By Casey Kendall
This article was updated on January 30, 2023
African-American communities and culture are core to the identity of Greater Miami & Miami Beach, and Black History Month is an excellent time to explore historical sites and immerse yourself in vibrant contemporary music, food, dance and art. These are some of the best cultural events during Black History Month.
Heritage Fest 2023: Black Resistance
February 4, 2023
Get in on the excitement at Heritage Fest 2023 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.
Heritage Fest 2023: Black Resistance brings together local performance and visual artists in a family-friendly celebration of Miami’s Black heritage at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Vendor booths, live performances, dancing and DJ jams will be outdoors on the Arsht Center’s Thompson Plaza of the Arts from 3 to 7 p.m., and indoor activities will be held in the center’s Peacock Foundation Studio.
Black History Month Celebration – Frost Studio Jazz Band
February 7, 2023
Don’t miss art featuring African American subjects at the Lowe Art Museum.
The University of Miami’s Frost School of Music presents Etienne Charles and the Frost Studio Jazz Band in a celebration of the iconic Black contributions to the cultural landscape of the Americas. The event will commemorate key moments in the history of the movement. While you’re on campus, don’t miss “Charles White: A Little Higher,” a solo exhibit of nearly 50 years of White’s drawings and paintings at the Lowe Art Museum through Feb. 25.
Transatlantic Conversations: Black Renaissance Pianism Across The Pond
February 8, 2023
Musicologist and pianist Samantha Ege will appear with the New World Symphony in a performance and discussion of memorable piano-centric music by influential Black composers. The event is called Transatlantic Conversations: Black Renaissance Pianism across the Pond. It will be held at the New World Center at 7:30 p.m. The event is part of the symphony’s I Dream A World: The Harlem Renaissance in Europe, a festival with several events running through Feb. 15.
Black History Gala: “Loving The Culture”
February 10, 2023
Don’t miss Pérez Art Museum Miami’s Art + Soul Gala, photo by Angel Valentin.
Elegant dining and dancing are on the menu at the formal Black History Gala: “Loving the Culture” at The Creative Spot in North Miami Beach.
Art + Soul 10th Anniversary
February 11, 2023
Art + Soul at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) celebrates the 10th anniversary of the PAMM Fund for Black Art with an evening including cocktails and a seated dinner, followed by dancing under the stars with live entertainment. Actor and activist Jesse Williams will be honored, and a new work for the collection will be revealed.
Black History Movie Month: “Hidden Figures”
February 17, 2023
The cast of Hidden Figures.
See a free screening of the Oscar-nominated movie “Hidden Figures,” which tells the story of three female African-American mathematicians at NASA during the Cold War “space race,” at the Miami Beach Regional Library at 3 p.m.
Black History Gospel Music Brunch & Awards
February 18, 2023
The Miami Dade Alliance of Gospel Music Professionals will present its 6th annual Black History Gospel Music Brunch & Awards at 9 a.m. at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens.
Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival
February 23-26, 2023
Celebrate the best in Miami jazz.
Professional jazz musicians are joined by music students from middle school through college at the Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival Weekend at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater in Historic Overtown. This year’s festival is dedicated to the late Zakiyyah Mustafa and the late Melton Mustafa Sr. The lineup hasn’t yet been announced; past headliners included Herbie Mann, Etienne Charles, Curtis Lundy and Kirk Whalum.
Soul Vegan Food Festival
February 24-26, 2023
The party is on the beach when the Soul Vegan Food Festival takes over the sand at Ocean Drive between 6th and 7th streets in Miami Beach. The festival celebrates plant-based food and wellness. Dance to live music, shop the vendor tents and see Black vegan chefs and culinary personalities.
AfriKin Art 2023 – The Gaze Africana Exhibition
Through February 28
International Black artists and creatives are featured in AfriKin Art: The Gaze Africana at the Scott Galvin Community Center in North Miami. The fine arts exhibit is part of a series of Black History Month activities throughout February that includes dance, music, spoken word and other presentations.
Pastel houses at Virginia Key Beach Park
Explore the nature & history on a Historic Virginia Key Beach Park tour.
Historic Virginia Key Beach Park Eco-History Tours
Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday through February
Explore the nature & history on a Historic Virginia Key Beach Park tour.
Take a free eco-history tour at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, one of the few beaches that were open to Miami’s African American community during segregation. Now it’s a protected park on the National Register of Historic Places.
