The best things to do in Miami this week

Fairchild Garden transforms into a prehistoric playground this summer. Explore the lush grounds where life-size dinosaurs hold court amid a collection of cycads, ferns, conifers and all sorts of flowering plants that date back to primitive times. Kiddos can get hands-on during the ancient artifact digs, egg hunts and more while learning all about what the world was like 65 million years ago. Be sure to check the Fairchild Garden website for up-to-date information on upcoming dino events.

Faena Theater has put a fresh spin on its avant-garde cabaret, “Allura,” with a new performance titled “Ascension.” New York singer Rocky Lanes stars as master of ceremonies, leading showgoers through a series of spicy vignettes with aerial acts, acrobats, killer live music and a hint of naughty antics. “Ascension” shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Get there early to check out Faena’s incredible public art, including murals by Argentinian artist Juan Gatti and Damien Hirst’s famous wooly mammoth.

"The Messi Experience: A Dream Come True" launches its world tour in Miami this spring, just as the city's fever for the famed footballer kicks into high gear. The sprawling, immersive multimedia exhibit traces Leo Messi's childhood and powerhouse soccer career to now, taking visitors of all ages through approximately 75 minutes of projection-mapped installations and interactive games at The Hangar Coconut Grove.

Hyde Beach at the SLS South Beach is basically a nightclub—but it’s during the day, everyone's in a bathing suit and the dance floor is a pool. If it’s a Vegas-style bash with bottle service and champagne showers you seek, the SLS Pool party is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 7pm, while the Haus of Hyde nightclub rages on from 10pm to 3am. Though weekends are the busiest, hit up the SLS pool any day of the week for a guaranteed fist-pumping good time—especially during Spring Break and Miami Music Week, when the party programming doesn't stop.  

Playwright Joshua Harmon, who captured neurotic family dynamics so memorably in his hit “Bad Jews,” returns with another scorched-earth comedy centered on a middle-aged mother Jodi as she deals with twin relationship grievances: Her ex-husband is courting a 24-year-old woman, and her father has taken up with a glistening himbo named Trey, who may be an adult film star. Island City Stage, 2304 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors (954-928-9800, islandcitystage.org). May 30–June 23; various show times; $40–$45

The Coconut Grove Farmers Market is probably Miami’s most well-known. Every Saturday, Homestead's Glaser Organic Farms transforms an unoccupied corner of Coconut Grove into a full-fledged produce market with dozens of fruit and vegetable stands, a raw bar featuring prepared foods and salads and coolers filled with cold-pressed juices and nut mylks. There’s even velvety vegan ice cream for sale and several rows of picnic tables where you can sit and enjoy your bounty. Along its periphery, you’ll find other local vendors selling honey, homemade soaps, handmade jewelry and other artisanal items. And the setup and breakdown are so fascinating to watch! Much like the circus leaving town, everyone quickly dismantles their tents and packs up just after sunset, leaving no trace of the bustling day on the empty gravel lot.

This annual festival in the heart of Miami Beach features five days of screenings, celebrity interviews, workshops, panel discussions and networking events celebrating Black television and filmmaking. As in years past, the 28th ABFF will host a packed schedule of Hollywood premieres, an indie showcase, a comedy night, an awards show and an epic closing gala on Saturday. Events take place primarily across Miami Beach Convention Center and New World Center.

Legion Park is the place to be on a beautiful Saturday morning, as tents pop up from Biscayne Boulevard all the way to Biscayne Bay. Run by Urban Oasis Project, which oversees some of Miami’s most important farmers markets, you’ll find produce from local favorites like Little River Cooperative and French Farms, artisan-made goods like fresh bread, hummus and empanadas (the Chilean ones are excellent), and even dog treats. (Don’t worry, Fido always gets a free sample.) In the morning, a hundred or so yogis gather under the Spanish oak-draped banyan trees for a donation-based yoga class and then stock up on goods from some of the new-age vendors onsite.

It’s been five years since JT has embarked on a tour. That streak ends as the “Forget Tomorrow World Tour” takes him across the world starting in late April through December. The name of the tour pays homage to his sixth studio album, slated to drop on March 15.

Oolite Arts is a rare local gem on Lincoln Road. This season, the visual arts hub will showcase 17 Miami-based artists from their residency program at “Everything is a Spiral,” a multidisciplinary exhibition that explores concepts of time. Curated by Miami’s own art world powerhouse, Dejha Carrington, “Everything is a Spiral” is on view through July 1.