The Somi Art Fest has always been so special to me. It's not very large, which is good if you want…read moreto bring your dog and have a nice day out. The art festival this year was awesome, 3 stages with different music and all the bands were great. There were a lot of food trucks & individual food vendors to choose from. However, we chose to sit and eat at a nearby restaurant so we wouldn't have to stand since we were with the family and dogs. The weather cooperated perfectly, and the Festival was a hit. Lots of people brought their dogs, and it was so nice to be able to see them all socialize. There were booths specially geared towards dogs with treats, toys, and accessories. The only thing sad was seeing dilapidated Sunset Place next to the festival, but that soon will get demolished and will be something beautiful again. This festival is very relaxed and the people that attend are also this way, adding to a wonderful overall experience.

Something different to enjoy. Small art festival with some really nice affordable pieces and…read morejewelry. There's something for everyone. They did include a pet lounge for the fur babies. Event was also animal friendly.

I usually love these type of events. Every time the SOBEWFF comes around I get excited, and look…read moreat all the events to see if I can make it to at least one. Unfortunately, this year, I wasn't able to but, found this "satellite" event and decided to give it a chance, with my friends. Local restaurants featuring one of their dishes, wines and spirits flowing, a DJ to dance, and all this at the beautiful Moore Building, it was sure to be an amazing event. We bought the General Admission ticket... figured, 3.5 hours would be enough time to sample all, at a comfortable pace. 8:30pm, right on time, they started letting us in. Pretty organized, friendly people working the ticket lines, and as soon as you walked in, there was the first station with, what else, drinks. There was also a picture wall and to the other side the LYFT photo booth (these are always fun!) First floor was more drinks than food but, we did get to try the Pastrami Sandwich from The Naked Lunch which was delicious! Cheese perfectly melted, very flavorful, and very friendly people working their station. Next to them was The Naked Taco serving SX Tequila cocktails and shots. My favorite has to be the coffee flavored one, and they had a Coconut Basil Caipirinha, that was very refreshing. There was also the Modelo beer station, vodka shots and drinks, and Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant. I've heard so many great things about this restaurant and, the dish they prepared for the event proved that right. It was some type of Ropa Vieja on top of a flat bread, with corn on top. So tender, and incredibly well seasoned. Definitely one of the best of the night. Second floor was a bit of a disappointment. First station was for a paella but it was completely done by 9pm. Two stations down, another empty one. Event ran until midnight, still 3 hours to go and they were running out of food. Not a good sign. You must understand why I have to deduct stars from the rating. We kept sampling floors 2 - 4. Some of the food was unmemorable, unfortunately but, the Rice & Chicken from Nikki Beach stood out, mostly because it was the most substantial dish of the night and flavor was good. Also, the sushi from Green Plate Asian Bistro was one I would go back for. I was happy to see a water bottle station, I mean, drinks are great but water is needed and not all events realize this. Now we went for desserts, unfortunately these were a little disappointing too. Krispy Kreme is not my idea of dessert, especially at a "foodies" event. Found it comical to see people carrying (dozen doughnut) boxes during the event. Of the few I tried the only one I truly remember, and the only business card I walked out with, was the Guava cupcake from Slice of Art. I'm not a cupcake fan but this one was perfection. The Guava flavor was on point and so fresh. What's dessert without coffee, right? Well, Segafredo got you covered. Their Espresso martini was a caffeine junky heaven. Loved it! At one point the 3rd floor got really crowded and was uncomfortable to walk by, especially when there's drunk people being loud and covering the area taking dozens of selfies (thankfully there weren't a lot of these... nice to see most people knew how to behave at this type of event). Also, the VIP lounge, other than for seating, if you were wearing painful high heels, not worth it at all, in my opinion. It was small and by what I saw, only 1 or two extra drinks there, that was it. To end the night we went back to the first floor where the DJ was playing great tunes for dancing. We joined in until he started playing some oldies, and that was our cue to say goodbye to the 2015 Eats & Beats. To be honest, I did enjoy the event but not to the point to pay again to attend. It's good to find "new" places but, this can also be done during "Restaurant Month" or Local food festivals during the year that are less expensive. I think it's just an OK event to experience once and that's it. In my opinion, you are better off investing the estra money in one of the official SOBEWFF.

