Pollen is in the air, blossoms are showing off, and the Grove’s lineup leans hard into things in bloom–from Vizcaya garden walks and Kampong plant temptations to free trees, farmers market bounty, and Earth Month programming that suggests you really ought to know the name of at least one fern. Motivated perhaps by last month’s Secret Garden Tour, there’s fresh growth everywhere right now, including the civic-minded kind.
Because this is still the Grove, the blooming does not stop at flowers. New plays are hatching at the Coconut Grove Theatre Festival, Birdstock is tuning up under the trees, Miami Film Festival keeps rolling, and even the history talks are seasonally alive. Step outside, look around, and possibly come home with a plant, a ticket stub, and one more thing than was ever intended. (Hint: a new friend.)
Friday April 17
What’s in Bloom at Vizcaya? Practically everything, but that’s only part of the story. Horticulturist Ali Hennessey leads a guided walk through what’s blooming now, the history of gardening at Vizcaya, which plants thrive in which locations, and a few plant-care tips that may help keep something leafy alive at home. She’ll bring you to gardens that most visitors might never find on their own. So bring a notepad for yourself and a camera so you can later share with your friends. Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, 3251 South Miami Avenue. 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Tickets.
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 several venues just a trolley or Metro ride away. Look for films at the Bill Cosford Cinema (U-Miami campus), Koubek Center (27th Avenue), Silverspot Cinema (Metro to Downtown PeopleMover) through April 19. 46 films remain in the queue for showing in the final three days.Find a complete schedule and tickets here.
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 to you, you already know where this is headed. Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, 1312 Miller Drive. Continues through Saturday April 25, times vary. Tickets.
The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival continues with a new repertoire of original plays presented in staged readings through 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.
- 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.
Saturday April 18
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 Coconut Grove Theatre Festival
- 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 for himself. Saturday 4/18, 8:00 p.m. Tickets.
Grovites are not exactly known for turning down a good thing. Free is good, trees are good, shade is very good, and this City of Miami Arbor Day giveaway checks all three boxes. Here’s the closest pick up spot: Jose Marti Park, 351 Southwest 4 Avenue. 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Pre-registration required online.
Treasures of the Kampong will, in fact, walk out the gate with you. The Kampong’s plant sale returns Saturday with browsing near the baobab area and a strong chance of leaving with something beautiful, tropical, and mildly impractical, but trust the Kampong’s experts–you got this. The Kampong, entry through the ICTB gate, 3959 Douglas Road. 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Sunday April 19
After it blooms, it grows, and after that maybe it gets baked into a very good loaf of bread. The Vizcaya Village Farmers Market brings local vendors, fresh-made foods, produce, baked goods, vegan offerings, and other hand-crafted temptations to Vizcaya’s historic farm and village, which is otherwise closed to the public except during the market. Vizcaya Village, 3250 South Miami Avenue. 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Every Sunday. Free.
The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival
- 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.
Monday April 20
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 in public. Shenandoah Park, 1800 Southwest 21st Avenue. Monday 4/20 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. MDC Gibson Education Center, 3629 Grand Avenue. Monday 4/27 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Free. Missed the bus? Join a virtual session Wednesday 4/22, 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday April 21
Old Smokey update. This community meeting will provide an update on the ongoing Old Smokey Incinerator lawsuit, a matter with significant implications for the Grove and surrounding neighborhoods. Residents will hear the latest on the case and its possible consequences for health, accountability, and next steps. Christ Episcopal Church, 3481 Hibiscus Street. 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday April 22
The old Miami did not go quietly, and this Vizcaya Sunset Salons talk gets into the wreckage. Historian and “This Day in Miami History” podcast host Matthew Bunch looks at the strange, volatile year of 1926, when natural and man-made disasters pushed a fast-growing city toward the brink and helped shape the oversized version that followed. Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, 3251 South Miami Avenue. 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Modest tickets.
Thursday April 23
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. Light Bites, 2985 Southwest 32nd Avenue. Thursday April 23, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Suggested donation $20.
Friday April 24, Arbor Day
Plant more than a couch potato on Arbor Day. The City of Miami’s Urban Forestry Program will plant a new tree on public right-of-way if residents suggest a location and the site checks out, which is a fairly civilized way to get more shade on the block without personally wielding a shovel. You take a photo and pick up the phone. They pick up the shovels. Such a deal! Information online.
Put all those envy-inducing photos you’ve been sending friends up north to better use. The City Nature Challenge turns casual nature gawking into community science: Grovites can photograph or record wild plants and animals, then upload the evidence and help document the region’s biodiversity with everyone else who also stopped to admire a lizard, leaf, or suspiciously glamorous flower. Throughout South Florida, continues through April 27.
Saturday April 25
Birdstock concerts close out the conservation season featuring Grove favorites. Dave Bricker and Bruce Turkel, Acoustic Anarchy, and Anhinga-Anhinga take the stage for a night of Americana, blues, folk, Florida-soaked originals, food truck provisions, and drinks, all in support of stewardship of the Steinberg Nature Center grounds. Tropical Audubon Society, Steinberg Nature Center, 5530 Sunset Drive. 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
End Earth Month in full plant passion. The Tropical Fern and Exotic Plant Society gathers at Fairchild for a talk by rare-plant grower Nacho Duran on hybridizing anthuriums, plus the always-dangerous raffle table where exotic specimens from members’ own gardens can follow you home. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, South Entrance, Corbin Classroom A, 10901 Old Cutler Road. Refreshments and raffle at 7:15 p.m., presentation at 7:30 p.m. Free.
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.
Now that your nature high has kicked in, take that outside voice indoors. The Climate Resilience Committee meets at City Hall, with public comment spoken or written invited from anyone ready to move from admiring the trees to speaking up about what happens to them next. Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive. 6:00 p.m. Thursday, April 30. Agenda will be published here.
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.
Golden Ticket holders are drawn to the virtuosity of the free-for-all Chopin concert series. The next recital performs Sunday, 5/3 at 3:00 p.m. Granada Church, 950 University Drive, Coral Gables. Register for tickets.
Too much of a good thing. A little fertilizer may make the plants greener. A lot of it can help turn the bay into soup. Miami’s fertilizer prohibition period starts May 15, when anything containing nitrogen or phosphorus is banned through October 31, a seasonal timeout meant to keep runoff, algae blooms, and fish-killing muck out of local waterways. Information online.
