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Music, dance, theatre, and performance art headline the cultural calendars in all of Night+Day’s cool cities. We combed through dozens of annual performing arts festivals worldwide, and here are the best of the best.
The Draw: Total immersion into the celebration of Latino/a culture: merengue, salsa, dominos, chicharrones, mariachis, reggaetón, cafecitos, cerveza, bailes—see how much Spanish you already know? Even with the dozens of sound stages lining SW Eighth Street, you’re as much a participant as a spectator at this 30-year-old street festival. The Scene: Twenty-three blocks along Little Havana’s Calle Ocho are the setting for one of the world’s biggest street parties one day every March. You’ll find street dancers and strolling musicians, kiosks selling all kinds of flavorful food and drink, free samples galore, costumes and flags, and general nonstop hip-shaking. Calle Ocho draws revelers of all stripes: Cuban, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Caribbean, South and Central American, plus everyone else. It’s a portrait of Miami at its most colorful. Hot Tip: Know what you’re getting into: Hundreds of thousands of people show up to fiesta at Calle Ocho, rum flows freely, and the springtime sun is hot and powerful. If you’re up for that, dress lightly, wear sunscreen, and don your dancing shoes.
Miami Summer Shorts Festival
May to June, Arsht Center for the Performing Arts citytheatre.com
The Draw: One of the few festivals devoted to theatrical “shorts”—original comedies and dramas running 3–20 minutes each—this annual kickoff of the summer season plays to packed houses, showcasing some of America’s finest playwrights and South Florida’s best thespian talents. The Scene: After 13 years, this play festival has expanded into three segments: Signature Shorts, its mainstream fare; Undershorts, a late-night collection of R-rated plays with adult language, politically incorrect themes, and nudity; and Shorts 4 Kids. Held at the Carnival Studio Theatre at downtown’s shiny new Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the festival includes works from noted playwrights such as David Mamet and Paul Rudnick, along with regional veterans. Hot Tip: Your best bet is to sign up for the whole package, each offered on Saturdays and Sundays: programs A and B, with Theatre Fare—a tasty buffet served between programs.
The Draw: Two days and nights of extreme electronic awesomeness. This wrap-up of the annual Winter Music Conference showcases more than 100 DJs and bands at downtown Miami’s waterfront Bicentennial Park, plus sideshow attractions, performers, and dancers imported from Ibiza, Rio, Amsterdam, New York, and, of course, Miami. The Scene: Hard-core music folks from around the world turn out for names such as Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, Moby, Carl Cox, Danny Tenaglia, and Sasha and John Digweed, just to name a few. Top bands come rolling through, too: The Killers and The Cure have played here in recent years. Your mission: Explore each of the 10 stages and find your favorite groove. Hot Tip: Make time for all the parties during WMC week, both on the beach and at the clubs downtown. To find out which are the best, check in with Miami Nights (miaminights.com) or Cool Junkie (cooljunkie.com).
