A unique Indian festival celebrating Spring, special event for whiskey lovers,  annual Miami Beach Garden tour, one of the leading art shows  in Palm Beach, Le Diner en Blanc posh picnic, African art exhibit in Opa Locka and more in this month’s things to do curated by yours truly.

Holi Miami, the Indian Festival of Colors and Spring Celebration, Comes to Wynwood. Enjoy Indian food, DJs, performances and several kids’ activities along with Bollywood performers, local music and dance groups, and dhol and tabla players . Food from Miami favorites Bombay Darbar, Diya and Namaste Miami will be available for sale. Plus, Bali ​​Chainani, from the Bravo series Family Karma, will also make an appearance.

MAIACA, Miami Association of Indian Americans for Culture and the Arts, will co-host Holi Miami. Holi signifies a time for unity, forgiveness and renewal in ancient India. Festival goers are invited to take part in a traditional coordinated color throw. This ritual symbolizes equality among all people and the rebuilding of relationships. Attendees are encouraged to wear white in anticipation of being covered in the vibrant colors of Holi. The event, scheduled for Saturday, March 19th, will take place in the heart of Wynwood.

Tickets for Holi are available via EventBrite. The March 19th event will take place in a lot located at 2400 NW 2nd Avenue Miami, Florida 33129. The festival is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

 

Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary (PBM+C), presented by Art Miami, will return for its fifth edition opening with an exclusive invitation-only VIP Preview benefiting the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens on Thursday, March 24 and running through Sunday, March 27, 2022 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. PBM+C, one of the leading art shows in South Florida,  brings together world-class investment quality art from an international group of galleries and artists including blue chip, modern and contemporary, and post-war works from the 20th and 21st centuries from over 85 leading galleries, spanning nine countries and over 30 cities. Collectible works will be on display and available for acquisition from renowned artists including:

Robert Motherwell; Kiyoshi Nakagami; Roy Lichtenstein; Lynn Chadwick; Kenneth Noland; Banksy; Kaws; Yayoi Kusama; Alex Katz; Carlos Cruz-Diez; David Hockney; George Condo; Fernando Botero; Alexander Calder; Jean Arp; Manolo Valdés; Sam Francis; Henry Moore; Donald Sultan; Mickalene Thomas; Harry Benson; Anthony James; Andy Warhol; Pablo Picasso; Kenny Scharf; Damien Hirst; Chun Kwang Young; Julian Wild; Nicole Pietrantoni; Jacob Gils; Ahmed Alsoudani Howe; Milton Avery; Larry Rivers; Hans Hofmann; Louise Nevelson; James Rosenquist; and many more.

 

The fair has partnered with the historic Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens (ANSG) for another year, which will serve as a satellite venue and benefactor of the VIP Preview. ANSG will showcase a special Garden Exhibition. Throughout the weekend, guests will enjoy onsite amenities including cafés, dining spaces, VIP Lounge, convenient parking and more. A complimentary shuttle between the fair and Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens will be available on Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26 from 10AM-4PM daily.

Miami Beach Garden Tour is back, Saturday March 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. And new are pre tour happenings on Friday night. Six beautiful, diverse, and private gardens in Miami Beach will be featured in this, the 20^th year of the Miami Beach Garden tour sponsored by the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. The day starts at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden where you’ll pick up your guidebook for the Garden Tour. With addresses in hand  travel at your own pace to each location. After the Tour you’re invited  back at the Garden for activities including the Miami Beach Garden Club’s annual flower show where you can cast your vote for the “people’s choice award.” Stop by the Botanical Bar to sample new signature cocktails and have a light bite. The Garden will be open until 5pm. NEW THIS YEAR — on Friday evening, March 11 there will be a Pre-Tour happy hour! Your Garden Tour ticket includes a fun night featuring the debut of the Garden’s new signature cocktails, a preview of the Garden Club flower show, and Silent Auction items with “buy now” pricing. You’ll also be able to pick up your wristbands and the guidebook for Saturday’s Tour.  RSVP for Friday night when you purchase your Garden Tour ticket. Non-members $45 • Members $35 • Purchase tix here. (Members call for your discount code)

You’ve probably heard about it, Le Dîner en Blanc, a unique and chic experience under the stars, is making its return to the magic city! The elegant and secret affair will bring its festive and community feel of this long-standing French picnic tradition to Miami on Saturday, April 9th! As always, the venue will remain secret until the last minute. Thousands of people, dressed all in white will gather around for the sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal with good friends. Guests are expected to be dressed elegantly in white from head to toe, making sure that they bring a picnic basket comprising fine food and proper stemware and white dinnerware.For full details on the event,  visit miami.dinerenblanc.com

