami Film Festival and Books & Books team up to present actor Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Sex and the City, Fallout), in conversation with film critic and Cosford Cinema director Rene Rodriguez. MacLachlan will be discussing his decades-long career and his new memoir, Fictional Selves. Reserve your spot.

Friday, November 27th, 7pm, UM’s Bill Cosford Cinema, $50

Neighborhood: UM / Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Pla-Tu Sushi Thai, Recoveco, Daniel’s | Drinks: Fox’s Lounge, Titanic (of course!)

To open the Arsht Center’s Theater Up Close series, Zoetic Stage presents Yasmina Reza’s Tony and Olivier Award-winning dark comedy, God of Carnage, described as “a comedy of manners…without the manners.” The play presents two sets of parents who gather to discuss their respective sons’ playground fight “as sensible adults.” Chaos ensues.

November 5th-22nd, 7:30 evenings, 2:30 matinees, Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht, $67-$73

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Cafe Fenicia, Miami Slice, Yamashiro | Drinks: Casadonna, 400 Vinyl Room

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