Miami Beach has six events on its calendar from Friday, Oct. 23, through Sunday, Oct. 25, and five of them cost nothing. A night of ghost stories and shadow puppets takes over the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, Normandy Fountain throws its seventh Day of the Dead salsa party, guitarist John Scofield brings a new fusion band to the North Beach Bandshell, and Sunday closes with free admission at The Bass and a free Afro-Puerto Rican music festival on Collins Avenue. Here is the weekend, in order, with times, addresses and what each one costs.

Friday: Folklore and Foliage at the Botanical Garden

The Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive, stays open after dark on Friday, Oct. 23, from 6 to 11 p.m. for an evening of oddities, art and Florida lore. Books & Books is bringing author Thomas Smith to share stories from his new book, The Ghosts of the Florida Atlantic Coast. Artist Christina Pettersson is staging a shadow puppet performance built for the garden itself, and local musician Bruno Esposito of Lone Wolf One Man Band plays live.

Between those, the garden is screening vintage film of South Florida Halloween celebrations from the 1950s through the 1970s, along with old news segments on local places said to be haunted, all from Miami Dade College's Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives. Vendors will sell dark art and curiosities, there are astrology and tarot readings, and a poet will type personalized poems on a vintage typewriter. Admission is free; the garden asks guests to register through its Eventbrite page.

Saturday morning: pumpkins on Lincoln Road

On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Euclid Oval at 660 Lincoln Road becomes a free pumpkin decorating station under the Euclid Folly, with face painting for kids. The first 300 children to arrive get a mini pumpkin to decorate and take home, so families who want one should plan to be there near the start.

Saturday evening: Day of the Dead at Normandy Fountain

North Beach's Normandy Fountain Plaza, 7802 Rue Vendome, holds its 7th Annual Day of the Dead Salsa Party on Saturday. From 6 to 7 p.m. kids can trick-or-treat around the plaza and compete for prizes. At 7 p.m. the salsa party starts, with a live set from singer Paula Zuleta and her band. The Normandy Fountain Business Association puts it on, and it is free.

Saturday night: John Scofield's Electrospective at the Bandshell

A few blocks away, the Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., hosts three-time Grammy winner John Scofield on Saturday night. His new project, Electrospective, revisits the funk and jazz fusion tunes from his Blue Matter, Uberjam and A Go Go era bands, plus new material written in the same style. The band is drummer and producer Adam Deitch of Lettuce, keyboardist Larry Goldings, and bassist Oteil Burbridge, known from Dead & Company, the Tedeschi Trucks Band and the Allman Brothers Band.

Doors open at 7 p.m. and the music starts at 8 p.m. The show is all ages, and tickets are sold through the Bandshell's website. The venue is open air under a canopy and plays rain or shine. Parking at the municipal lot across the street at 73rd Street and Collins Avenue now costs $2 an hour; when it fills, look for street parking.

Sunday afternoon: free day at The Bass

The Bass Museum of Art, 2100 Collins Ave., is free to everyone all day on Sunday, Oct. 25, the last Sunday of the month. From 2 to 4 p.m. its Family Day programming runs in the Creativity Center, and this month's theme, Masked Marvels, is presented with Miami City Ballet. Kids will build their own masks inspired by artist Gabriel Rico's work in the museum, then can take a scavenger hunt guide through the galleries. Materials are provided.

Sunday evening: the Festival de Bomba y Plena

The weekend ends back at the Bandshell, where the third Festival de Bomba y Plena runs from 4 to 10 p.m. on Sunday. It celebrates Afro-Puerto Rican music and dance, with performances by D'Pleneros, Los Capullitos de Alelí, JACAREO and Miamibloco, artisan vendors, and an open bombazo where the audience is invited to join in. The festival is produced by Afro Borinken Roots Performing Group, which says it has drawn more than 1,000 people each year since it began in 2024. Admission is free.

Plan your weekend

  • Folklore and Foliage: Fri., Oct. 23, 6 to 11 p.m., Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Dr. Free with registration.
  • Pumpkin Decorating Workshop: Sat., Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Euclid Oval, 660 Lincoln Rd. Free; mini pumpkins for the first 300 kids.
  • Day of the Dead Salsa Party: Sat., Oct. 24, trick-or-treating 6 p.m., salsa 7 p.m., Normandy Fountain Plaza, 7802 Rue Vendome. Free.
  • John Scofield's Electrospective: Sat., Oct. 24, doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m., Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave. Tickets through the Bandshell.
  • The Bass Family Day: Sun., Oct. 25, free admission all day, family activities 2 to 4 p.m., 2100 Collins Ave.
  • Festival de Bomba y Plena: Sun., Oct. 25, 4 to 10 p.m., Miami Beach Bandshell. Free.

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