Thursday, October 1st, 2026 - October opens with free jazz back on the Riverwalk this Sunday, a brand-new fall festival on Las Olas, and a punk band in mariachi suits. And the free water trolley on the New River may soon cost visitors a few dollars.đđđ
Stuff You Wonât Want To Miss This Week:
â TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Sunday Night - doors 7pm | Mariachi El Bronx at Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale. The punk band The Bronx started playing mariachi in charro suits back in 2008, and this is their first tour in ten years. Bedouin Soundclash and Max Diaz open. All ages, tickets $38.50.
TODAY - 11am-7pm | Free First Thursday at NSU Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale. Free admission all day, a free tour at noon, and 2-for-1 happy hour. At 5:30, Miami artist Richard Moreno performs a piece built from heavy metal, swamp imagery, and experimental sound to close out the Close to Home show.
TONIGHT - 6-8pm | Free Salsa Classes at L Bar, Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood. Free lessons in salsa, bachata, and rueda de casino for Hispanic Heritage Month, and first-timers are welcome. They run again Oct 8 and 15.
TONIGHT - 7pm | John Crist Live at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. Stand-up from a comic Pollstar ranks among its Top 10 touring comedians.
TONIGHT - 7:30pm | Great White & Slaughter at Wells Hall, The Parker. âOnce Bitten, Twice Shyâ and âUp All Nightâ on the same bill.
TONIGHT - 8pm | Celtic Thunder: Celebrate Your Favorite Songs at the Amaturo Theater, Broward Center. The Irish vocal groupâs stage show, with a live band and big theatrical sets.
Friday, Wednesday, and Next Friday - 12-1:30pm | Riverwalk Tunes on Top at Tunnel Top Plaza, Las Olas Blvd and 6th St. Free live local music on your lunch break. The series ends Oct 9, so these are the last three to catch.
Friday Night - 6-10pm | Old Town Untapped in Old Town Pompano, around Bailey Contemporary Arts. A free block party on the first Friday of every month: Mama Fuma plays funk and soul, BaCA opens new gallery shows, and food trucks line the street. Insider Tip: docent-led art tours run 8 to 8:45pm, and the cityâs page has a parking map.
Friday Night - 6pm | âIn Memory Ofâ Opening Reception. ArtServeâs members each show a piece of their own past, alongside solo shows by Marco Saint-Juste and Kaila Stutzmann. The reception is free and open to everyone.
Friday Night - 5pm happy hour, sails 6:30pm | Sunset Music Cruise from Shooters Waterfront, Fort Lauderdale. Water Taxiâs Friday cruise with live music and a toast on the water at sunset. $49, capped at 100 guests. Insider Tip: cruise guests get a $10 Shooters coupon for after.
Friday Night - 7pm | Ziggy Marley and Govât Mule at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Reggae and Southern jam rock on one bill, with a DJ set from Yola. Tickets from $42.
Friday Night - 9pm-1am | Club 90âs presents 2000s Night at Revolution Live. A dance party built on the anthems of the 2000s, with synced visuals all night. 18+, tickets from $26.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - Fri and Sat 7:30pm; Sun 2pm | Pippin at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, NSU campus, Davie. NSU students stage Stephen Schwartzâs musical, which won four Tonys in its 2013 revival.
This Weekend | Octoberfest kicks off in multiple locations. Oakland Park, Davie, and Coral Springs are all on the calendar.
Saturday Morning - 9am-10am | FTL Free Workout at Huizenga Park. I am there (almost) every Saturday morning. Coach Chad and team do an amazing job of bringing the energy. Seven stations with music and a timer.
Saturday Morning - 10am-2pm | Las Olas Autumn Festival at First Presbyterian Church. The first year of a fall festival from the Las Olas Association and Flamingo Flea, with local makers, food and drinks, live music, and a pumpkin patch.
Saturday Morning - 10am-2pm | Stranahan House Craft Fair at the Historic Stranahan House Museum. Local makers set up beside the oldest house in the county, right on the New River, a few blocks from the Las Olas festival.
Saturday Afternoon - 12-6pm | The Fort Lauderdale Margarita Festival at Las Olas Oceanside Park. Your ticket gets you ten 3.5-ounce margaritas from local bars, and you vote for the best one. The winning bar takes home $1,000.
