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This is the first weekend of spring (the spring equinox occurred at 5:01 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service). Can it be that things have actually felt cooler lately?
Let’s enjoy it while it lasts: A variety of outdoor gatherings in the next few days will celebrate good vibes, good food, good causes and outrageously bad caftans (love ya, Roper Rompers).
And that’s not even counting the remarkable Savor the Avenue event in Delray Beach on Monday, when local restaurants will serve a four-course meal on America’s “longest dining table” — spanning five blocks down the center of East Atlantic Avenue. (It’s typically a sellout, but check in at DowntownDelrayBeach.com.)
So, c’mon, release your inner extrovert and get out!
FRIDAY
Where the buoys are: The Palm Beach International Boat Show will be in the waters of downtown West Palm Beach through Sunday, a showcase for the latest in ocean-going design and what the people with money are doing with it. Tickets start at $35+ for single-day general admission, $17+ for guests age 6-17. A two-day general-admission pass costs $63+ and is good for entry any two days Friday-Sunday. There are VIP options as well. Visit PBBoatShow.com.
All ashore: If you’re more interested in the refracted vibe of the boat show than in the event itself, the boutique Ben Hotel across the street is hosting parties called Moored at The Ben, an open-air waterfront retreat with lounge seating, elevated bites, cocktails, games, DJs and live entertainment. Hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $25 in advance, $35 at the door, and include a free beverage ticket. Visit TheBenEvents.com.
Land yacht, anyone? For those who like to cruise on dry land, the West Palm Beach RV Show will set up at the South Florida Fairgrounds through Sunday, offering a large selection of luxury motorhomes, Super C RVs, and new and used travel vans. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Admission and parking are free. Visit RVShowUSA.com.
Mrs. Peacock, I presume: Downtown Fort Lauderdale will be the setting for an interactive, family friendly version of a favorite board game, as “Clue: A Walking Mystery” debuts this weekend. Beginning in the Peck Courtyard at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, players (cosplay encouraged) will fan out to various downtown locations in search of clues that will solve a variation on the murder mystery first posited in the 1943 board game. If you need help, a team of costumed butlers will be on the route to explain the rules. Teams are invited to play the game each weekend through April 6 — with groups slotted into 20-minute intervals from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets start at $39 a person. Visit BrowardCenter.org.
Still a thriller: The touring, Tony Award-winning Michael Jackson musical “MJ” continues its run at the Arsht Center in Miami with performances at 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets? We checked yesterday and there were about two dozen left in the whole run. But see what you find at ArshtCenter.org.
Love supreme: Motown legend Diana Ross is on her way to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood to perform at 8 p.m. Friday. Her sets have featured hits including “I’m Coming Out” and “Upside Down,” but also the good stuff from The Supremes such as “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Baby Love” and “Love Child.” Resale tickets are available, starting at $86+, at MyHRL.com.
Always fresh: Dixie Longate, the gum-smacking, Alabama-soaked host of the long-running “Dixie’s Tupperware Party,” says she is bidding farewell to her kitschy klatches with this tour “and everything must go!” She’ll dispense dollops of homespun comedy one more time at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach this weekend, with performances at 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $42.50+. Visit Kravis.org.
Hair apparent: For pure fun, it’s hard to beat The Surfrajettes, the beehived and booted instrumental quartet from Toronto that specializes in psychedelic surf rock and Tarantino-informed attitude. Catch them at Respectable Street in West Palm Beach on Friday with special guests Black Widows. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 18+ show cost $20+ at LimitlessAgency.com.
Friday laughs: With three Netflix specials under his belt and signature sunglasses over his eyes, Mexican comedian Carlos Ballarta is one of the most recognizable faces in the expanding Spanish-speaking stand-up comedy scene. He’ll perform on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets for the show, performed in Spanish, start at $40+. Visit BrowardCenter.org.
Graphic violins: “Naruto: The Symphonic Experience” is a live concert at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Friday that will screen iconic scenes from “Naruto,” the TV-film series based on the Japanese graphic novel series, accompanied by a live orchestra performing composer Toshio Masuda’s original score. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. event start at $55+ at Kravis.org.
SATURDAY
Shell games: The inaugural Boca Raton Seafood Festival will take place on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. on the grounds of Mizner Park Amphitheater, featuring a wide array of food, vendors, music and competitions. Local chefs Kevin Avellaneda (Penelope), Yora Chan (Loch Bar) and Julian Bernal (Corvina Seafood Grill) will face off in a live cooking competition, while the Crab Cake Challenge will have eight contestants racing the clock to eat the most. The music lineup includes popular party band The Holidazed, up-and-comers Unravel and Southern rockers Vern Daysel and The Burning Breeze. Tickets cost $10 in advance, $15 at the gate; entry is free for guests age 10 and younger. Visit MiznerAmp.com.
See Cruise: One of those events that restores your faith in the potential for community in South Florida, Cruiser Palooza Music & Arts Festival returns on Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. at Old School Square in downtown Delray Beach. The event will feature food trucks, a beer garden, live art, a cornhole tournament, silent auction and music from top bands including The Resolvers, Uproot Hootenanny and popular Fleetwood Mac tribute band True Rumours. The event is a fundraiser for the Cruisey Baby Initiative, a nonprofit organization that supports people who have suffered a spinal-cord injury and their caregivers. It was created by local artist Cruise Bogle, who at age 19 sustained a C4 spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the neck down. A sunny soul, Bogle went on to become a successful painter (holding the brush with his teeth) whose work has been shown at Art Basel in Miami Beach. Cruiser Palooza costs $50, or $100 for VIP access (which includes access to a private area, VIP bar, two free drinks and complimentary food). Visit CruiserPalooza.com.
