Best Memorial Day weekend events
Your Memorial Day weekend, in a nutshell, involves equal parts familyfriendly fun and Caribbean jerk, Flo Rida and twerking, somber appreciations of U.S. veterans and high-flying aerial stunts.
How best to spend the three-day weekend? Here are six Memorial Day parties, concerts and food festivals from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale to Miami.
Great American Beach Party
Thunderstorms shut out last year’s sandy jamboree on Fort Lauderdale beach. Not so much this year: The free all-day beach bash, running 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. today, will be headlined this year by 1960s jazzrock veterans Blood, Sweat & Tears (“You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning
Wheel”). They’ll be joined by Swahili Band, Pitbull of Blues, Shane Duncan, The Storm, Sabor Latino and Pocket Change, and paired with sand castle-sculpting, an art exhibit display, a car show and paratrooper demos. 954-828-5363 or FortLauder dale.gov.
West Palm Beach Jerk and Caribbean Culture Festival
The 16th annual collision of music and Caribbean culture will be headlined by British pop-reggae crooner Maxi Priest, whose 1990s jams (“Sure Fire Love,” “Just a Little Bit Higher”) are bouncy, spiritual proclamations of his Rastafarian faith. The bash, taking place 2-11 p.m. Monday , at the South Florida Fairgrounds (9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach), will also feature sounds from IOctane, Romain Virgo and Lake Worth reggae group Spred the Dub, along with carnival rides and food vendors slinging jerk chicken and lobster. Tickets: $25-$65. Go to PalmBeachJerkFestival.com.
2019 Hyundai Air and Sea Show
Assuming you brave the mind-numbing logjam of South Beach traffic, today’s Hyundai Air and Sea Show will reward visitors with rousing aerial stunts from the U.S. Navy Blue Angels (10 a.m.-6 p.m. today) and a performance from Miami hitmaker Flo Rida (4:30 p.m. Sunday ). The family-friendly event (spanning 11th to 14th Streets) will share a beach with the much-rowdier crowds of Urban Beach Week, the loosely affiliated string of hip-hop concerts and rooftop get-downs happening through Monday. The military-themed bash also will feature a U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute jump, a motocross demo and a fireworks finale. Go to USASalute .com.
Best of the Best Music Fest
For Memorial Day weekend, you’ll find no bigger nerve center of Caribbean music and culture than at Best of the Best, taking over Bayfront Park Amphitheater (301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) with 15 dance hall, soca and reggae acts. Topping the lineup will be Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Alkaline, Jahmiel, Frisco Kid and General B, paired with food vendors offering jerk, curry and other Caribbean and Creole dishes, and craft vendors selling clothing, jewelry and other wares. The 13th annual festival, taking place 2 p.m.-midnight Sunday, costs $59 (plus $5.95 tax) for general admission, $150 (plus $12 tax) for VIP. Call 305-438-9488 or 954-470-7666 or goto Best of the Best Concert. com.
Twerkfest 305
Prefer rowdiness to Flo Rida this weekend? May we suggest Twerkfest 305, offering a $1,000 twerk contest at District 3 (3632 NW 25th Ave., 305-527-3653 to RSVP) in Wynwood? We’re not sure how patriotic rump-shaking applies to Memorial Day, but $1,000 sounds like a worthy donation to a local veteran’s fund. The twerk-off will take place 11 p.m.-4 a.m. today. Tickets: Free for ladies, $10 for men, via Eventbrite.com.
Memorial Day Weekend Celebration at the Wharf Miami
The pop-up dining and entertainment lounge along the Miami River will be appropriately decked out in stars, stripes and boiled crawfish for its music and food fete through Monday. Saturday’s noon-8 p.m. lineup, benefiting the Tampa-based Special Operations Warrior Foundation, will feature live sounds from DJ Kid Nemesis and friends. On Sunday from noon to midnight, chef Adrienne Calvo (Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar) will throw a crawfish boil, paired with music by DJ Hushmoney and friends. Finally, from noon-10 p.m. Monday, there will be a Puppy Brunch paired with Veuve Clicquot champagne.