Saturday Afternoon - 3-4:30pm | Close to Home Artist Roundtable at NSU Art Museum. The South Florida artists in Close to Home talk about the partners, friends, and family behind their work, the day before the show closes. $16, museum admission included.
Saturday - 3pm and 7pm | Absolute Queen with special guest Bo Bice at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. A Queen tribute band, plus Journey, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi songs sung by American Idol finalist Bo Bice. Itâs worth the short drive south.
Saturday Night - 5:30-8:30pm | Fall Collection Salon Opening at the Broward Art Guild. An open-call show with no theme, hung wall to wall. Free.
Saturday Night - 6-7:30pm | Starlight Jam Sessions at the Palm Aire Gazebo, Pompano Beach. A free outdoor concert where The Ruminators play British Invasion and 70s rock. Seating is limited, so bring a chair. Insider Tip: park at the Herb Skolnick Center, 800 SW 36th Ave.
Saturday Night - 7-9pm | New River Live Showcase at New River Landing, Huizenga Park. Local musicians play their own songs beside the river. Free; RSVP on the page.
Saturday Night - 7pm | MJ LIVES! Michael Jackson Tribute at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. A live band and dancers take you from the Jackson 5 through the solo years. Tickets from $53.
Saturday Night - 7pm | Atsuko Okatsuka: The Big Bowl Tour at Wells Hall, The Parker. Stand-up from the comic behind the viral #DropChallenge and the HBO special The Intruder.
Saturday Night - 7:30pm | Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida: Program I at the Broward Center. The company opens its season and closes the night with its first-ever Raymonda Grand Pas, Petipaâs classic set to Glazunov.
Sunday Morning - 10:30am | Sensory-Inclusive Clifford the Big Red Dog: The Musical at Wells Hall, The Parker. The same show with lower sound, no strobes, and few special effects, for anyone on the autism spectrum or with sensory sensitivities.
Sunday - 11am | Sunday Jazz Brunch at Esplanade Park on the Riverwalk. Free local jazz on three stages along the river, the first Sunday of each month. Bring a chair or a blanket; leashed dogs are welcome.
Also Sunday - 11am-2pm | Arts Launch Broward at the Broward Center. The countyâs free kickoff to the arts season, with local artists and cultural groups all in one place, a short walk from Jazz Brunch.
Sunday Afternoon - 4pm or 5:30pm | Whiskers & Hooves Goat Yoga at the PURRR Adoption + Sanctuary Ranch, Davie. An hour of beginner yoga with goats wandering around your mat. $35, mats provided, and every dollar goes to PURRRâs cat rescue.
Sunday Night - 7:30pm | CAAMP with special guest Whitney at the Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center. A folk band built on warm harmonies and storytelling, with Whitney opening.
Monday Night - 7:30pm | A Day Without Sunshine at the Broward Center. A staged reading of Michael McKeeverâs new play about Miami in 1977, when a county law protecting gay residents was overturned by Anita Bryantâs campaign.
Wednesday Night - 6pm | Community Bingo Night at the E. Pat Larkins Center, Pompano Beach. Free bingo with prizes. 18+.
Wednesday Night - 6:30-8pm | Think and Drink Trivia at New River Landing, Huizenga Park. Weekly trivia by the river, and the host brings the pens and answer pads.
Wednesday Night - doors 7pm | Infinity Song at Revolution Live. Four siblings singing soft rock in close harmony; their parents founded the Boys & Girls Choirs of Detroit. All ages, from $40.
SAVE THE DATES for Next Week
Thursday, Oct 8 - 7pm | A Taste of Jazz at Bailey Contemporary Arts, Pompano Beach. A wine tasting at 7, then an hour of jazz history played live by Martin Hand and the Gold Coast Jazz Quartet. $25, or $20 for Pompano residents. Insider Tip: there are no tickets at the door, so reserve ahead.
Thursday, Oct 8 - 7pm | Fortune Feimster: Takinâ Care of Biscuits at Wells Hall, The Parker. Stand-up from the comic behind three Netflix specials.
Thursday, Oct 8 - 8pm | Billy Currington at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Twelve No. 1 country singles, including âPeople Are Crazy.â From $75.
Friday, Oct 9 - 7:30pm | Aziz Ansari: Hypothetical Tour at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. The Master of None co-creator brings his Hypothetical Tour to Hollywood.
