If I said, “name a cellist,” you would say… “Yo-Yo Ma.” Sure, there are other talented cellists in the world, but there’s a reason Yo-Yo Ma has been a household name since he was seven years old (when he played for President Kennedy). He’s just that good.

And now, after a nine-year hiatus, the 70-year-old Ma is scheduled to play one concert only at the Arsht Center this January. Tickets went on sale this week. If you want to see this legend live onstage, you clearly need to buy your tickets right now.

On the restaurant scene: Miami Spice, the city’s discounted three-course menu program, has been officially extended through October for the first time ever - welcome news for sticker-shocked Miamians. You can check out the list of participating restaurants here.

And while the tough summer months didn’t seem to kill off as many restaurants as usual this year, the casualties did include Dojo Izakaya and Sra. Martinez, two beloved spots just steps away from each other in Coral Gables’ busy Giralda Plaza area. Fortunately, Bar Zorro, a new tapas and cocktail joint, has moved into the same area with solid reviews. It would make a nice stop after a screening at Coral Gables Art Cinema or a show at the Miracle Theatre.

Let’s get planning…

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

Virtuoso bassist, singer, and multi-Grammy Award winner Thundercat (a.k.a. Stephen Bruner) brings his singular blend of jazz, funk, R&B, hip-hop, and psychedelic soul to the Miami Beach Bandshell as part of his "Distracted AF" Tour. Known for his incredible talent, unmistakable falsetto, and offbeat charisma, Thundercat has collaborated with many top-tier acts, including Tame Impala, Gorillaz, Silk Sonic, and Haim. Get tickets.

Friday, October 2nd, 8pm, Miami Beach Bandshell, $75

Neighborhood: North Beach

Nearby Eats: Ezio’s, Kuromon Sushi, Sumak | Drinks: Norman’s Tavern, Conventillo

New World Symphony kicks off its 2026-27 season with an evening of Iberian fantasies, including Ravel’s iconic Boléro and Márquez’s Fandango. Artistic Director Stéphane Denève conducts, with legendary violinist Anne Akiko Myers joining for the latter work. In fact, Meyers won two Latin Grammy’s for her recording of the Márquez, and now she’ll be sharing it with us, live. Get tickets.

October 3rd-4th, 7:30pm Saturday, 2pm Sunday, New World Center, $50-$170

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

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

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

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: Zitz Sum, Buccan, Luca Osteria | Drinks: Bar Zorro, Sospiro Wine Bar

The Arsht Center presents the Broadway touring production of Buena Vista Social Club, the hit musical based on the 1996 Havana recording that took the world by storm. With choreography by Justin Peck and former Miami City Ballet principal Patricia Delgado, and iconic music performed live on stage by award-winning musicians, the plot hardly matters, am I right? But for what it’s worth, it’s about a former salsa queen who disappeared after the Revolution being coaxed back into the studio to reckon with her past. ¡Bailemos! Get tickets.

September 29th-October 4th, Ziff Ballet Opera House at Arsht, $53-$228

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Cafe Fenicia, Bunbury, Giotto | Drinks: El Vecino Cigar Bar, Kaona Room

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, Zitz Sum | Drinks: Bar Zorro, Maíz y Agave

More Theater:

Visionary artist, plant designer, and Plant the Future founder Paloma Teppa will debut Eden: A Return to Wonder, a multi-space immersive installation transforming The Kampong, botanist David Fairchild’s former home, into a place of mystical discovery and renewed connection to the natural world. You can check out some of Teppa’s recent installations here - pretty stunning. On view through January. Book your ticket.

Opening Reception Thursday, October 1st, 6-8:30pm, The Kampong, $10

Neighborhood: Miami Beach

Nearby Eats: Krüs Kitchen, Amal, Midorie | Drinks: Magie Coconut Grove, Mae’s Room, bartaco, Level 6

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: Soooo 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

More Literary Events:

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

More Indie Cinema:

Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida opens their 2026-27 season with an evening celebrating the elegance and artistic diversity of ballet, including the US premiere of Vladimir Issaev's Four Seasons, and the return of Corpus by Lusian Hernandez, an expressive contemporary work first introduced during the pandemic and now returning for a broader audience.

Sunday, October 4th, 5pm, Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, $47

Neighborhood: Aventura

Nearby Eats: Xino Chinese (inside Reunion Ktchn), Abbalé Televivian Kitchen, Pubbelly Sushi | Drinks: Reunion Ktchn Bar

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 is coincidentally coming to the Arsht this fall), 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

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