Thursday, October 15th, 2026 - Hispanic Heritage Month closes out with the Panthers' Vamos Gatos night tonight, and this weekend the Las Olas Art Fair and Pompano's Caribbean Fest land on the same Saturday. The city turned on a new water plant this morning. Flamingo Gardens spends next weekend on Dia de los Muertos, and a secret speakeasy on Las Olas is throwing a prom from hell.đđđ
Stuff You Wonât Want To Miss This Week:
â TOP PICK THIS WEEK: Saturday and Sunday - 10am-5pm | 39th Annual Las Olas Art Fair on East Las Olas Blvd. Painters, sculptors, photographers, jewelers, and glass and ceramic artists line both sides of the street for two full days, free to walk through and talk with the artists.
Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night this month - 5:30-9:30pm | Carrie at Room 901, the hidden speakeasy inside the Hyatt Centric Las Olas. A 1970s-themed prom night built around the filmâs 50th anniversary, inside a Prohibition-style bar most people donât know is in the hotel. Reservation only.
TODAY - 4-5pm | Spooky Slime at the Main Library. Children will be instructed on how to make slime with basic ingredients and able to take their creation home with them.
TONIGHT - 5:30-7:30pm | Yappy Hour at The Dog Spot, Huizenga Park. Free weekly dog social with DogDrop, plus treats and tips on canine enrichment.
TONIGHT - doors 7pm | Toadies: The Charmer Tour at Revolution Live. With Local H and Emily Wolfe. All ages, $41.50.
TONIGHT - 8pm | Def Leppard at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. âPour Some Sugar on Meâ and âRock of Agesâ from the band thatâs sold more than 110 million albums. From $75.
TONIGHT - 7pm | Vamos Gatos Night: Canucks vs. Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. The Panthers close Hispanic Heritage Month with their own themed night.
Friday - 6-9pm | Old Townâs Backyard Jam in Old Town Pompano, behind Bailey Contemporary Arts. Relentless plays 80s, 90s, and current dance hits. Free.
Friday Night - 7-10pm | Carter Park Jamz at Joseph C. Carter Park, 1450 W Sunrise Blvd. Free outdoor concert; bring chairs, blankets, and a cooler.
Friday and Saturday - 8pm | ICONS: Latin Rhythms at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Migguel Anggelo leads a band through RubĂ©n Blades and Oscar DâLeĂłn songs and original mashups, with the audience invited to sing and clap along.
Friday Night - 8pm | The Rhinestone Cowgirls at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, NSU, Davie. Three vocalists cover Patsy Cline through Carrie Underwood, with Sarah McCulloch opening.
Friday Night - 8-9:30pm | Incompleta de Paula Arcila at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. A Spanish-language solo show about motherhood and never being enough, told through four characters. $53+.
Friday Night - 7:30pm | Journey: Final Frontier Tour at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. Def Leppard and Journey in one week? Welcome back to peak 80âs.
Friday through Monday - times vary by day | SW Ranches Pumpkin Patch Festival at Southwest Ranches Sanctuary Park. Carnival rides, a pumpkin patch, an inflatable fun zone, a bubble station, and DJ line-dancing. $33 for ages 3 and up.
Saturday - doors 3:30pm | Snail Mail at Revolution Live, with Soccer Mommy.
Saturday 10am to 2pm | Brazilian Festival at Quiet Waters Park. Brazilian music, food and cultural festivities in Deerfield Beach.
Saturday - 1940 Harrison St, Hollywood | Hollywood ArtWalk. SFLCM students and instructors play live during the monthly gallery walk. Free, all ages.
Saturday Night - 7pm | Bassem Youssef: The Belly of the Beast Tour at Lillian S. Wells Hall, The Parker. He hosted Al Bernameg, the first political satire show in the Middle East, which drew 30 million viewers a week. 18+.
Saturday Night - 6pm | Pink in the Rink: Kraken vs. Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. A Breast Cancer Awareness Month home game.
Saturday Afternoon - 12-4pm | 10th Annual Riverwalk Fall Festival at Esplanade Park. Free; food trucks, seasonal vendors, pumpkin painting, games, the same afternoon as the art fair a few blocks away.
Saturday Night - 5-10pm | Pompano Beach Caribbean Fest at Community Park. Free; Farmer Nappy and KLASS headline, with Paul Anthony & the Reggae Soulijahs and Reggae Force opening.
Saturday and Sunday - 9:30am-4:30pm | Harvest Festival Weekends: Dia de los Muertos Weekend at Flamingo Gardens, Davie. This weekendâs theme is Dia de los Muertos: costumes, face painting, hayrides, and mini Highland cows. $24 ages 12+, $17 ages 3-11, free under 3.
