It’s festival season in the Grove — O, Miami poetry sparks the creative mind, the Miami Film Festival is picking up speed, and the Coconut Grove Theatre Festival is busy giving birth to new works and… rabbits? Inspiration seems to hop in from all directions to the minds of the CGTFest’s playwrights. You can’t go wrong, so embrace the variety. At a minimum, you’ll have some one-of-a-kind stories to tell.
Friday April 10
Flamenco at the Barnacle. Siempre Flamenco’s Paco and Celia Fonta present an authentic flamenco show in a fresh, engaging and high-energy performance at The Barnacle Historic State Park. 3485 Main Highway. Gates open at 6 p.m.; performance at 7 p.m. Tickets from $10.
Seraphic Fire in Coral Gables. South Florida’s vocal ensemble brings its signature immersive style, drawn from Venice’s Basilica of San Marco, with voices coming from every corner of the room and the audience at the center of it. Church of the Little Flower, 2711 Indian Mound Trail, Coral Gables, at 8 p.m. Tickets required.
Miami Film Festival. The 43rd edition of the Miami Film Festival continues at the Olympia Theater in downtown Miami and other locations with a full schedule of festival favorites and international features. Of note this year: the festival’s Made in MIA lineup of homegrown talent, including three local filmmakers who finished their films with festival support. Festival films screen at multiple venues through April 19. Find a complete schedule and tickets here.
“The Art of Pride” turns Miami into a multi-location photography series centered on pride, positivity, and peace, with exhibitions across Coconut Grove, downtown, and beyond, highlighting LGBTQ+ families, faith leaders, and the evolving shape of community life. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 2750 McFarlane Road. Commodore Open Air Gallery, 3148 Commodore Avenue. 5:00 p.m. Free.
Saturday April 11
Baynanza. The annual Biscayne Bay volunteer cleanup event returns with 33 locations countywide for volunteers to pitch in and help out. For the first time, volunteer sites are planned for all 13 County Commission districts, from Hialeah to Homestead. For a map of volunteer locations, visit miamidade.gov/baynanza. 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Free.
Freedom: A Community Conversation. Miami Herald journalist Bea Hines and civil rights advocate Marvin Dunn meet for a public conversation about freedom and justice in America, sponsored by We the People of 305. Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. 3515 Douglas Road in Coconut Grove at 10 a.m. Free. Register to Attend.
Sunday April 12
Family Poetry Day at Vizcaya. Celebrate National Poetry Month at the Vizcaya Village Farmers Market with a playful, hands-on family activation in collaboration with O, Miami. Vizcaya Village, 3250 South Miami Avenue from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Free.
Poetry Night at the Barnacle. Every so often, someone says something out loud that you didn’t know you were carrying around. That’s the pull here. Student writers from across Miami-Dade enter a small stage by the water, alongside guest poets — less performance, more listening, with the kind of quiet that only happens when people are actually paying attention. The Barnacle Historic State Park, 3485 Main Highway from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free admission with RSVP.
Monday April 13
Anniversary Screening of “Princess Diaries.” The Miami Film Festival and Miami Book Fair host a screening of “The Princess Diaries” at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in celebration of the movie’s 25th anniversary. 3250 South Miami Avenue at 7 p.m. Tickets and Details here.
Tuesday April 14
Toot toot! Who knew — free trolley service can get you almost anywhere in the city. Got an opinion? Raise your hand and the trolley will stop for it. A series of community meetings on the Trolley Master Plan will air out routes, frequency, and even things like those still-noisy diesel engines. MDC Gibson Education Center, 3629 Grand Avenue. Saturday 4/27 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Shenandoah Park, 1800 Southwest 21st Avenue. Saturday 4/20 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Manolo Reyes Park, 6030 Southwest 21st Street. Saturday 4/14 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Free. Missed the bus? Join a virtual session Wednesday 4/22, 6:00 p.m.