A brand-new exhibition Beyond Tradition: Contemporary Sculptures from Africa, is now running until August 28, 2022, at The ARC in Downtown Opa-locka. The exhibition, one of the different art shows in South Florida, is curated by internationally renowned curator Tumelo Mosaka, the former lead curator for the Investec Cape Town Art Fair.  The exhibition challenges Western cultural norms and perspectives of what contemporary African art is by presenting African sculpture in dialogue with works from some of Africa’s exciting artists. Throughout the exhibition’s six-month run, there will also be interactive programs that are designed to excite, engage, and educate visitors, including an art lecture, carving workshop, African marketplace, and Afro Beats party.

According to Mosaka, “In conceiving this exhibition, I wanted to turn a lens onto places less known in Africa, and in particular, Zimbabwe and Tanzania where artists have served as custodians as well as innovators. I want to bring a new understanding of the complexity and subtlety of African art and culture in contemporary times.”“The end result is, a realization that African artists are pushing beyond Westernized notions of the African Diaspora, toward a more global conversation about humanity and their place in the world and they are doing so in the most eloquent of ways,” concluded Mosaka.

The exhibition takes advantage of OLCDC’s impressive holdings from its Karg Collection and features various stone and wood sculptures representing traditions from regions in Africa, including Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania, where carving tradition has a long cultural history.Additionally, the exhibition includes paintings from famed artists Ouattara Watts, known for his large-scale canvas works that incorporate cryptic symbols, geometric designs and numerical sequences that speak to his cross-cultural identity and Malatanga Valente Ngwenya, a pioneer of modern African art with an aesthetic that is defined by a dense assembly of figures.

Beyond Tradition  is located at 675 Ali-Baba Avenue in Opa-locka. The free exhibition is open every second Saturday from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. and by appointment any other time. To make an appointment or for more information, visit www.olcdc.org/beyondtradition For more information about upcoming programming,  visit www.olcdc.org.

Premier touring whisky festival WhiskyX makes its way to Miami for the first time ever on Friday, March 11 at Mana Wynwood Convention Center. A haven for whisky fans of all levels, WhiskyX brings together the best experiences of classic distilleries but on a festival-sized scale. Guests can expect to discover and sample more than 60 premium, local and independent whiskies and whisky cocktails. The best of Bourbon, American, Irish, Scotch, Rye, Single Malt and more are all on the menu at WhiskyX’s inaugural Miami event. Guests can pair their premium drams in complimentary WhiskyX glasses. Enjoy handcrafted whisky-based cocktails with leading food trucks in the city, along with a cigar lounge and complimentary hair-and-beard trims by The Spot Barbershop. Alt-country singer/songwriter sensation Zach Bryan will set the vibe as the evening’s headlining live performer.Mixing classic folk melody and outlaw country, Bryan’s musical style is marked by his raspy voice and a raw edge that cuts to the bone.

The Miami event offers two packages: general admission and VIP. The general admission package ($75+) includes one ticket to the event with 7 PM entry, inclusive of unlimited tastings, concert and food truck village access. The VIP package ($125++) includes one ticket to the big event with exclusive 6 PM entry (giving guests an extra hour of unlimited tastings before general admission begins), plus a complimentary cigar along with concert and food truck village access.

Guests can purchase their tickets at https://www.tixr.com/groups/thewhiskyx/events/the-whiskyx-miami-32855.  A discounted Designated Driver ticket ($50+) is also available, which gives access to the live music and food truck village experiences.

An email of an olive green jumpsuit with hand applied, embroidered appliques caught my attention and lead me to Claudia Gontovnik, a Colombian designer whom I had written about several years ago. She told me about Wynwood Tribe which sounds like a bar but actually it’s an interesting shop featuring sustainable fashion that qualifies for being handmade, fair trade, recycled, having a charity connection and/or being eco friendly.

Well over a dozen designers are featured, items for men and women, ranging from men’s bathing suits made of recycled plastic fiber cord and tunics from India to maxi dresses, jeans,  sandals from Ghana, art,  and even watches and organic beauty products. In particular, what caught my eye were gold fashion starburst earrings from a local designer, Claudia’s jumpsuits and jean jackets, and wonderful long sleeve white T’shirts for men with a subtle pattern on one sleeve and  the front and back, and made from a light and airy Peruvian cotton (Mr. W scored one!). Everything is one of a kind and definitely unique. When you’re in Wynwood, it’s worth a visit. Wynwood Tribe, 2200 NW 2nd Avenue.