OMG What a grand event!…read more So typical life probs of an everyday girl, what to wear? After stalking previous year's photos, I wasn't sure if it was just the models who were fancy, or if patrons should go all out. Why express my fashion woes, you wonder? Well, in Miami, you always feel unfashionable compared to all others and this event was not an exception. People were dressed to the nine's...or should I have nine million dollars considering the number of fur coats I witnessed. A great mix of food places and drinks. I hit up the Yelp booth. HOLLA! Alex manning the Yelp booth was dabomb.com. A few highlights: -ice bar...yes, it really was made of ice. -the eats were arranged beautifully, in cool little spoons. And they weren't sparse with some places giving out basically entire meals! -cupcakes galore -The Moore Building -VIP...haha two twenty-two year olds walking around with doughnut boxes. The bouncers apparently thought we were adorable. We were able to arrive at 7:30 and get first dibs on everything and the lay of the land when it was a bit quieter which was a real treat! -the entire boxes of Krispy Kreme they were giving out. We were laughing at the weirdos with Krispy Kreme boxes...until we were the weirdos with Krispy Kreme boxes. Kaaarma. Overall, a wonderful Saturday night of which I shall daydream about for the next week. I'll also remember it by my glorious...no, not hangover, sugar coma! Because....cupcakes!!!!!!! Feeling pretty and mingling with other foodies and eating cupcakes. Le Sigh.

Great community center with so much happening. Amazing vendors and genuine authentic service + all…read moresorts of hand made products you can't find anywhere else. They also have a gallery attached that always has incredible and inspiring exhibitions. Great value for money too when buying snacks at the market.

I attended a training course and they took us here for a field trip. I'm truly happy I attended. I…read moredidn't know a museum was built here. I remember the marketplace, but this new addition is worth the visit. There is so much history that must be preserved and taught. I learned so much. I remembered learning about the different Haitian flags, but seeing them brought history to life for me. They have art displays and exhibits. They have a learning center there too, which is really cool. They have after-school and summer school programs. If you can donate to them. This is a wonderful place for the community and culture, so let's keep supporting. This place is worth visiting

Beaux Arts is Miami's oldest juried art show. It was founded in 1952 by fifty women from a…read morevolunteer group led by Anne Atkinson, then Assistant Director of the newly built Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery. The purpose of the group was to provide funds for the Lowe Art Museum. The first show had art on clothes lines to display it for buyers. In 1987 Beaux Art's introduced the Hands On program to bring art to children in underserved communities in Miami. The show has now grown into an annual event with over 200 artists displaying works in 10 different mediums on the campus of the University of Miami. This was my first time attending the festival and I couldn't have picked a better time. The 75th anniversary of the festival coincides with the University of Miami playing in the CFP National Championship tonight against the Indiana Hoosiers. The campus was buzzing with Cane pride. On campus parking was available in the Pavia parking Garage for $10. I also noticed that you could park across the street for free and walk over. Admission to the festival was free. I love the park like setting of UM. The campus is beautiful and it was the perfect setting for all of the wonderful art that was displayed. The fair was actually much larger than I expected it to be. In addition to the many art tents where you could vote for your favorite, there was a food area, live music, artisan vendor tents, and children's activities. There was so much going on that it would take several hours to take it all in. You could also visit the Lowe Art Museum which was open. I was really impressed with this event and it is a January highlight for many others too.

This is my third year attending, & I absolutely LOVE this arts fest…read more The artists are truly amazing...you see he most unique & breathtaking artistry. I was really impressed with the jewelry booths this year. There was an amazing cover band playing, & of course the food was great.

This was a great festival!…read more Some vendors were on the sidewalk just outside of the park selling jewelry, paintings and other arts and crafts. Once inside there were about 20 art vendors and 4 food vendors; Crepemaker, Kettle Corn/Tea, Hungarian Horns, Hamburger/Hotdogs/Beer/Wine. There was a little girl dressed as Alice from Alice in Wonderland, the man selling burgers had his face painted as the Mad Hatter and another man wearing the Caterpillars costume. It certainly added to the ambience. What made this my new favorite festival was the shaded seating. Yup, chairs. They had set up some cushioned rattan chairs as well as a few wooden benches and some plastic tables and chairs, all in the shade. After buying a glass of Prosecco ($6) we took a lap around to see all the vendors and the boat house near the dock before coming back to the cushioned chairs. We sat, and enjoyed the live music by Keith Johns, later getting up to try a Cinnamon Hungarian Horn ($7) and a Burger. I was happy to see my favorite Kettle Corn/Arnold Palmer folks. I do wish there was another savory food vendor available...maybe some arepas or a sausage and peppers stand. We arrived around 12:45, so there weren't too many people and it was PERFECT. Admission to the event was the same as regular admission to the Barnacle ($2) and I am grateful for that. I hope it will continue to remain an affordable event for families to attend over the years. They also had a tea party every two hours for $8 which included lemonade and mini cupcakes. We missed the one at noon and were so relaxed that we forgot about the one at 2pm. Hopefully, we'll take part in it next year. Please remember to take your trash out to the receptacles outside the park and always pick up after your pets.

