Delray restaurants offer deep discounts, Island City Stage salutes its shorts, and the Warped Tour calls it quits. Plus, a Prince tribute, Indie Craft Bazaar, Hippiefest and more in your week ahead.
WEDNESDAY
What: Opening day of Delray Restaurant Week
Where: Downtown Delray Beach restaurants
When: Lunch and dinner
Cost: Varies per restaurant and time
Contact: 561/243-1077, downtowndelraybeach.com
Delray’s restaurants are the envy of the rest of South Florida, and now that the snowbirds have migrated northward, they are all ours to enjoy. The Avenue isn’t as clogged, tables are bountiful and reservations are often unnecessary. And to sweeten the deal for local foodies, our finest establishments will be offering discounts for one week only at the third-annual Downtown Delray Beach Restaurant Week. Always wanted to try Prime but your wallet isn’t as fat as the steaks? Now’s your chance to sample the city’s best gastronomy on a budget: This year, local standbys like Dada, 50 Ocean, Deck 84, The Office, Salt7 and many other restaurants will offer three-course prix fixe lunches for $20 and under, and three-course prix fixe dinners for $40 and under. No passes or coupons are required; just show up hungry. It all gets underway at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday with a cocktail class at Death or Glory; for $35, learn how to make seasonal twists on five classic cocktails.
THURSDAY
What: Opening night of “Shorts Gone Wild 6”
Where: Island City Stage, 2304 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $35
Contact: 954/519-2533, islandcitystage.org
It’s summer, which means it’s time for another raucous edition of Island City Stage’s signature collection of brand-new 10-minute plays, performed by a versatile cast of six. Local and national playwrights contributed seven new works to this year’s edition, a co-production with City Theatre; befitting Island City’s mission, the works will cater to the LGBTQ+ and progressive communities, and will run a gamut from romance to comedy to political commentary. We’re certainly intrigued by some of the titles on the docket, like Miranda R. Hall’s “What Happened at the Dolphin Show,” Rich Orloff’s “Defenders of the Tender Gender Bender” and R. Eric Thomas’ “When You Put it Like That It Just Sounds Ridiculous.” Catch the production through Aug. 26.
FRIDAY
What: Purple Madness: A Tribute to Prince
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/393-7700, mizneramp.com
Arguably the top Prince tribute act in the Southeastern United States, Purple Madness is led by charismatic frontman Bobby Miller, a vocally gifted avatar of paisley and purple. As a Prince impersonator, Miller is dead-on accurate, to the point that you’re basically watching the man himself, reincarnated in puffy shirts, feather boas and round sunglasses. His full stage show includes dancers and musicians with more than 100 years of combined experience, tackling stratospheric pop hits from “Little Red Corvette” to “When Doves Cry” to “1999.” The best part? Since it’s included in Mizner’s Summer in the City Series, it’s free. As always, blankets and chairs are welcome.
What: Opening night of “Damsel”
Where: Savor Cinema, 503 S.E. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $8-$12
Contact: 954/525-3456, fliff.com
You’d have to look back all the way to “Blazing Saddles” and “Cat Ballou” to find anything close to a precedent for “Damsel,” a Western comedy that celebrates and upends the conventions of its often-serious genre. Writer-directors David and Nathan Zellner bring a slapstick tone to this meandering Wild West tale of a protagonist who searches the frontier for his one true love, while towing a miniature horse; Penelope, the object of his affections; Henry, a drunkard in need of a reboot; and the obligatory villain named Rufus, who has a mean hankering for buckskin. Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska and Robert Forster star in this feature, shot for just $105,000, and fresh off its Sundance success in January. It runs through Aug. 9.
SUNDAY
Every Time I Die
What: Vans Warped Tour
Where: Coral Sky Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach
When: 11 a.m.
Cost: $45-$55
Contact: 561/795-8883, livenation.com
I suppose it had to end sometime. The Vans Warped Tour, which has fed mostly young audiences a steady diet of punk, metal, hardcore, rap and alternative music since 1996, made headlines earlier this year when it announced its final cross-country jaunt. The music festival that gave then-up-and-coming acts like Katy Perry, Eminem, M.I.A., Fall Out Boy and Deftones their first major festival gigs is hanging up its shoelaces, and it’s reallyending here in South Florida: This Sunday marks the final show of the final tour. Yes, it’s sad, but put the hankies away and slam-dance: That’s how founder Kevin Lyman would like it. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so, with an all-day lineup of Warped luminaries past and present, including Reel Big Fish, Simple Plan, Twiztid, Mayday Parade, The Maine, 3Oh!3 and Every Time I Die.
What: Indie Craft Bazaar
Where: Revolution Live, 100 S.W. Third St., Fort Lauderdale
When: Noon to 5 p.m.
Cost: $5
Contact: 954/785-7475, indiecraftbazaar.com
This longtime showcase and sale for local artisans describes itself as “like stepping into a real-life Etsy.” More than 65 local vendors will fill both levels of Revolution Live, offering handmade clothing, jewelry, visual art, décor, pottery, collectibles, henna tattoos and much more. Arrive early to get the most bang for your five-buck entry fee: The first 100 attendees receive a swag bag with free goodies and discounts from participating vendors. Stay awhile with a $3 mimosa or locally roasted coffee concoction in hand, and nosh on selections from food trucks and artisan dessert purveyors all day long. And there’s a special for this summer event: Bring a white T-shirt, and Indie Craft Bazaar will provide the materials to make your own tye-dyed creation.
Rick Derringer
What: Hippiefest
Where: Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 6 p.m.
Cost: $47.50-$77.50
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
Boomers, rejoice! It’s been exactly 50 years since the Summer of Love revolutionized American culture and politics, with rock ‘n’ roll groups tripping and strumming at the forefront of the movement. At this annual flower-powered concert tour, four bands who formed amid this generational tumult will perform an evening of their nostalgic hits, including the acid-washed cover artists Vanilla Fudge; Badfinger’s Joey Molland, performing his British rock band’s iconic hits; blues rocker Rick Derringer; and legendary Detroit Wheels frontman Mitch Ryder. Sing along, and pass the provisions.