Seventh heaven: Tarpon River Brewing in downtown Fort Lauderdale will host the Lucky No. 7 Anniversary Music Festival on Saturday from 2 to 11 p.m., a free family and pet-friendly event with all-day jams, pours from guest breweries, crafty vendors and a buffet with items from TRB’s top-notch menu. Bands include School of Rock House Band (2-2:45 p.m.), Behind the Houses (3:15-4:15 p.m.), Dylan Zangwill (4:30-5:30 p.m.), Smerks and the Nightmares (5:45-6:45 p.m.), Phish tribute band Colors in the Void (7-8 p.m.) and the always excellent Heavy Pets (8:30-11 p.m.). Visit TarponRiverBrewing.com.
Say cheese: If you are looking for one weekend hangout in Palm Beach County that offers the perfect alignment of local chefs who will cover all your major food groups, consider Copperpoint Brewing in Boynton Beach on Saturday. The early food truck shift from noon to 5 p.m. will be held down by The Philly’s House (cheesesteaks and burgers), followed by Kaminari Ramen (zesty, chef-driven ramen) from 5 to 10 p.m. and V’s Cakes (killer cheesecakes) from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. And, of course, Copperpoint has your beer covered. Visit CopperpointBrewingCompany.com.
Saturday night live: The Deftones will be joined by The Mars Volta and Fleshwater on a tour stop at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise on Saturday at 7 p.m. The cheapest tickets are hovering near $100+ at SeatGeek.com. … Veteran rock vocalist John Waite (The Babys, Bad English) will be at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are available, starting at $55+, at BrowardCenter.org. … Broadway star Patti Lupone is at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Saturday at 8 p.m. with her critically praised retrospective “A Life in Notes.” Tickets start at $35+ at Kravis.org.
Singing the brews: Speaking of hidden gems, LauderAle Brewery & Taproom in Fort Lauderdale will host The Brewgrass Revival, its inaugural bluegrass festival, on Saturday and Sunday, with live music, vendor shopping, food trucks and, of course, craft beer, wine, mead and more. Beginning at 1 p.m., Saturday’s highlights include sets by Hold My Beer (4 p.m.) and bandleader/multi-instrumentalist Tim Snider (8 p.m.), with food from Bourbon Street Eatery and La Picana Grill. Sunday begins with LauderAle’s regular beer yoga session Ales and Asanas at 10:30 a.m., followed by music from Cliff and Friends (noon), Hare o’ the Dawg (3 p.m.) and Gypsy String Revival (6 p.m.), with food by Steak and Reddle. Admission is free. Visit Facebook.com/lauderale.
Saturday tribute bands: Longtime Long Island musician David Clark brings his Billy Joel tribute All About Joel to the Boca Black Box in Boca Raton on Saturday for shows at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets start at $63+ at BocaBlackBox.com. … The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton will host ELO tribute Ticket to the Moon on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $33.56 for general-admission standing room. Visit FunkyBiscuit.com. … Nationally touring tribute band Fooz Fighters will play the Miniaci Performing Arts Center at Nova Southeastern University in Davie at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $35+ at BrowardCenter.org.
Perfect Fitz: When John Fitzgerald opened The Fitz Bar & Lounge three years ago in a lightly traveled section of downtown Fort Lauderdale south of the New River, it instantly became one of the city’s best hangouts, a gem that you hoped would remain hidden. If you want to give him a hug, be there on Saturday night when the personable Fitz will celebrate his 60th birthday. No telling what might happen. Visit Instagram.com/thefitz.bar.
SUNDAY
More, more muumuus: The South Florida chapter of the renegade bar takeovers known as the Mrs. Roper Romp will gather another bewigged and caftaned crew to celebrate the “Three’s Company” queen in Oakland Park on Sunday. Beginning at 2 p.m. at Funky Buddha Brewery, the costumed bar hop will make its way south along Northeast 12th Avenue to Big Dog Station at 3 p.m. The gathering is free and open to anyone who wants to don a muumuu and join in. For information, check out the South Florida Mrs. Roper Romp Facebook page.
Bread splendor: Chef Dan Ramos of Red Splendor Farm will be at Palm Beach Meats in West Palm Beach on Sunday for his monthly Biscuit Day, serving the glorious carb bombs in various forms during a brunch pop-up from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you know, you know. Visit PalmBeachMeats.com.
Good time: Platinum-selling singer-songwriter Andy Grammer (he of feel-good hits “Honey, I’m Good,” “Keep Your Head Up”) brings the tour supporting his latest album, “Monster,” to The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday at 7 p.m. Zach Hood opens. Tickets start at $45+ at ParkerPlayhouse.com.
String time: The Kennedy Center’s National Symphony Orchestra — with three-time Grammy winner Hilary Hahn on violin under the baton of music director Gianandrea Noseda — will be at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Sunday at 2 p.m. for a performance that concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Tickets start at $40+ at Kravis.org.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and X @BenCrandell.
