Highlights of the Fall Season

The Culture Edit, September - December 2025

Author

Susan Bannon
August 31, 2025

Miami City Ballet performing “Year of the Rabbit” by Justin Peck, 2016.

Get those calendars out! Below you have my (nearly) complete list of the most anticipated events of Miami’s upcoming fall season. I say “nearly” because, with the exception of Art Week, visual art is absent from this list. That’s because art galleries typically don’t publish their plans so far in advance. So you’ll have to rely on the weekly newsletter for those.

Speaking of the weekly newsletter, it will officially start up next Sunday, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you about a few events happening this week - two new exhibit openings at Nina Johnson on Thursday, a Regina Jestrow exhibit opening at Baker-Hall on Saturday, and the Festival de Cante Flamenco at the Arsht Center over the weekend.

On the restaurant front, it’s been a tough summer for even some of our best spots, with several notable closings happening over the hot months: Maty’s and Itamae, EntreNos, Erba, Ensenada (temporary, maybe). The Miami Herald interviewed chefs across the Magic City and found the pain to be widespread, with bookings down 20% from last summer. (Maybe everyone really was in Spain this summer.) With Miami Spice on for it’s second month, now’s a good time to get out there and show our restaurants some love!

Let’s get planning...

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, please share it! If it was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.

October 4th-5th

New World Symphony Season Opener

New World Symphony kicks off its 38th season with a salute to revolutionaries! Artistic Director Stéphane Denève conducts the New World Fellows in works dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, and Napoleon Bonaparte. The latter work is of course Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony (Symphony No. 3), one of classical music’s most celebrated works, and alas, an object lesson in how our idols let us down. (After Napoleon declared himself Emperor, Beethoven reportedly tore the dedication page of this work to pieces.) *Saturday’s performance will be projected for a free WALLCAST concert in adjacent Soundscape park.

7:30pm Saturday, 2pm Sunday, New World Center, $40-$175

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Casa Tua, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Pauline (opening “Fall 2025”) | Drinks: Sweet Liberty, Water Lion at the Sagamore

October 8th-November 2nd

The Spitfire Grill

Actor’s Playhouse opens its 38th season with The Spitfire Grill, a heartwarming musical based on the 1996 film about a young parolee who follows a page from an old travel book to a small town in Wisconsin in search of a fresh start. Featuring a gorgeous, soulful score that blends folk and Americana, The Spitfire Grill explores themes of community and second chances among the denizens of the titular diner.

8pm evenings, 3pm Sunday matinees, Actor’s Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, $40

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

October 9th-10th

The Best of Seraphic Fire

Seraphic Fire, Miami’s stunningly good vocal ensemble, opens the new season with a crowd-pleasing, audience-choice program of their greatest hits, including Ticheli’s Earth Song, Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium, and Bermudez’ Padre Nuestro. If you haven’t gotten a chance to hear this group, make it a priority. It’s like an aural bath for the part of your brain that experiences awe.

October 9th at 7:30pm, St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, $45-$65

Neighborhood: The Roads

October 11th at 7:30pm, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, $45-$65

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

October 10th-11th

Nu Deco Lounge: Psychedelic Symphony

Artistic Director Jacomo Bairos conducts Nu Deco Ensemble at the Citadel. Photo Credit: Alex Markow

Nu Deco Ensemble, Miami’s genre-bending contemporary orchestra, returns to the Citadel cabaret space for its intimate - and very popular - Nu Deco Lounge series. To kick off the season, the orchestra takes on the music of psychedelic rock legends The Grateful Dead and Talking Heads. If you’ve never experienced one of these concerts, they are very high energy, with a lot of audience participation. Note that general admission prices are for standing-room only. If you want a seat on the floor or the balcony, you’ll need a VIP ticket.

7pm & 9:30pm both nights, the Citadel lounge, $45 or $85 VIP

Neighborhood: Little River

October 10th-November 12th

Harry Clarke

Gablestage opens its season with Harry Clarke, a wickedly funny, sexually charged one man show by Obie Award-winning playwright David Cale. Stage veteran Mark H. Dold (whom Gablestage audiences will recognize from last year’s Lehman Trilogy and Appropriate) delivers a mesmerizing, shape-shifting performance as shy Midwesterner Philip Brugglestein, who reinvents himself as the seductive, cocky Londoner Harry Clarke, moving to New York and charming his way into a wealthy family’s life.

7:30pm evenings, 2pm matinees, Gablestage at the Biltmore, $40-$60

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

October 17th-19th

Miami City Ballet Dances Peck

Miami City Ballet dancers performing “Heatscape” by Justin Peck, 2015.

All eyes are on Miami City Ballet for their 40th season, the first under new Artistic Director Gonzalo Garcia. Like Edward Villella and Lourdes Lopez before him, Garcia comes to us from New York City Ballet, steeped in everything Balanchine. And while there’s plenty of Balanchine on the menu this season, their opening program is a high-octane celebration of Tony Award-winning choreographer Justin Peck, including Heatscape, Peck’s love letter to Wynwood, with “graffiti” backdrops by artist Shepard Fairey.

