The Miami DDA’s Holiday Village on Historic Flagler Street 12/21/25

The Miami DDA’s Holiday Village on Historic Flagler Street
Sunday, 12/21/2025-, 02:00 pm-06:00 pm
Downtown Miami
174 E Flagler St.,
Miami, Florida, 33131
Website
Cost: Free

The Miami Downtown Development Authority will host its free Holiday Village on Flagler series on December 7, 14 and 21 from 2 to 6 p.m. at 174 E Flagler Street. Each Sunday pop-up features family friendly activities including bounce houses, face painting, balloon art, sweet treats, holiday vendors, photo ops and themed programming.

The December 21 event will be holding a special Toy Distribution to kids in attendance.

December 7: Dancing through the holidays

December 14: Menorah Lighting for the first night of Hanukkah

December 21: Santa Claus is coming to town

These pop-up events are free and open to the public.

Holiday Spectacular Brunch Series at Aquaplex Fort Lauderdale 11/30/25, 12/7/25, 12/14/25, 12/21/25, 12/24/25

Holiday Spectacular Brunch Series at Aquaplex Fort Lauderdale
Sunday, 12/07/2025-12/07/2025, 02:00 pm-04:00 pm
Aquaplex Fort Lauderdale
1421 East Oakland Park Blvd.,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33334
Website
Cost: $49.95 per person; Includes brunch favorites plus unlimited mimosas and Bloody Marys

SLEIGH this holiday season with the Queens! Aquaplex Fort Lauderdale invites South Florida to celebrate the return of its signature Holiday Spectacular brunch! Every Sunday, from November 30 through December 21, beginning at 2 p.m., guests will enjoy a delicious brunch and the world-famous show with a sprinkle of holiday classics. The holiday fun continues with a special brunch show on Christmas Eve day.

The Holiday Spectacular brunch series will feature festive themed performances by the Aquanettes and will be hosted by Nicolette, an 18-year veteran of the drag brunch scene. Each Sunday brunch, on November 30 and December 7, 14 and 21, includes a flavorful menu of brunch favorites plus unlimited mimosas and Bloody Marys for $49.95 per person. The Christmas Eve day brunch at 12 pm, hosted by Velvet Lenore and also $49.95, will offer an elevated holiday experience with fun performances, sparkling surprises and a vibrant atmosphere to celebrate the season.

Aquaplex Fort Lauderdale is located at 1421 East Oakland Park Blvd. in Oakland Park, just one mile east of I-95. Ticket pricing excludes tax and gratuity. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by calling (954) 567-0987 or visiting www.fladragshow.com and opentable.com.

History Fort Lauderdale Presents “Tropical Chill,” A Contemporary Fine Art Exhibit 12/10/25 – 1/25/26

History Fort Lauderdale Presents “Tropical Chill,” A Contemporary Fine Art Exhibit
Sunday, 12/10/2025-, 10:00 am-04:00 pm
History Fort Lauderdale
231 SW Second Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33301
Website
Cost: Free

History Fort Lauderdale, committed to preserving our collective heritage, promoting historical literacy, and fostering a sense of pride and stewardship for the vibrant tapestry of our region’s history, will present “Tropical Chill,” a contemporary fine art exhibit that captures the serene spirit and coastal hues of South Florida’s mild winter season. The exhibit, on view from Wednesday, December 10, 2025, through Sunday, January 25, 2026, will showcase paintings, mixed media, and photography by celebrated local artists Phoenix, Lori Arbel, Kim Heise, and Karin Batchelder, along with select works and photographs from History Fort Lauderdale’s permanent collection.

The “Tropical Chill” exhibition captures the cheerful spirit of South Florida’s winter when the days are bright, breezy, and full of color. The exhibit brings together local artists who find inspiration in nature, emotion, and everyday life. Their paintings, photography, and mixed media pieces share stories of reflection and transformation, each one shaped by the beauty and rhythm of our region.

History Fort Lauderdale’s “Tropical Chill” exhibit is sponsored by the following funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Jan and Ed Crocker Unrestricted Fund, Leo M. and Alice J. Rutten Fund, and The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation Broward Community Fund. Additional funding is provided, in part, by Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward County Cultural Council and Visit Lauderdale.

History Fort Lauderdale offers a variety of engaging multicultural experiences throughout the year. It seeks to bring awareness to the community through both traveling exhibits and multiple permanent displays including “Women Trailblazers,” “Fort Lauderdale – the Early Years,” “Roots of Resilience: The Journey of Black Broward,” “From Dugouts to Dream Yachts: The Story of Boatbuilding Along the New River,” “Seminole Arts & Culture,” “New River Archaeology,” “Viva Fort Lauderdale: Celebrating Hispanic Art & Culture,” “The Growth and History of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office,” and “Take PRIDE, a Retrospective on LGBTQ Life in South Florida.”

