The best things to do in Miami this week

Diehard Survivor fans and their obliging friends and family will be flocking to Jungle Island this season for a limited-time immersive pop-up celebrating 50 seasons of the pioneering CBS reality series. Launching January 31, the SURVIVOR Ultimate Fan Cafe brings the show to life through hands-on challenges, photo moments, themed food and drinks, exclusive merchandise and more. Following a successful run in Boston, the immersive experience pays proper homage to the Survivor legacy with a mix of fan-favorite physical and mental challenges (all adapted for safe indoor play) and faithful recreations of iconic sets, like the Tribal Council fire pit, a voting confessional booth and a signature Winner’s Wall. Plus, join live watch parties every Wednesday starting February 25. (Rumor has it you might spot an alumnus or two while you're there.) Tickets are available via Bucketlisters and include a food and beverage credit for use during each 90-minute reservation.

Now in its 74th year, the Youth Fair (formally known as The Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition) is as much a rite of passage as it is an event — Florida's largest carnival, drawing over half a million visitors across its three-plus weeks at the fairgrounds near Westchester. The formula is timeless: 80 rides, 150-plus food stands, carnival games, livestock shows, and tens of thousands of student exhibits showcasing academic and agricultural achievement. This year's theme is "Wild About the Fair," and new additions include a safari encounter. Live entertainment runs every weekend with free tribute acts — Queen, Earth Wind & Fire, Aerosmith and the Rat Pack among them — and the Foodie Awards bring a panel of local judges together to crown the best new fair foods of the season. Admission is $15; kids five and under and seniors 65 and older get in free every day, and parking is always free.

Gilded and crimson-draped Faena Theater is the ideal venue to experience OBSESSION, a new original production presented by Faena Live in collaboration with the Quixotic performance art collective. Nestled in Mid-Beach, the cabaret-style show blends live vocals, choreography and cinematic storytelling to take guests on a seductive 1.5-hour journey complete with lasers, projected visuals and plenty of theatrical haze. Helmed by emcee Sophia Bollman—whose credits include a stint on NBC's The Voice as part of Team Miley Cyrus and backup singing in Beyoncé's iconic Coachella performances—Faena Theater's 2026 headlining production also features the energetic stylings of Principal Violin and Musical Lead Kostia Lucky. Tickets start at $100 per person and include show admission only (food and beverages sold separately). Guests must be 18 or older, with a valid ID required upon arrival.

The year is 1587, and the peaceful woodlands of Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach are transformed once again into the buzzing village of Kimmendale. King Robert Rivera and his Royal Court have descended for the 34th annual Florida Renaissance Festival, and it's an especially joyous occasion as knights, nobles and townsfolk gather to witness the handfasting of Prince Aaron of Veridian and Princess Katla Svartulff of Stalgaard. For the uninitiated, the Ren Fest is a portal to the fantastical 16th century, where for eight consecutive weekends you can party like they did in Game of Thrones, with giant turkey legs, endless goblets of mead and, of course, blood-pumping tournament jousting. From February through March, shaded nature trails fill with food stands and pubs, jewelry and crystal shoppes, performance stages, rides, games and a bustling Promenade that runs from 10am until sunset. On Saturdays and Sundays, lace up your festive garb and make the pilgrimage to partake in the revelry. From one-man Shakespearean theater performances to cannon demonstrations, swashbuckling pirate performers, Celtic singers and wise-cracking wenches, no minute of daylight is wasted. Drinking-age adults will appreciate options like the Pub Crawl ticket, which includes a multi-stop tour of the festival's pubs with stories, jokes and toasts along the way. Families will likewise find merriment in kid-friendly activities like the raucous parade each day at 12:30, and the Puppies of Penance...

After sell-out runs in Paris, Rome, and Milan, From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana arrives in Miami, opening February 6 at ICA Miami and running through June 14, 2026. The exhibition offers a rare look inside the creative universe of designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, tracing how their ideas move from inspiration to execution—all by hand. Curated by Florence Müller and produced by MARI, the show brings together more than 300 Alta Moda pieces, set within immersive installations and shown alongside works by contemporary artists, celebrating the artisanry, excess, and exuberance of Italian aesthetics. 

Our annual star-studded tennis tournament returns to its flashy home at Hard Rock Stadium for another two weeks of sporty-chic crowds, luxe activations, and world-class competition. The field is stacked with past champions and marquee names: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, 1 Aryna Sabalenka — who returns to defend her title — and Iga Swiatek all enter as former Miami Open champions. Jakub Menšík, who stunned Djokovic to claim the men's crown last year, is back as the defending men's champion. American fans have plenty to cheer for, with Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton all in the draw. Off the court, the food scene is better than ever. New additions include Chug's Diner bringing Cuban-American comfort food and Coconut Grove vibes, Cowy Burger fresh off Burger Bash accolades, Ophelia with its cult-favorite pastries and specialty coffee, and Tacos Atarantados serving authentic Monterrey street-style tacos. Returning favorites include Zuma as the tournament's only full-service sit-down restaurant, Miami Slice for artisan New York-style pizza, and OMAKAI Handroll Bar for approachable Japanese dining. On the drinks front, Café La Trova pours Cuban cocktails at the Brugal rum bar, and the Santa Margherita Rosé Giardino offers a lush open-air wine garden with Instagrammable flair. Times vary.

Miami Book Fair is launching a new ongoing literary series spotlighting Jewish storytelling, and the kickoff is free and open to the public. On March 18, nationally recognized authors Maya Arad, Allegra Goodman, Rachel Kadish and Tova Mirvis sit down with Tony Award-winning producer and writer Stacey Mindich for an evening of conversation at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus. The event also marks the Miami debut of Nu Reads, a bi-monthly Jewish literature subscription program from the Jewish Book Council. After the panel, the night opens up into a proper party — live klezmer-style jazz assembled by Vincent Raffard of French Horn Collective with vocals by Shira Lee, mingling and light bites. Books & Books will have titles on-site for purchase, with signings to follow. Free with RSVP; 7–10pm at the Wolfson Campus Auditorium (Building 1, 2nd Floor, Room 1261)

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show takes over the Convention Center from March 26th to 30th, bringing nearly 600 top dealers from around the world. This annual treasure trove is a must for collectors, design lovers and estate sale hunters, showcasing antiques, art, furniture, retro fashion, jewelry, watches and more. Expect marquee names like Cartier, Chanel, Rolex, Hermès, Van Cleef & Arpels and Georg Jensen, plus fascinating lectures, complimentary appraisals and book signings.

The great Montreal contemporary-circus troupe brings its Luzia production to South Florida, performing cutting-edge acrobatics and tightly choreographed dance numbers amid lavish costumes and set pieces. This show, written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, is inspired by the culture of Mexico. Running February 19 through April 25 at Gulfstream Park, Luzia takes audiences through a series of surrealistic scenes, from an old movie set to a smoky dance hall, an arid desert, and even a cenote. It's a dream-like, sensory exploration of Mexico's past and present, packed with awe-inspiring moments—including rain incorporated into acrobatic and artistic scenes (a first for a Cirque du Soleil touring production).

Elliot & Erick Jiménez: El Monte is the Cuban twin photography duo’s first solo museum exhibition, marking their leap from award-winning image makers for the likes of Prada, Tiffany’s, Bad Bunny and Selena Gomez to multi-disciplinary artists on an institutional stage. Inspired by the Afro-Caribbean spiritual tradition of Lucumí and Lydia Cabrera’s seminal text El Monte, the show centers on a womb-like, chapel-meets-forest installation alongside photographs and sculptural works that explore spirituality, ancestry and identity.