Saturday and Sunday - 9am-5pm | Parkland Pumpkin Patch at the Equestrian Center, Temple Park. Free and open to everyone; hayrides, food trucks, a petting zoo, face painting, inflatables, and arts and crafts for children. Pumpkins and food sold separately.
Saturday - two sessions, 12-2pm and 3-5pm | Thrills & Chills at the Coral Springs Gymnasium. Halloween games, crafts, and a sensory-friendly session for children. $5 advance, $8 at the door.
Saturday - 2pm | Artifacts, Tribal Antiques and Collectibles from Auctions 4 America, Tamarac. An online auction spanning Fiji, Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and ancient Egypt: an antique Fijian war club, Pre-Columbian Tairona gold beads, a Mayan jade effigy pendant.
Sunday - 5pm | Two Piano Extravaganza: Six Pianists in One Evening at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. The Miami International Piano Festival pairs six pianists across Mozart, Debussy, Barber, Gershwin, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel.
Sunday Night - 6:30pm | $uicideboy$: Grey Day 2026 at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise.
Sunday Night - 5-9pm | NoBe Sunday Block Party at Fishtales On 33rd. A weekly outdoor music and street festival in the North Beach neighborhood. Free.
Sunday Afternoon - 3-5pm | FGO SongFest - First Sing at First Presbyterian Church. The first Studio Artist Concert of the season from Florida Grand Operaâs 2026-27 Studio Artist Program.
Sunday - noon | The Grand Exhibition: Decorative Arts from Lion and Unicorn, Hollywood. A 401-lot British ceramics auction built around Royal Doulton Bunnykins prototypes, trial colorways that never reached production, alongside Wedgwood, Moorcroft, and Meissen.
Tuesday Night - 7:30pm | The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA at Wells Hall, The Parker. Recognized by the Official ABBA Fan Club as the best ABBA tribute band in the world.
Wednesday Morning - 10am | Mister C Vol. 3: When Science Goes Viral at Lillian S. Wells Hall, The Parker. A live-experiment science show built for children in grades 2 to 5. Lap tickets $3 for children 12 months and under.
Wednesday Night - 7:30pm | Live Dead & Brothers at Wells Hall, The Parker. A tribute ensemble with actual and legacy members of the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers families.
Wednesday Night - 6:30-8pm | Think and Drink Trivia at New River Landing, Huizenga Park.
Wednesday Night - 6pm | Community Bingo Night at the E. Pat Larkins Center, Pompano Beach. Free, ages 18+.
Wednesday - Revolution Live | EsDeeKid.
Wednesday - 11am-1pm | FRIENDS Presents: More Than Exhibits at NSU Art Museum. A fundraising lunch where the museumâs Education Curator walks through its learning programs.
SAVE THE DATES for Next Week
Thursday, Oct 22 - 4:30-6:30pm | Bark the Vote & Costume Parade at Colohatchee Dog Park, Wilton Manors. Dogs in costume parade for Dog Mayor candidates. Free.
Thursday, Oct 22 - 6-8pm | Oldies Music Singo & Dance Show at the Herb Skolnick Center, Pompano Beach. $9 covers cards, refreshments, and prizes, then dancing.
Friday, Oct 23 - 7:30pm | The Wilburys, A Traveling Tribute at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. $45+.
Friday, Oct 23 - 7pm | Teddy Swims: The Ugly Tour at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise.
Friday through Sunday, Oct 23-25 - hours vary by night | Nightmare Village at Xtreme Action Park. Two haunted houses, including Patchesâ Slaughter at Ravenswood. $45 this weekend. Not recommended for children under 13.
Saturday, Oct 24 - 4-9pm | Boo Bash at Community Park, Pompano Beach. Free admission; a Toddler Zone, a petting zoo, hay rides, and face painting.
Saturday, Oct 24 - 6-11pm | Red Gala 2026 at Pier Sixty-Six. Goo Goo Dolls headline this charity gala benefiting Joe DiMaggio Childrenâs Hospital Foundation.
Saturday, Oct 24 - 6-10pm | Margateâs Fall Festival at Margate Sports Complex. Free; a haunted house, pony rides, contests, and craft and food vendors.
Saturday, Oct 24 - 6pm-2am | Hollyweird Festival on Hollywood Blvd between 19th and 20th Ave. Free admission; drink specials.
Saturday, Oct 24 - 7pm | Sombr at Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise.
Sunday, Oct 25 - 3-7pm | Horse & Hound Costume Event at Sand & Spurs Equestrian Park, Pompano Beach. Costumed dogs and horses, hayrides, a photo booth, food trucks, and a bounce house for children.
Sunday, Oct 25 - 12-5pm | Free Fort Lauderdale Neighbor Day at NSU Art Museum. Free admission for Fort Lauderdale residents, the last Sunday of every month.
Sunday, Oct 25 - 2pm | December â63: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Tribute at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. $45+.