7:30pm Fri. & Sat., 2pm Sat. & Sun., Ziff Ballet Opera House, $35

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

October 29th-November 5th

Miami Film Festival GEMS

The main Miami Film Festival is in April, but each fall, MFF presents GEMS, a “mini-fest” of films that are expected to make waves in the upcoming awards season, weeks or months before we would typically get a chance to see them in theaters. This year’s GEMS fest has expanded to eight days of Oscar contenders in the main categories and multiple international submissions, plus talks, parties, and some retrospective screenings. The schedule hasn’t been released yet, but keep your eye on the GEMS announcement page here.

Multiple theaters, but often Silverspot Cinema

Neighborhood: Downtown

November 6th-23rd

The Mother

The 2019 Off Broadway run of “The Mother” starred Isabelle Huppert and Chris Noth. Photo: Ahron R. Foster

To open the Arsht Center’s Theater Up Close series, Zoetic Stage presents The Mother, part of Florian Zeller’s searing, award-winning family trilogy (also including The Father and The Son). The play chronicles a fateful night in the life of the titular mother, as she wrestles with her place in the world once her duties as a mother are no longer needed and her husband is largely absent. If that sounds rather tame, reviews of this play during it’s acclaimed Off Broadway run (starring French ice queen Isabelle Huppert) indicate her growing rage and unraveling mind all but set the stage on fire.

7:30 evenings, 2:30 matinees, Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht, $56-$61

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Saturday, November 8th

Dimensions Dance Theatre Fall Performance

Founded by former MCB principals Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra in 2016, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami has been shaking up classical dance in South Florida ever since with their contemporary ballet repertoire. My only complaint about this exciting young troupe is that we have so few opportunities to see them. So you don’t want to miss their fall performance if you can help it.

8pm, The Moss Center, $25-$45

Neighborhood: Cutler Bay

Nearby Eats: Not much! Grab dinner at Platea or Golden Rule Seafood on your way down there and have some rooftop cocktails at Ivy Rooftop or martinis at Fox’s on your way back.

November 13th-December 7th

Here There Are Blueberries

Miami New Drama opens its season with Here There Are Blueberries, a 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist written by Miami New Drama co-founder Moisés Kaufman with playwright Amanda Gronich. Named one of the “10 Best Plays of 2024” by The Wall Street Journal, the play follows the true story of a mysterious album containing Nazi-era photographs that found its way to the U.S. Holocaust Museum archives in 2007. As curators unravel the shocking truth behind the images, the album soon makes headlines and ignites a debate that reverberates far beyond the museum walls.

Various times, Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre, $45-$95

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

November 15th-16th

Dvořák's New World Symphony

Ladies, this man is a conductor and he’s leading New World Symphony this November!

One of today’s most exciting young conductors, Domingo Hindoyan has made waves as Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Guest Conductor for marquee orchestras around the world. He’ll be making his New World Symphony debut, fittingly taking on Dvořák’s New World Symphony, one of the most famous symphonies of all time. Also on the program, celebrated young cello virtuoso Johannes Moser returns to NWS for Glanert’s Cello Concerto. This double bill of talented young artists is selling out fast, but if you can’t score a ticket, Saturday’s performance will be projected as a free WALLCAST concert in adjacent Soundscape park.

7:30pm Saturday, 2pm Sunday, New World Center, $40-$175

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Casa Tua, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Pauline (opening “Fall 2025”) | Drinks: Water Lion at the Sagamore, Brother’s Keeper

November 15th-18th

Silent Night

The Minnesota Opera performing “Silent Night,” 2018. Photo: Don Norman

Florida Grand Opera opens its season with Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night, a moving and tragic retelling of the spontaneous Christmas Eve ceasefire between Scottish, French, and German troops during World War I. Composer Kevin Puts’s sweeping score blends everything from simple folk tunes to grand, cinematic orchestration, capturing the raw emotion of both battle and brotherhood. *If you plan to attend the Saturday premiere, be aware people get really dressed up. So if you’re looking for an excuse to break out the tux or ballgown, this is it!

Various times, Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht, $30-$250

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Sunday, November 16th

MISO Season Opener

Recently designated the Official Symphony Orchestra of the City of Miami by Mayor Suarez, the Miami Symphony Orchestra (aka MISO) opens its 2025-26 season with Wagner’s iconic Tristan & Isolde Prelude and special guest cellist Anna Litvinenko for Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor, under the direction of conductor Eduardo Marturet.

6pm, Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, $47-$164

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

November 16th - 23rd

Miami Book Fair

Each November, the Miami Book Fair takes over downtown for eight days to host hundreds of acclaimed authors in three languages, talking politics, pop culture, prose, poetry - and of course, selling autographed books. The street fair on the second weekend features book stalls, food trucks, performances, and outposts of local favorites like Sweat Records. With the addition of The Lost Chapter, a pop-up rooftop cocktail lounge with local DJ’s, it’s a proper party.

Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus and environs, Free

Neighborhood: Downtown

November 21st-December 21st

Left on Tenth

Gablestage presents Left on Tenth, a story of second chances in life and love, based on Delia Ephron’s best-selling memoir. After the devastating loss of her husband, Ephron is certain she’ll never love (or write) again. But an unexpected email from an old flame lands in her inbox, setting off the kind of whirlwind romance she used to write about.

7:30pm evenings, 2pm matinees, Gablestage at the Biltmore, $40-$60

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

December 2nd - 7th

Miami Art Week

Jeff Koons’ “Bowl With Eggs (Yellow)” at the White Cube booth at Art Basel Miami Beach, 2022.

The week after Thanksgiving, when Miami is indisputably the center of the global art world, is either the most exciting or the absolute worst time to live here, depending on your perspective. Whether you love contemporary art or just enjoy the sheer spectacle of it, having the world’s best galleries bring us work from their most talented, thought-provoking (or just provoking) artists is pretty amazing. BUT, navigating the multiple fairs, the traffic, the multi-tiered access, and the seemingly endless luxury brand “activations” is practically a blood sport that leaves me feeling like I’ve been run over by a truck by the end of the week. Over the years, I’ve whittled down my must-see’s to three fairs: Art Basel MB at the convention center (of course!), NADA, and Untitled. Everything else is just gravy, and I save visits to local museum and gallery shows until January, when I can breathe.

Art Basel Miami Beach @ Miami Beach Convention Center

Dec. 3rd-4th for VIP’s (Free), Dec. 5th-7th for General Public ($68-$105)

Nearby Eats: Casa Tua, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Pauline | Drinks: Water Lion at the Sagamore, Brother’s Keeper

NADA @ Ice Palace Studios

Dec. 3rd-4th for VIP’s (Free), Dec. 4th-7th for General Public ($55-$75)

Nearby Eats: Bunbury, Miami Slice, Sokai Sushi Bar | Drinks: Kaona Room

Untitled @ Beach Tent at Ocean Drive & 12th Street

Dec. 2nd for VIP’s (Free), Dec. 3rd-7th for General Public ($25-$40)

Nearby Eats: Tropezón, La Leggenda Pizzeria, The Drexel | Drinks: Swizzle Rum Bar, The Piano Bar at The Betsy

December 7th-14th

A Seraphic Fire Christmas

In the spirit of giving, Seraphic Fire gives its audience what it wants - a holiday concert, complete with candlelight, a reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, and a fan favorite playlist featuring all your favorite carols (Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, et al), plus more modern Christmas classics like Jesus Christ the Apple Tree. Even better, they are coming to a church near you, with four performances around town.

December 7th at St. Philip’s Episcopal (Coral Gables), 7:30pm, $85-$115

December 12th at Church of the Little Flower (also Coral Gables), 8pm, $65-$95

December 9th at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church (The Roads), 7:30pm, $85-$115

December 14th at The Moss Center (Cutler Bay), 4pm, $30-$65

Nearby Eats: Platea, Golden Rule Seafood | Drinks: Ivy Rooftop, Fox’s 

December 12th - 28th

Miami City Ballet’s The Nutcracker

The quintessential Christmas spectacular, Miami City Ballet’s The Nutcracker has it all: gorgeous sets with a stunning snow drop, sumptuous costumes, Tchaikovsky’s glorious score, and some thrilling dancing by MCB’s precise, energetic dancers. Plus, it’s just a lot of fun, with a new immersive pre-show “Journey to the Land of Sweets” this year. If you need to put yourself in the holiday mood, look no further.

Various times, Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht, $53-$264

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Mignonette, IKO Miami, Casadonna | Drinks: Klaw, ViceVersa

Saturday, December 20th

Sounds of the Season

My absolute favorite Miami holiday tradition! The New World Symphony is so good, I often forget they are technically students (albeit post-grad students and some of the most talented musicians anywhere). Their youthful energy and playfulness are on full display for this annual holiday concert of Christmas and Hanukkah favorites, where everyone is just having a ton of fun. Tickets sell out fast for this one, so book early. But if you miss out, you can enjoy a free WALLCAST of the concert in adjacent Soundscape Park.

7:30pm, New World Center, $40-$120 or free outdoor WALLCAST

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Casa Tua, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Barceloneta | Drinks: Brother’s Keeper, Water Lion at the Sagamore

Sunday, December 21st

Andrea Bocelli Holiday Concert

Adrienne Arsht Center presents Andrea Bocelli in concert for the holidays at the Kaseya Center this December. One of the most beloved voices in the world, Bocelli will perform songs from his No. 1 album, A Family Christmas, and his solo album, Believe. His concerts sell out every year, so if you want a ticket, yes, you need to book it now.

7:30pm, Kaseya Center, $101-$859

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Thanks for reading! If you know a friend that would like this newsletter, please forward it.

If someone forwarded it to you, you can subscribe here.

Any feedback? Or tips on events or restaurants? I'd love to hear from you! Hit reply and it will come directly to me.

Reply

or to participate.