What a beautiful way to celebrate the legacy of Ed Clark at the special event "Celebrating Ed…read moreClark: 100 Years, Fish Fry" hosted by N'Namdi Contemporary Miami. The evening was much more than an art gathering, it truly felt like a community coming together to honor an artist whose work continues to inspire generations. Guests had the opportunity to admire Clark's incredible pieces while connecting over refreshing drinks, great conversations, music, and a warm welcoming atmosphere. The selection was small but enough to contemplate the very best of his art. Also it was free for the public, so it was really a great gesture to the community. One of the highlights was seeing kids engage creatively through hands-on art activities, adding such a meaningful and joyful touch to the experience. And to close the celebration, everyone enjoyed delicious fried fish that perfectly complemented the spirit of togetherness behind the event. A memorable evening filled with art, culture, food, and community. Truly a beautiful tribute to Ed Clark's 100-year legacy.

Another of my stops during Sunday's Progressive Art Brunch, N'Namdi gallery actually served food!…read more Besides a few cool sculptures like a connection of steel rods and a chair shaped like a hand, along with a DJ playing jazzy r&b on the patio, this gallery had a classic soul food brunch - shrimp & grits as well as corn bread - for bites. I was only able to have the bread , but it had a good texture and even slightly sweet. Loved it! The indoor part of the arch space also had a few cool paintings and a dark wood sculpture.

This gallery space unfortunately closed their Miami location in 2018. It was a remarkable art space.read more

Kicking off our Miami vacation in style, we got the details from Sergio F, the Miami yelper with…read morethe hookup. He brought us over to the Fashion Night party at the CIFO that was sponsored by Barcardi. Let's party! The Warehouse space is nice for any event. The drinks and food were complimentary and very good. I ordered Vodka Madras, like it was fashionable. The shots of Caprese Salad, Pasta, Risoto, Polenta and Tiramisu were a perfect little meal in tiny portions. We had a lot of fun wandering around the galleries, not taking pictures. I loved checking out the art/design books in the library. I'm a design nerd sometimes. Fun event and just the first party of our first night out in South Beach. Thank you to Sergio F.! Keep partying it up Miami style.

The Art Basel Miami Beach or ABMB week of Miami art fairs is the big dance of the artworld!…read more And for the last two decades or so I've been doing some of the prime fairs in the area: Pulse, Volta, Scope, Art Miami Context, etc., but in the beginning, it was Aqua, which is held at the trendy Aqua Hotel on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach and which is owned by the same folks who run Art Miami... and Aqua is now Aqua Art Miami! Aqua Art Miami is the perfect fair for art collectors both at the savvy end of art collecting (buy what you like and buy the original) and newbies exploring the vast diversities of the creative minds of artists It is small enough that it will not overwhelm your visual art senses with thousands of artworks from hundreds of galleries at once, like the larger fairs do, but also sizeable enough in scale that you'll experience and see art from several dozen galleries from the US and abroad with lots of different artists, styles, media, etc. Each gallery sets up and hangs work in individual hotel rooms. What Aqua also brings, is an unique "scene" where you'll also see lots of beautiful people enjoying powerful techno dancing beats at night, giving the fair an unique party scene, and yes: alcohol is served! Easy parking, with multiple city parking lots nearby!

I have to ding a star because of the logistics, but Aqua Art is still the cool little brother to…read moreArt Miami. It certainly has a funky little venue! First of all the venue is interesting, like taking an art vacation. It occupies the two floors of the Aqua hotel off Collins Ave with each room hosting a different gallery. The exhibitors appear to be a 50-50 mix of NYC and South Florida galleries. Besides the art, there's a bar in the 2nd floor balcony. In addition to a cardio workout going room to room, I saw a lot of interesting modern art. My favorite piece was one superimposing the monopoly man, the Wall Street Journal and a pretty doll. Said monopoly man was carrying gift boxes and throwing money. This describes the dating scene in Miami and NYC and makes me thankful for private investigators :) You know one of my favorite things of art Basel week is seeing the live painting. One of the galleries here was doing an interesting piece where the painting is actually made with different colored strips of packing tape. The artist, Max ZO, was doing such a piece by layering tape and exacto knife. No traditional pain was involved and this was interesting to see! What was the only hiccup with Aqua Art? Well it is associated with art Miami, and there was supposed to be a shuttle bus connecting the Exhibits in the mainland with the one on the beach. However for the better part of an hour that I and others waited the only shuttles work going to a hotel instead of to the beach exhibit. Still and all, heres to 2018.