Since “August in Miami” is on exactly nobody’s travel bucket list, we locals have the city to ourselves this month. It’s a golden opportunity to book tables at all those hot restaurants you want to try, and the annual arrival of Miami Spice, the city’s discounted three-course menu program, means you can do it for a lot less.

This year’s Spice features over 300 restaurants offering $40 brunch and lunch menus, $50 and $65 dinner menus, plus a new Miami Spice Reserve tier starting at $95. The Venn diagram of Miami Spice restaurants and Michelin-recognized restaurants includes expense-account darlings like Cote and Lido at the Surf Club, and some notable newcomers like Tâm Tâm and Cotoa. You can check out the full list of participating restaurants here.

As for the cultural scene, the lack of tourists and snowbirds means it’s as slow as it gets. But we still have a few things to catch around town, including the 31st annual International Ballet Festival of Miami, some interesting author talks, and the last week of The Shark is Broken, a comedy about the making of Jaws, at Actors’ Playhouse.

I’ll be back in a month with my annual Highlights of the Fall issue, so you can get those must-see events on your calendar, and then resume my weekly schedule for the new season. Until then, enjoy your summer!

Let’s get planning…

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

The Community Arts Program welcomes young jazz sensation Kate Kortum for the finale of its 41st annual Summer Concert Series. Her 2023 debut album, Good Woman has already surpassed one million streams and last year, she won the coveted Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Don’t miss your chance to see this rising star!

Thursday 7:30pm, Coral Gables Congregational Church, $35-$50

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Zitz Sum, Matsuri, Salumeria 104 | Drinks: Sra. Martinez, Sospiro Wine Bar

More Music:

Fountainhead Residency, which has hosted national and international artists for monthlong residencies here in Miami since 2008, welcomes the community to its Session 6 Open House. Hand-cut paper artist Antonius-Tín Bui, Bronx-based painter and writer Eileen Itzel do Espírito Santo, and Mexico City painter Omar Mendoza will give studio tours and discuss their practice.

Thursday, August 27th, 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:

Following up on her New York Times bestsellers Nuclear War and Area 51, award-winning author Annie Jacobsen turns her focus to a different nightmare: Biological War. Her new book lays out the likely origins and cascading societal implosion following the release of a biological agent. Sounds like a fun Wednesday night! Co-presented with the World Affairs Council Miami and moderated by Pentagon native Pamela Berkowsky.

Wednesday, August 5th, 7pm, Books & Books , $33 (includes two guest and one book copy)

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Salumeria 104, Sra. Martinez, Eating House | Drinks: Books & Books Café, Cebada Rooftop

Books & Books welcomes influential author and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Edwidge Danticat, whose novels have won or been shortlisted for just about every major award (National Book Award, PEN/Faulkner, etc.). Danticat will be discussing her latest novel, Dèy, which follows a woman’s unfolding revelations about her life and Haitian American family in the wake of a terrifying mall shooting. Emmy Award-winning journalist Jacqueline Charles will be moderating.

Saturday, August 29th, 7pm, Books & Books Coral Gables, $29 (incl. two tickets + one book copy)

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

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

More Book Talks:

Before it became the first true American summer blockbuster, Jaws was an underfunded project by a young director plagued by warring castmates, unpredictable weather, and a consistently malfunctioning mechanical shark. Written by Ian Shaw, Robert Shaw’s son, The Shark is Broken at Actors’ Playhouse chronicles the tension and camaraderie between the three lead actors, as they bicker and drink their way into cinematic history.

Through August 9th, 8pm evenings, 3pm matinees, Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, $40-$75

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Zitz Sum, Rò Steakhouse, Zucca | Drinks: Sospiro Wine Bar, Armstrong Jazz House

More Upcoming Theater:

What can I say? It’s August and you’ve already seen The Odyssey. Now Coral Gables Art Cinema invites you to enjoy CatVideoFest, an annual compilation of the “latest and best” cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and discovered treasures from across the digital universe. Distributed by Oscilloscope Productions, Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s film company, this annual feast of cat antics raises funds to benefit The Cat Network with each ticket sale. And it has some pretty great merch.

August 21st-23rd, 3pm Friday, 12pm Weekend, Coral Gables Art Cinema, $11

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Sra. Martinez, Luca Osteria, Eating House | Drinks: Bay 13 Brewery, Cebada Rooftop

More Indie Cinema:

The Moss Center continues its Salon Series with an evening of new work by Syncopate Collective, an experimental dance incubator currently in residence at Sanctuary of the Arts. Two world premieres are on the program: Metamorphosis by Deja Darbonne has five dancers embodying an emotional renewal; Asimilado by Cecilia Benitez examines the self-abnegation embedded in the pursuit of the “American Dream” through dance, song, and text.

August 14th-16th, Friday & Saturday 7:30pm, 3:30pm Sunday, The Moss Center, $35

Neighborhood: Cutler Bay

Nearby Eats: Not much! Grab dinner at Platea or Golden Rule Seafood on your way down there and have some rooftop cocktails at Ivy Rooftop or martinis at Fox’s on your way back.

Celebrating 31 years, Miami Hispanic Ballet presents its annual International Ballet Festival of Miami, featuring performances from contemporary and classical ballet companies from around the world in venues across Miami-Dade and Broward. The festival culminates in the Grand Classical Gala and the Closing Gala of the Stars at the Fillmore Miami Beach.

August 15th-16th, 8pm Saturday, 5pm Sunday, Fillmore Miami Beach, $55-$88

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

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

More Upcoming Dance:

Thanks for reading, Culture Lushes! Enjoy the rest of your summer and I’ll see you back here in a month.

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