Friday, Oct 9 - 7:30pm | Jefferson Starship at Wells Hall, The Parker. âJane,â âMiracles,â and âNothingâs Gonna Stop Us Now,â fifty years on.
Friday, Oct 9 - 7:30pm | Beyond the Beatles at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. A show built on the four Beatlesâ solo songs, and the audience helps pick the setlist. From $45.
Saturday, Oct 10 - 10am | Big Toy & Truck Extravaganza at Snyder Park. opportunity to view, climb aboard, and operate fire-rescue trucks, police vehicles, SWAT and bomb squad vehicles, a front loader, bucket trucks, an excavator, a crane, dump trucks, and more.
Saturday, Oct 10 - 5pm | Zero Empty Spaces at DCOTA Grand Opening at the Design Center of the Americas, Dania Beach. Forty working artist studios in 13,000 square feet, open to walk through on opening night. Free; RSVP on Eventbrite.
Saturday, Oct 10 - 6pm | Florida Panthers Home Opener at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. The Panthers open their home season against the Minnesota Wild. Doors open 60 to 90 minutes before puck drop.
Saturday, Oct 10 - 6-9pm | Dania Beach Oktoberfest at Dania Beach City Hall. Free to get in, with live music and food; a tasting ticket covers unlimited samples from more than 40 breweries, wineries, and distillers.
Saturday, Oct 10 - 6pm-2am | Hells Gate: South Floridaâs Dark Arts & Music Festival at Revolution Live. Two stages of darkwave, post-punk, and goth bands from around the country, plus DJs and performance art. 18+, from $32.47.
Saturday, Oct 10 - 8pm | Ricky Martin at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. The San Juan-born star who started in Menudo and has sold more than 95 million albums, here in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month. Tickets from $55.
Saturday, Oct 10 - 1pm and 7:45pm | Come From Away at the Broward Center. Slow Burn Theatre opens its season with the musical about the Newfoundland town that took in 7,000 stranded passengers on 9/11. Runs through Oct 25.
Sunday, Oct 11 - 6-9pm | Soulful Sundays at the Ali Cultural Arts Center, Pompano Beach. Andrew Luv & The Franchise Players play soul, R&B, and smooth jazz. $15. Insider Tip: tickets are sold online only, never at the door.
Sunday, Oct 11 - 7pm | Black Violin at the Broward Center. The Grammy-nominated duo Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus bring classical strings and hip-hop beats together. They met as stand partners in orchestra class at Dillard High School here in Fort Lauderdale.
Sunday, Oct 11 - 7pm | Salud, Moldavsky y Amor at Wells Hall, The Parker. Spanish-language stand-up from Roberto Moldavsky, with music by ValentĂn GĂłmez.
Sunday, Oct 11 - 8pm | Postmodern Jukebox at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater. Scott Bradleeâs collective turns pop hits into vintage jazz, swing, and soul, outdoors. Doors at 7.
Our Ask: The free water trolley on the New River might start charging visitors. Reply YES, NO, or RESIDENTS FREE: what should the city do?
Featured Fort Lauderdale
The Free Boat on the New River May Soon Start Charging Visitors
If youâve ridden the water trolley, you know how it works. You step onto a small boat at one of eight stops along the New River, ride the loop for about half an hour, and nobody asks you for a dime. It has been that way since 2014.
It has also gotten very popular. The city expects about 140,000 riders this year, up from 67,000 in 2022. The boat holds 19 people, so around 730 people a month are left standing on the dock, and the wait can run 90 minutes.
The city pays Water Taxi $255,000 a year to run the trolley from 10 in the morning to 10 at night. Commissioners havenât decided anything yet, but they are talking about charging people who donât live in Fort Lauderdale, possibly as soon as early next year. Mayor Dean Trantalis suggested a fare above $2 and below $10. Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen wants residents to keep riding free, and heâd like to see how many visitors still ride once they pay before the city spends another $255,000 a year on a second boat.
~ Source: Sun Sentinel, Sep 19
So... You Think You Know South Florida
You probably already know⌠Panthers fans are famous for throwing plastic rats on the ice.
What you might not know is⌠why. And how that crazy tradition started.
