Thanksgiving Eve quandary solved
Here’s where to take family, friends who are visiting for the holiday
If you are home in South Florida today, the day before Thanksgiving, odds are you have family and friends in town who will need to be entertained.
Here are some of the best Thanksgiving Eve places to carouse or commune with visitors in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
And remember, it’s all here no you are. with Brightline, matter where
Palm Beach County
Bar Louie in Boynton Beach will be among the clubs across the country hosting a Wednesdaynight simulcast of Jason Aldean performing music from this new album, “9,” live from the roof of his Nashville restaurant, Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar. The concert begins at 9 p.m. and also will be shown at other South Florida locations of Bar Louie in Coconut Creek, Miami and Kendall. Visit JasonAldean .com/9at9.
Nationally touring South Florida bluesmen Albert Castiglia and JP Soars (with the Red Hots) team up for the Thanksgiving Music
Feast at the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton. Castiglia, in particular, will be channeling the thankful vibe that flows through his 2019 album “Masterpiece,” in part a celebration of his recent discovery of a daughter (and two grandchildren) he never knew he had. Doors open at 5 p.m., with music at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20-$30 at FunkyBiscuit.com.
Also in Boca Raton, Prosperity Brewers’ Pre-Thanksgiving Onesie Night is the day before Thanksgiving because the day after Thanksgiving your onesie might … well, it might not be a good look. From 8 to 11 p.m., onesie wearers get all they can drink for $25. Entry for those without a onesie is $50, with $25 going to the Florida Humane Society.
Hearkening to South Florida’s long tradition in logging, or possibly beard growing, Game of Axes in Boynton Beach celebrates with Drink Like a Local, an evening of $4 local craft beers and the throwing of axes. The mayhem runs from 5 to 11 p.m. Visit GameOfAxes.com.
Slick Rick is performing at Respectable Street in West Palm Beach on a 9 p.m. bill DJ Richie Rich and DjKJ. Yes, that Slick Rick — the British-born, Bronx-revered rapper-producer best known for hits including “La Di Da Di” (with Doug E. Fresh) and “Children’s Story.” Because South Florida is kooky like that. Tickets cost $18. Visit Facebook.com/RespectableStreet.
Broward County
A friend and I once saw Anna Burns crossing the street outside YOLO and often referred to it as a “miracle on Las Olas.” To be clear, it was not the Booker Prize-winning Irish author but the Hooters model now married to then-NFL star Wes Welker, though seeing the novelist on Las Olas would also be miraculous. I digress. Java & Jam, adjacent to sister property YOLO, will be decked out in holi
day finery for the 5 p.m. debut of Miracle On Las Olas: Christmas Cocktail Bar, bringing holiday cheer to downtown Fort Lauderdale through Jan. 2.
The day before we celebrate the nation’s most famous immigrants, DJ-producer Carnage brings a unique perspective to his craft: Born in Washington, D.C., but raised in Guatemala, his 2019 song “Letting People Go” (and its heart-wrenching video) is informed by stories of border separation from his own immigrant family. Carnage will share his in-demand skills (Migos, Mac Miller, Young Thug) at DAER Nightclub at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood at 10 p.m. Tickets cost $20 (gals), $25 (guys). The Hard Rock just re-opened after a $1.5 billion remodel and expansion that includes the Guitar Hotel, which your clan may have seen on the flight in. Visit SeminoleHardRockHollywood.com.
The inaugural Turkey Drop It Til It’s Hot Party at Round Up in Davie takes its name from a basic equation in mathematical probability: $5.95 Fireballs + free linedance lessons = you dropping to the floor, turkey. The countrywestern party starts at 9 p.m. and runs through 4 a.m. Ladies drink free. Visit RoundUpNightclub.com.
If you have any college students back from school, be aware that Tarpon River Brewing in downtown Fort Lauderdale will host Friendsgiving: Beer Olympics Edition, with competition in beer ball, flip cup, beer pong, quarters, ping pong (with beer), cornhole and giant jenga. Cost is $25 to cover your beer. RSVP (highly recommended) at events@tarponriverbrewing.com.
The touring Jimmy Buffett jukebox musical “Escape to Margaritaville” is at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale through Sunday, and you can still get tickets for today’s 2 and 8 p.m. performances. You won’t get an appearance by Buffett himself, as the opening-night audience did, but the Sun Sentinel’s Rod Stafford Hagwood said Parrotheads had a blast with a score that includes “Fins,” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” “Why Don’t We Get Drunk,” “Son of a Son of a Sailor,” “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” “Volcano,”
“Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Come Monday” and, of course, “Margaritaville.” Visit BrowardCenter.org.
Miami-Dade County
Answer: Yes, there are a few scattered tickets available for Ariana Grande’s Sweetener World Tour stop at AmericanAirlines Arena at 8 p.m. This is the Boca Raton native’s second stop at the arena, following Grande’s two excellent Miami concerts on May 31 and June 1. Hip-hop duo Social House opens at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $65.95. Visit Ticketmaster.com.
If you are looking to give outof-towners a “we’re not in Kansas anymore” taste of South Florida, check out the historic Ball & Chain bar and lounge in Miami’s
Little Havana, an energetic and sociable spot that traces its history back nearly 85 years. At 9 tonight, Ball & Chain’s Thanksgiving Eve Bash features Locos por Juana, whose Grammynominated mashup of rock, reggae, hip-hop and cumbia is about as Miami as it gets. Admission is free. Visit BallAndChainMiami.com.
If it’s Miami Beach glam you want to show them, try LIV Nightclub at the Fontainebleau resort, where longtime Miami Heat hype man DJ Irie will hold court at 11 p.m., joined by Five Venoms and Iron Lyon. Cover is $30 (guys and gals). Visit LIVNightclub.com.
There are many ‘80s nights, but nothing as legit as the annual ’80s Prom at Gramps in Miami at 8 p.m., a party being thrown for the 17th time by veteran sceneshapers at Sweat Records and the folks responsible for the longrunning Back Door Bamby nights at Miami’s iconic Vagabond nightclub. DJs Lolo, Hottpants, Carmel Ophir and Carlos Melendez will spin the best of the era, and the State Of will play a live set at 11 p.m. Admission: $10. Visit Facebook.com/SweatRecords, Facebook.com/GrampsMiami.
Area 31 in Miami will set its Butterball Thanksgiving Eve Disco Bash against the panoramic backdrop of Biscayne Bay and the Miami River from the 16th floor of the Kimpton EPIC Hotel beginning at 6 p.m. Wear your favorite period attire and get a free drink. Featured cocktails from Ketel One and Don Julio will cost $7 — not bad for Miami. DJ Kristian Caro will spin.