History Fort Lauderdale is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with docent-guided tours offered daily at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. Group walking tours are available upon special request. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors; and $7 for students (through age 22 with a valid student ID). Admission is free for members, military personnel, and children aged six and under. Tickets are available online at HistoryFortLauderdaleTickets.

For more information about History Fort Lauderdale, please call (954) 463-4431 or visit historyfortlauderdale.org.

Miami City Ballet presents George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® 12/12/25, 12/13/25, 12/17/25, 12/18/25, 12/19/25, 12/20/25, 12/21/25, 12/23/25, 12/24/25, 12/26/25, 12/27/25, 12/28/25

Miami City Ballet presents George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®
Friday, 12/12/2025-12/28/2025, 07:00 pm-
Adrienne Arsht Center
1300 Biscayne Blvd,
Miami, Florida, 33132
Website
Cost:

This December, Miami City Ballet transforms the Adrienne Arsht Center into a snow-kissed wonderland, as The Nutcracker returns December 12–28. Set to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score performed live by a full orchestra, this dazzling production bursts with color, joy, and timeless holiday spirit—bringing to life the Sugarplum Fairy, marching toy soldiers, and swirling snowflakes in spectacular Miami style.

Your ticket is your Passport to Magic—including access to the Land of Sweets Experience, presented by Spirit. Step inside an 8,000-square-foot immersive playground filled with glittering projections, festive photo ops, and sweet surprises for the whole family.

Whether it’s your first time or a treasured tradition, The Nutcracker is where snow falls, hearts soar, and holiday memories are made.

Bonsai Workshop at Chimba 12/21/25

Bonsai Workshop at Chimba
Sunday, 12/21/2025-, 11:00 am-01:00 pm
Chimba
2830 NE 2nd Ave,
Miami, Florida, 33137
Website
Cost: $85.00

Beginner workshops are perfect for you to grab your friends, grab a drink and come make tiny trees! We’re bringing the awesome art of bonsai out of the hedged in gardens and into the streets! Or at least into your favorite bars/breweries/pubs. Bonsai Bar is a night of fun you don’t want to miss. Learn the fundamental skills and techniques behind the art of bonsai while enjoying a night out with friends! Our teachers will introduce core concepts and guide your experience as you pot, prune, and design your very own bonsai tree! Our Guarantee: These tiny trees are so hardy we guarantee you can keep yours alive, or we’ll replace it.

This workshop will be hosted at Chimba, which is a culinary journey through South America. Our mission is to elevate our passion for the continent´s richness, blending exotic flavors with the authenticity of traditions. Inspired by the vitality that courses through South America, music enriches the energy of our place, harmonizing with flavors for a unique experience.

Whether it’s noon or night, Chimba is the ideal setting for gatherings, turning cultural exploration into a shared delight. Its exquisite flavors and enveloping music provide the perfect excuse to savor the moment with the best company.

Under 21 policy: Please contact Chimba for details regarding underage entry

For more about Bonsai Bar and what to expect at our classes, visit our website at: https://bonsaibar.com/products/chimba

Hollywood Art and Culture Center Presents One Exhibition, Three Artists – Dennis Scholl, Felice Grodin and Brian Reedy 10/18/25 – 1/4/26

Hollywood Art and Culture Center Presents One Exhibition, Three Artists – Dennis Scholl, Felice Grodin and Brian Reedy
Saturday, 10/18/2025-01/04/2026, 10:00 am-05:00 pm
Hollywood Art and Culture Center
1650 Harrison St.,
Hollywood, Florida, 33020
Website
Cost: $10 – general admission; $5 – Seniors 65 +, Students 13 -17, Free for Hollywood Art and Culture Center members, children under 12, active US military personnel families and teachers

Hollywood Art and Culture Center, celebrating its 50th anniversary, will feature three new art exhibitions for the fall/winter season. Dennis Scholl: A Day of Four Sunsets and Felice Grodin: Where Do I Go From Here? will be on display from Saturday, October 18, through Sunday, January 4, and Brian Reedy: Gothic Pop Prints will be on display from October 18 through November 2 in the main gallery space. An opening reception will take place on October 18 beginning at 6 p.m.