Sunday, Oct 25 - 8pm | Brand New at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood.
Our Ask: This week has a Panthers Hispanic Heritage night, a 401-lot auction built around Bunnykins prototypes, and a Carrie-themed prom inside a secret speakeasy. Reply GATOS, BUNNYKINS, or PROM: which one are you most tempted by?
Featured Fort Lauderdale
The Cityâs New Water Plant Just Opened, For Real This Time
Fort Lauderdale held a ribbon-cutting this morning for the Prospect Lake Clean Water Center, a $666 million project at 3501 West Prospect Road. The plant uses nanofiltration and ion exchange and can produce up to 50 million gallons of water a day.
It replaces the Fiveash plant, which has been running since 1954, back when the whole city was a fraction of todayâs size. Fiveash is named for Charles W. Fiveash, the water superintendent from 1941 to 1954, and the city only bought the land under it that same year, from the old Twin Lakes Heights Water Company. Prospect Lake Clean Water Center · City of Fort Lauderdale
So... You Think You Know South Florida
You probably already know⊠because you read it above, Fort Lauderdale just opened a $666 million water plant.
What you might not know is⊠the plant itâs replacing, Fiveash, has been running since 1954, back when the whole city was a fraction of todayâs size.
Fiveash is named for Charles W. Fiveash, the cityâs water superintendent from 1941 to 1954. The city only bought the land the plant sits on that same year, from the old Twin Lakes Heights Water Company. Itâs a lime-softening plant, a different process than the nanofiltration and ion exchange the new Prospect Lake plant uses.
End result - no more yellow tinted water when you run your bath.
Source: City of Fort Lauderdale
More Treats To Try
We donât let just anyone sponsor this newsletter. Hereâs who âmade the cutâ this week:
Childrenâs Business Fair Registrations are NOW OPEN and filling up fast! Looks like it is going to be a great event the first Saturday in December.
SAVE THIS DATE: Sunday, November 8th - the first Families Serving Fort Lauderdale. Once a month, on a Sunday morning, we will partner with a different local nonprofit to learn about the important work they do and then roll up our sleeves (parents and children) for a meaningful, hands-on volunteer project. The goal is to help children develop a lifelong commitment to giving back, discover the joy of helping others, and see firsthand how they can make a difference in our community.
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.
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Just hit reply to this email to get started. Work with us to reach over 1500+ Greater Fort Lauderdale families.
Quote Of The Week
âMan is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.â
~ Oscar Wilde, from his 1890 essay âThe Critic as Artist,â
This week full of costume parties so it seems apropos to pick the words of speculation about what it really happening when we don the masks.
Flotsam & Jetsam
This weekâs F&J was picked specifically for several our âbuildersâ at Acton. We have a group of younger learners who, give them a bucket of LEGOS or sheets of paper, and they will go to town creating vehicles from the future.
So I thought it would be fun to show them examples of just how much creativity can be expressed in cardboard.
Iâve been following Cardboard Adventures online for several years now because Samual Wilde and team⊠are just amazing! You have to see these creations. Plus, you can buy kits and plans so you can get in on the action too.
Hereâs a little teaser but checkout the full YouTube channel to see the full array of awesomeness.
Word Play Of The Week
âTrick or treat.â
Why do we still say that all these years?
The phrase is newer than the custom behind it: the earliest print use on record is a Canadian paper in 1917, with the U.S. picking it up by 1928. It traces further back to "souling," the poor going door to door for cakes in exchange for prayers for the dead, and to "guising," going door to door in disguise for food or coins. ~ âSource
âUnder-The-Radarâ Openings Job Board
Lots of folks offering cool positions here locally. Maybe thereâs one for you or a friend?
Boat Captain at Water Taxi of Fort Lauderdale. A 100-ton or greater captainâs license, a TWIC card, and an FCC license are required. Youâd be driving the same boats readers ride on the Sunset Music Cruise.
Nitrogen Ice Cream Specialist, Lauderhill. Part time, pay to be discussed. A short, odd listing: whoever answers it needs to actually know how to make liquid-nitrogen ice cream.
Zoo Keeper / Farm Worker / Animal Entertainer, Davie. $16/hr as a 1099 contractor. You feed and clean up after a menagerie, then drive the animals to schools, camps, and festivals for educational visits.
Donut Baker at Glazed and Fueled, Coral Springs. Starting $30 to $35 an hour, up to $45 to $50 with experience. Shifts start as early as midnight, mixing and frying dough before the sun comes up.
Marine Canvas Shop Helper, Pompano Beach. Pay commensurate with experience, 40 hours plus overtime after a 90-day trial. You learn the marine canvas trade from the ground up, measuring and fitting covers on boats.
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
They say, the cave we fear to enter holds the treasure we most seek. Where is fear holding you back this week?
Tell Us How We Are Doing
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