III Points Takes Wynwood

The Culture Edit, October 13th-26th

Author

Susan Bannon
October 12, 2025

I suspect a Venn diagram of my readers and III Points Music Festival attendees would have a teeny, tiny little overlapping sliver.

But you never know! I went myself a couple of years ago to see Caroline Polachek and Iggy Pop, and this year’s lineup features the timeless Sean Paul, along with 150 other artists across 11 stages (including quirky funkster Thundercat, indie-punk darlings Turnstile, and Miami natives Magdalena Bay).

So check out their full two-day lineup here to see if something strikes your fancy. If not, remember to stay away from Wynwood this Friday and Saturday!

Perhaps more relevant, Miami City Ballet opens its season this weekend with a new Artistic Director and a much anticipated, high-octane evening of contemporary ballet by Justin Peck, one of the world’s leading choreographers, whose award-winning compositions have appeared in film (Spielberg’s West Side Story), on Broadway (Buena Vista Social Club), and on ballet stages worldwide.

Fun fact: Peck met his wife Patricia Delgado, former MCB Principal, in 2013 when the company commissioned Chutes and Ladders (which is on this weekend’s program). She couldn’t dance at the time thanks to an injury and got the assignment to show him around Miami - and the rest is history!

Let’s get planning…

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Dance

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 an exuberant celebration of Tony Award-winning choreographer Justin Peck, including Heatscape, Peck’s love letter to Wynwood, with “graffiti” backdrops by artist Shepard Fairey. Get a taste of what’s in store with this stunning “trailer” the company made for the performance - gotta say, Miami’s looking good!

October 17th-19th, 7:30pm Fri. & Sat., 2pm Sat. & Sun., Ziff Ballet Opera House, $35

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

The 15th Annual Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler

Now in its 15th year, the Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler presents a season opener for the Miami’s dance community, with short pieces from ballet to modern, contemporary to flamenco, performed by some of our best local dance companies - Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, Karen Peterson and Dancers, and Dance NOW! Miami, among others. Come early for a reception honoring our city’s tireless arts journalists, including WLRN’s Christine DiMattei and ArtBurst Miami’s Michelle Solomon.

Saturday, October 18th, 8pm, New World School of the Arts, $25

Neighborhood: Downtown

More Upcoming Dance Performances:

Art Openings & Events

Josh Aronson: Jit Pictures

Baker—Hall Gallery celebrates the opening of Jit Pictures, a solo show of new photographs by Florida-based artist Josh Aronson, whose work explores contemporary American boyhood, masculinity, and the Southern landscape. For the past five years, Aronson has embarked on road trips across rural Florida with groups of young men, creating intimate, coming-of-age images portraying camaraderie, vulnerability, and connection to the land. On view through November 22nd.

Saturday, October 18th, Opening Reception 6-9pm, Baker—Hall Gallery, Free

Neighborhood: Allapattah

Dan Attoe, “Sweet Days,” oil on panel, 2025

Andrew Reed Gallery celebrates the opening of a solo show of new work by modern landscape painter Dan Attoe. Using Old Masters painting techniques and formal compositions, Attoe infuses the subjects in his modern settings with a haunting isolation.

Saturday, October 25th, Opening Reception 6-8pm, Andrew Reed Gallery, Free

Neighborhood: Allapattah

Nearby Eats: see above or head to Wynwood for Lira, Pastis, Pasta | Drinks: Gramp’s (til January!), Higher Ground

More Upcoming Art Events:

  • Wednesday, October 15th: a who’s who panel of artists, curators, and gallerists discuss the evolution of Miami’s art scene as part of Oolite Arts’ Penumbras exhibit showcasing art at Oolite from 1984-2014, at 6pm.

  • Thursday, October 16th: as part of its free Third Thursday’s series, The Bass Museum welcomes artist Eli Sudbrack, of the multidisciplinary collective assume vivid astro focus (avaf), for a discussion of his work, at 6:30pm.

  • Saturday, October 18th: a collaboration between HistoryMiami and the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Museum, Yakne Seminoli presents more than 25 Seminole artists whose work spans textiles, paintings, canoe painting, and digital art, with an opening reception from 1-3pm.

  • Saturday, October 18th: Primary Projects celebrates the opening of a new solo exhibit for Minneapolis-based still life painter Sara Suppan, with an opening reception from 5-8pm.

  • Thursday, October 23rd: the Scholl Lecture Series at PAMM presents a talk with multidisciplinary artist, musician, filmmaker, and producer Lee Jaffe, in conversation with museum director Franklin Sirmans, at 7pm.

Theater

Gablestage: 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.

October 10th-November 12th, 7:30pm evenings, 2pm matinees, Gablestage at the Biltmore, $40-$60

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Actors’ Playhouse: 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.

October 8th-November 2nd, 8pm evenings, 3pm Sunday matinees, Actor’s Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, $40

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

More Upcoming Theater:

  • October 16th-26th: Kassandra, a modern adaptation of the ancient Greek story that imagines the prophetess as a transgender immigrant on the margins of society, plays at the Westchester Cultural Arts Center, at 8pm.

  • October 18th-November 2nd: Miami Lakes’ Main Street Players present Here, Chew-Chew, a new psychological horror play written by Miami playwright Armando Santana.

  • October 23rd-24th: acclaimed playwright Sergio Blanco presents his one-man show, Momento Mori, a meditation on death with backdrops by Uruguayan photographer Matilde Campodónico, at the Westchester Cultural Arts Center at 8pm.