A Day of Four Sunsets presents a new body of work by Miami-based artist Dennis Scholl, exploring the poetics of space exploration through assemblages of NASA memorabilia. The exhibition takes its title from astronaut John Glenn’s experience of witnessing four sunsets as he orbited Earth in 1962, evoking themes of time, memory, and the sublime vastness of the cosmos. Scholl’s work, rooted in the language of historical artifacts and collective memory, arranges space exploration ephemera into compositions structured by the dodecagon — a recurring motif in his practice that represents cyclical time and cosmic order. Over the past decade, he has meticulously gathered NASA-related materials, including mission patches, declassified documents, photographs, and newspaper clippings, integrating them into intricate assemblages that reframe our understanding of humanity’s relationship with the unknown. Scholl’s work gives us an insight into his keen collector’s eye and his skill at design and storytelling. In Untitled (Viking Orbiter II), photographs of Mars captured using surface imaging are arranged in thoughtful compositions. Visitors will find themselves viewing a piece of history transported back to 1969 with the work Untitled (Man on Moon). This exhibition contains more than 14 works of art that immerse the viewer into the history and collective memory of outer space, the universe, and astronauts. From real space food to sculptures created using space gloves, to viewfinders with images of the universe, this exhibition will fascinate science, history and modern art enthusiasts alike.

Felice Grodin’s architectural training informs her drawings, intricately weaving together elements of imagination, the future, and the past. Where Do I Go From Here? features more than 10 new works, some of which were created during Grodin’s time as a Center 2025 Spring Artist in Residence. With meticulous care and references to ancient civilizations, Grodin renders lines into complex arrangements of circles and curves, creating dynamic three-dimensional forms and exploring the concept of mental boundaries. Her art transports viewers to a psychological realm reminiscent of maps, cities, landscapes, and speculative future worlds. These ink drawings on mylar can sometimes rely on chance, or automatism, liberating not only the creative process, but inviting viewers into the surreal.

Gothic Pop Prints by Miami artist Brian Reedy features more than 10 custom linoleum block prints. The Center commissioned Reedy to create a work about Lizzie Borden inspired by Lizzie the Musical, which will be performed Oct. 18 – Nov. 1 at the Hollywood Central Performing Arts Center. In addition to the Lizzie Borden print, the exhibition features the macabre and spooky iconography of hauntings, oddities, and the afterlife in an expressionist and graphic style. Reedy’s woodblock prints combine his eye for graphic design, the skill of European medieval woodcuts and Japanese woodblock prints into modern pop culture masterpieces. Reedy creates modern works of art using the painstaking process of block printing, the craft of hand carving wood blocks to transfer ink to paper. Brian’s expertise in this art form has provided a unique combination of traditional print making with pop-culture iconography and themes.

A guided tour of the exhibition will take place on Thursday, December 4, at 7 p.m. An artist talk will take place on Saturday, December 13, at 1 p.m. On Saturdays, November 15 and December 20, at 6 p.m., a free curator tour/Downtown Hollywood Art Walk will be conducted.

These exhibits were made possible through support from the City of Hollywood, Broward County Cultural Division, Broward County Board of County Commissioners, Max Chira and Family, State of Florida Division of Arts and Culture, National Endowment for the Arts, Community Foundation Broward, David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation, Josephine S. Leiser Foundation, Memorial Healthcare System, The Windhover Foundation & Quadracci Family, Kofsky Weinger, PA, and Helen Ingham Foundation.

For more information, please visit www.artandculturecenter.org.

PAW Patrol™ Adventure Play at the Museum of Discovery and Science 9/12/25 – 1/10/26

PAW Patrol™ Adventure Play at the Museum of Discovery and Science
Sunday, 09/12/2025-01/10/2026, 10:00 am-05:00 pm
Museum of Discovery and Science
401 SW 2nd St,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33313
Website
Cost: Included with Museum Admission: MODS Members and children under 1 – Free; Florida Residents Discovery Pass: Child (1-12) – $19; Adults $25; Military $22; Senior (65+) $23 Non-Members Discovery Pass: Child (1-12) $23; Adult $28; Military $25; Senior (65+) $26

Kids and families can now play and save the day with the heroic PAW Patrol™ pups, at the brand-new PAW Patrol: Adventure Play traveling exhibit presented by Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Florida Prepaid College Savings Plan and Chewy VetCare, opening September 12 at the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS). Based on the hit preschool series PAW Patrol, produced by Spin Master Entertainment and airing on Nickelodeon, this interactive exhibit gives kids and their grown-ups an opportunity to run rescue missions and work together to overcome challenges in a fun and immersive environment. The exhibit runs through January 10, 2026.
Families will visit Adventure Bay with a group of eight rescue pups. Each pup is inspired by a real-world job like a police officer (Chase), a firefighter (Marshall), a construction worker (Rubble), a fearless pilot (Skye) and more. Just as the heroic pups, who believe “no job is too big, no pup is too small,” work together to protect the community on the TV show, families will work together to save the day with a can-do attitude. In the process, kids learn about different jobs within a community and how those real-life professionals coordinate to keep people safe and happy.
Each of the pups has special skills, gadgets and vehicles to help them on their rescue missions. In the exhibit, families are invited to pop on a pup pack containing their own imaginary tools and check out the lay of the land from the lookout tower. They can head to Jake’s Mountain and scope things out near the snowy slide to see if anyone is in trouble. They can also board the PAW Patroller, push buttons, and drive it up the mountain to help Rubble and Everest rescue a snowboarder stuck in the snow. Those with a taste for foodie adventures can whip up tasty treats in Porter’s Café and help Adventure Bay win the Tallest Cake Competition by stacking cake layers as high as they can. Families can also cruise Adventure Bay aboard the Sea Patroller, steering it to rescue baby seagulls and turtles.