Before the home opener in October 1995, a rat ran across the Panthersâ cramped locker room at the old Miami Arena. Players jumped into their stalls. Scott Mellanby grabbed his stick and one-timed it into the wall. That night he scored two goals with the same stick in a 4-3 win over Calgary, and goalie John Vanbiesbrouck told reporters it was the first ârat trickâ in NHL history. A few days later an equipment manager bought a rubber rat at a Halloween shop and set it up where the real one died. The next time Mellanby scored, a rubber rat hit the ice.
The Panthers open their home season next Saturday, Oct 10, against the Minnesota Wild.
Source: NHL.com
More Treats To Try
We donât let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Hereâs who âmade the cutâ this week:
Childrenâs Business Fair UPDATE: For supporters and participants. Next Fair is Saturday, December 5th at MODS. Registrations opening soon. Watch here for the updates. We always have a waitlist so register early.
If you have been looking for music lessons to start the school year, Thoven is an online music academy founded in South Florida, where we help families find 1:1 music lessons that fit their kid and their schedule, from home. We work with a hand-picked, vetted network of teachers, including musicians and educators from schools like The Juilliard School and Berklee College of Music. If youâd like a personalized match, you can reach out to keri@thoven.co to talk to our head of music education.
The run of The Odyssey at MODS is now over. But the must-see shows keep rolling. See Digger at the AutoNation IMAX at MODS. Synopsis: The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanityâs savior before the disaster heâs unleashed destroys everything.
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Quote Of The Week
âI really embraced America up there like I never had before, and I think I finally felt like I was home in some way.â
Richard Blanco, the Cuban-American poet who grew up in Miami, on reading his poem at the 2013 presidential inauguration. (Fresh Air, NPR)
Flotsam & Jetsam
At our Acton school, every single day we talk about or reference the Heroâs Journey as THE myth that powers our growth and identity.
Hereâs a fun new online tool.
Before we mapped continents, we mapped the cosmos. Every culture across history has told a story about how everything startedâwhether out of primordial waters, a shattered cosmic egg, or the branches of a world tree.
A Map of Origin Myths brings these foundational stories together in an interactive world map. It tracks how humanity has imagined the birth of the universe, the Earth, and ourselves across time and geography.
The sheer depth of the tool is staggering. You can:
Filter by core themes: Trace specific creation archetypes across continents.
Travel through time: See how myths evolved and overlapped through human history.
Follow lineages: Uncover the hidden relationships and shared threads connecting distant cultural traditions.
Pick an idea that intrigues you, jump in, and let your curiosity guide the way.
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And if you want to truly pleasing waste of five minutes, try out Iceberger. Draw the shape of your ice berg and then watch what happens as it settles into the water. It is surprisingly satisfying.
Word Play Of The Week
âHat trick.â
In hockey it means one player scoring three goals in one game. The phrase started in cricket in 1879, for a bowler who took three wickets on three straight balls, and spread to other sports, hockey most of all, around 1909.
The story goes that the bowlerâs club gave him a new hat, or passed a hat around for him, though nobody has proven which. Mellanby came up one goal short of a hat trick that night in 1995, which is why his goalie called it a rat trick. ~ âSource
âUnder-The-Radarâ Openings Job Board
Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe thereâs one for you or a friend?
Lorikeet Attendant at Butterfly World, Coconut Creek. $15 an hour and up, full or part time. You spend the day feeding and caring for the lorikeets visitors line up to hold.
Diver to Clean Yacht Hulls, Fort Lauderdale. Paid by the day to clean and inspect boats from underwater.
Assistant Dive Coach at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex, next to the Swimming Hall of Fame. $16.40 to $26.94 an hour, part time. Applications close Friday at 5pm.
Certified Horticulture Tech at Flamingo Gardens, Davie. From $21 an hour, caring for the grounds of a garden and wildlife sanctuary that dates to 1927.
Groundskeeper, Port Everglades, Broward County. $16.40 to $26.17 an hour, full time, keeping the grounds inside the cruise and cargo port.
Tailor or Seamstress for a one-person alterations shop, Pompano Beach. She measures and marks each piece, and you sew on your own schedule for half of what she charges.
Do you have a listing you would like to place here for next week? Hit reply and let us know.
Lastly⌠One Big Idea For Your Week
What do you do that helps you stop and reflect?
Tell Us How We Are Doing
Every week we are working to make #H!L better for you and to provide a cutting-edge media apprenticeship opportunity for our learners.
Please share your feedback. What do you love? What could we do better FOR YOU? What FTL businesses and experiences should we be highlighting?