Music

The Best of John Williams

The Gen Z musicians of the New World Symphony take a field trip over to the Arsht Center to present a crowd-pleasing romp through the music of beloved movie composer John Williams. Artistic Director Stepháne Denève will lead the Fellows in a program of Williams’ greatest movie hits, from Star Wars to Harry Potter. *If you’re planning to attend, remember III Points is happening in nearby Wynwood and give yourself some extra time.

Saturday, October 18th, 8pm, Arsht Center, $47-$300

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight

After mesmerizing audiences across Europe, The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight lands at the Arsht Center with a 90-minute spectacle of iconic rock and metal anthems. The classical arrangements of your favorites from Metallica, The Cranberries, My Chemical Romance, No Doubt, et al, by an electrified 14-piece chamber orchestra are set against a moody backdrop of steampunk costumes, ethereal lighting, fog, and yes, lots of candles! You can check out their version of The Cranberries’ Zombie here.

Friday, October 24th, 8pm, Arsht Center, $60-$130

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

More Upcoming Music Events:

  • Friday, October 17th: catch the up-and-coming stars of Florida Grand Opera, on stage for the first time at First Sing, a concert of arias and bold new work at First Miami Presbyterian Church, at 7:30pm.

  • Saturday, October 18th: Miami Beach Botanical Garden opens its Jazz in the Jungle series, featuring soul-jazz outfit Fat Produce at 7pm. Come early to catch the grand reopening reception for the garden boutique, showcasing a wallpaper collection by artist Carlos Betancourt, at 6pm.

  • Sunday, October 19th: the world-famous Buena Vista Orchestra, featuring key players from throughout the history of the Buena Vista Social Club, plays the Miami Beach Bandshell, at 7:30pm.

  • Wednesday, October 22nd: award-winning young reggae star Lila Iké brings her blend of soul, R&B, and reggae to the Miami Beach Bandshell, at 8pm.

  • October 25th-26th: celebrated violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider joins New World Symphony for Tchaikovsky’s beloved concerto under the baton of Artistic Director Stéphane Denève.

Indie Cinema

South Florida Greek Film Festival

A still from “Always Something Missing,” a new film by director Elena Housni.

The 3rd Annual South Florida Greek Film Festival kicks off in Fort Lauderdale, but the grand finale is a full day of Greek flicks at the Bill Cosford Cinema at UM. The four films have all earned recognition at international film festivals this year, and the first of the day, Always Something Missing, includes a Q&A with one of the filmmakers. All screenings are in Greek with English subtitles.

Sunday, October 19th, 1:30-9pm, Bill Cosford Cinema, $5-$10 per film or $25 pass

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Vice City Pizza, Daniel’s, Matsuri | Drinks: Fox’s Lounge, Titanic (of course!)

Doppelgängers3 with Director Q&A

O Cinema South Beach welcomes director and star Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stéphanian for a screening and post-show discussion of her new film, Doppelgängers3. The movie follows Hayoun-Stéphanian and her doppelgängers as they meet with scientists, visionaries, and cultural inventors to envision a future human diaspora beyond Earth. Oh, and there’s also a pre-show drag performance. Sounds like an interesting night!

Monday, October 20th, 7pm, O Cinema South Beach, $14

Neighborhood: South Beach

More Upcoming Indie Cinema:

  • October 17th-19th: the theatrical premiere of River of Grass at Coral Gables Art Cinema, a reimagining of Marjory Stoneman Douglas’s classic work, with filmmaker Q&A sessions at each screening.

  • Sunday, October 19th: the Junior League of Miami hosts a “mimosas and a movie” screening of Our Miami: The Magic City (1994) at Coral Gables Art Cinema, with a talk by HistoryMiami’s Dr. Paul S. George and filmmaker Carl Kesser, at 10:30am.

  • Friday, October 24th: director Carlos Beltran and NBA Star Greivis Vasquez visit Coral Gables Art Cinema for a screening of All I Ever Wanted, the story of Vasquez’s struggles with injury and life after basketball, and a post-show Q&A, at 7pm.

Book Talks

Waiting for Britney Spears: An Evening with Jeff Weiss

Award-winning journalist and music writer Jeff Weiss visits Books & Books to discuss his new book, Waiting for Britney Spears, a gonzo account of his early days tracking Britney’s every move for a third-tier gossip rag. Now an established journalist, Weiss’ account of her meteoric rise and tragic fall evolves into a thoughtful critique of a changing nation. Weiss will be in conversation with FIU’s Alfred Soto, whose music writing has appeared in Rolling Stone and Billboard.

Tuesday, October 14th, 7pm, Books & Books Coral Gables, Free

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Basilico (New!), Dojo Izakaya, Cebada Rooftop | Drinks: Books & Books Café, Bay 13 Brewery

Toxic Grit: An Evening with Amanda Goetz

Books & Books welcomes author Amanda Goetz to discuss her new book Toxic Grit: How to have it all and (actually) love what you have, a takedown of “Lean In” culture that helps women reframe ambition and recenter joy and pleasure in their lives. Sounds pretty good!

Saturday, October 25th, 7pm, Books & Books Coral Gables, Free

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Sra. Martinez, Bulla, Salumeria 104 | Drinks: Books & Books Café, Cebada Rooftop

More Literary Events:

Planning Ahead

Miami's most anticipated events sell out and those new restaurants you want to try book up. For the ultimate plan-ahead guide, you have my complete Highlights of the Fall Season, but if that’s too much trouble, you can just plan for these two…

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.

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