The hands-on, immersive PAW Patrol: Adventure Play exhibit is a fun way for the whole family to learn bravery and heroism, with exciting stories. The whole family will learn how to combine their skills to problem-solve together and save the day.

Wanna Be Weekends in October and November: No Job Too Big!
MODS will extend the PAW Patrol: Adventure Play experience with Wanna Be Weekends, taking place every Saturday and Sunday in October and November. These themed weekends feature engaging, hands-on activities highlighting real-life community heroes and STEAM-based careers. From designing rescue vehicles and building homes to meeting local police officers, firefighters, first responders and even learning how to be a pilot, families will discover how teamwork, compassion and problem-solving shape the world around us. Thanks to support from the JetBlue Foundation, young aviators will have the chance to explore flight science and aviation careers through special programming and guest speakers.

On select days, Chewy VetCare will also host an interactive Vet Clinic, where children can step into the role of animal caretakers by practicing empathy and learning how to care for pets and other animals in need.

Each weekend brings new partners, fresh adventures and opportunities for children to imagine how they can make a difference just like the heroic pups of Adventure Bay.

PAW Patrol: Adventure Play was produced by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in partnership with Nickelodeon. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit committed to creating extraordinary family learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families.

PAW Patrol: Adventure Play is included with admission to MODS. For more information about the exhibit, visit mods.org/exhibit/paw-patrol-adventure-play/.

Wild Rescue at the AutoNation® IMAX® 3D Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science 9/5/25 – 1/15/26

Wild Rescue at the AutoNation® IMAX® 3D Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science
Sunday, 09/05/2025-01/15/2026, 10:00 am-08:00 pm
Museum of Discovery and Science
401 SW 2nd St,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33313
Website
Cost: Included with Museum Admission. MODS Members and children under 1 – Free Florida Residents Discovery Pass: Child (1-12) – $19; Adults $25; Military $22; Senior (65+) $23 Non-Members Discovery Pass: Child (1-12) $23; Adult $28; Military $25; Senior (65+) $26 Notes: Tickets may be purchased at the box office upon arrival.

Wild Rescue, an uplifting film following the inspiring journey of animals given a second chance at a wild life, opens at the AutoNation® IMAX® Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) on Friday, September 5. Produced by Tandem Stills + Motion, Inc., Wild Rescue is based on the work at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network and its dedicated teams who rescue, rehabilitate and release injured and orphaned wild animals. The film is narrated by Marc Summers of Nickelodeon’s “Double Dare” and Food Network’s “Unwrapped.”

From the arrival of a fragile bobcat to the rehabilitation of a young fox evacuated during a wildfire, explore hospital admissions, groundbreaking medical treatments and the delicate balance of wildlife care. With breathtaking cinematography and heartwarming moments, Wild Rescue reminds us that every creature deserves a second chance – and that hope is worth fighting for.

Wild Rescue was filmed using the latest Red Digital Cinema camera systems, including the Red Raptor VV X. The film team captured breathtaking detail and dynamic range, enhancing every visual element for an unparalleled cinematic experience. Combined with cutting-edge aerial cinematography, immersive sound design and advanced visual effects, the film delivers a visually stunning and emotionally rich theater experience.

The official trailer for Wild Rescue can be viewed at wildrescuemovie.com.

At MODS, explore Broward County’s wildlife and ecosystems in the immersive Nature Explore: Outdoor Exhibit. This interactive space fosters biodiversity by inspiring environmental stewardship, sustainability and lifelong learning for all ages. Guests can dig like a gopher tortoise, build a coyote den and craft butterfly wings from natural materials — showcasing the importance of Florida’s wildlife corridors and conservation. The exhibit supports the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation by raising awareness about protecting and connecting vital habitats across the state.

The AutoNation® IMAX® Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science is located at 401 SW 2nd Street in Fort Lauderdale. The film Wild Rescue is included in the MODS Discovery Pass, an all-in-one ticket that includes Museum exhibitions, live science demonstrations and one IMAX® documentary film. For tickets, please visit mods.org/tickets and for showtimes, please visit mods.org/showtimes.