Thursday April 16
Coconut Grove Theatre Festival. The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival returns with a new repertoire of original plays presented in staged readings from Thursday to Sunday. New this year: a Children’s Matinee on Saturday, featuring two original plays with music and puppetry. Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove, 2985 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove. Complete Schedule and Tickets.
Opening Night Reception – Glass & Vine, 2820 McFarlane Road. 6:30 p.m. Free with a $50 theater ticket.
The Lesser Leyendecker – A memory play tracing the complicated lives of siblings Mary, Joe, and Frank Leyendecker as art, ambition, and rivalry start to pull in different directions. Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove, 7:30 p.m. Tickets.
Friday 4/17
It’s Alive!! — and apparently singing. Young Frankenstein lands at the Ring Theatre with all the familiar chaos intact: mad science, questionable decisions, and a lab that’s far from under control. If “Puttin’ on the Ritz” means anything, you already know where this is headed. Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, 1312 Miller Drive. Continues through Saturday April 25, times vary. Tickets required.
Coconut Grove Theatre Festival Weekend Lineup. Friday-Sunday
Ama. Egg. Oyá.follows a Hialeah woman moving through loss and the question of motherhood, drawing on faith, folklore, and Santería traditions in a bilingual telling that stays close to Miami life. Live music from Afro-Cuban jazz band OKAN runs through it, giving the whole thing an undeniable pulse. 7:30 p.m. Tickets.
Children’s Matinee:Two short play readings for young audiences. William’s Great Adventure follows a hippo from Manhattan to Egypt. The musical What the Bread Says shares family lore through baking recipes. Saturday 4/18, 2:00 p.m. Tickets.
Shadows and Light: The M Ensemble Story. A multigenerational memory of Florida’s oldest African American theatre company. Saturday 4/18, 5:00 p.m. Tickets.
Bunnies Inside of Her. Twisted, dark comedy of the true-life story of an English woman that gave birth to rabbits. Yup, even King George I wanted to see this. Saturday 4/18, 8:00 p.m. Tickets.
The Second Coming. Witty dramedy of the collision of widely varied protagonists building futures of love. Sunday 4/19, 4:00 p.m. Tickets.
638: An Uncommonly Comical Review of an Accidental Assassination Attempt of Fidel Castro. Castro’s dead in a 1960’s Havana engagement party; or maybe he’s not. Fast-paced comedy absurdism breaks the fourth wall. Sunday 4/19, 7:00 p.m. Tickets.
All Aboard for the M-history Tour! The Villagers mark 60 years by looping through the places they helped keep standing, then circling back for a 60s-style party that may cause some flashbacks. Pick the ride, the party, or a new friend—it’ll be that kind of night. Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, 3010 De Soto Boulevard. Saturday April 18, bus tour check-in 3:30 p.m., party 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets $60 each.
The Ladies of Legacy Scholarship Fundraiser brings together past scholarship recipients and the women backing them, with Leigh Cooper Willis stepping in to talk about where that path can lead. Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove, 2985 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove. Thursday April 23, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Suggested donation $20.
Step out of the usual rhythm for a couple of hours. The Coconut Grove Library Book Club meets on the fourth Monday of each month, and makes copies of the titles available in advance (and even shipped if needed—just call ahead). Upcoming selections include Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou on Monday 4/27 and The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell on Monday 5/18. Coconut Grove Branch Library, 2875 McFarlane Road from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Free. Email Librarian Jennifer Hernandez for info.
Not all the nightlife is downtown. Peak spring migration is moving overhead right now, and those bright nighttime city lights are more hazard than welcome—disorienting birds and leading to deadly building collisions. Tropical Audubon Society is asking residents and building managers to turn off or block non-essential lights from 11:00 p.m. to sunrise through Thursday 5/15, and is actively recruiting volunteers to help document bird collisions across Miami-Dade, especially in higher-rise corridors like Coconut Grove. Free. More info and sign up here.
