Other Fun Stuff

Let’s Build It Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) is a week of fun and creativity that also addresses the critical need for life skills, self-awareness, and informed decision-making among youth. All attendees will receive community service hours. This program equips our youth with the tools to think critically, build healthy relationships, and develop leadership skills—using the arts as a foundational medium for self-expression and learning. Designed for youth ages 13-18, YEP is currently a 6 day program. Each session integrates expert-led discussions with artistic activities to reinforce key life lessons. • The Power of Image & Family: Exploring self-perception, media influence, and positive storytelling through photography, drawing, & Videography. • Community Relationship Building & Philanthropy: Strengthening connections at home and in the community through poetry. • Finance, Mental & Physical Health: Teaching financial literacy, wellness, and self-care through painting and drawing. • Leadership & Civic Engagement: Developing leadership skills and civic awareness through music and dance. • Education, Career, Entrepreneurship & AI: Exploring career paths and entrepreneurship through sculpting and graphic design. The program wraps up with a public art exhibition, where participants showcase their creative expressions, engage with family and community members, and celebrate their growth.

Get ready for an unforgettable weekend at the Summer Fruit Festival—a vibrant celebration of everything that makes summer in South Florida so special! Held at the beautiful Fruit & Spice Park, this festival showcases the bountiful harvest of local agriculture and tropical fruits that thrive in the summer months. Join us as we bring together the best of Miami’s local vendors, offering an array of delicious tropical cuisine, unique arts & crafts, and a variety of tropical fruit trees for you to take home. Whether you're looking to discover new flavors, find the perfect handmade gift, or enhance your garden with exotic plants, there’s something for everyone at this exciting event. But that's not all! Throughout the day, we’ll host educational workshops where you can learn about everything from sustainable farming to the health benefits of tropical fruits. Plus, enjoy live music that will set the perfect vibe for a fun-filled day with family and friends. The kids will have a blast too! We’ve got a variety of lawn games to keep the little ones entertained while you explore the festival. And, of course, don’t miss out on the chance to participate in our famous watermelon eating contest—a must for every festival-goer. With so much to see, taste, and experience, the Summer Fruit Festival is the perfect way to embrace the joys of summer. Bring your family, friends, and neighbors for an exciting day of fresh flavors, entertainment, and local treasures!

MANSION OF DREAMS is the crowning achievement of the award-winning master illusionist Rick Thomas. Stunning magic, hilarious comedy, exquisite dancers and an inspiring story are woven into one of the most amazing productions ever to be seen onstage and on television!

Join Cheryl Gowing from the University Libraries, in partnership with UThrift, for a hands-on opportunity to transform your used t-shirts into functional and fun carry-all totes. Bring a much-loved, but no longer worn t-shirt, a festival or concert tee you want to remember, something grandma brought you from her vacation, or take your pick from one of the t-shirts donated by UThrift. Leave with a tote bag, and save one more item of fast fashion from the landfill!

Join Johnny Lamb Jr., a maintenance mechanic at the University of Miami who earned a Certificate of Apprenticeship in Horticulture and Landscape from the United States Department of Labor, for an insightful presentation on bonsai trees. Discover the art, history, and science behind bonsai tree cultivation, including species selection, pruning, wiring, soil, and watering essentials. Learn strategies to tackle pests, prevent diseases, and ensure proper care. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned gardener, this session will inspire and guide your bonsai journey.

Craft vibrant and delicious fruit kabobs while exploring the nutritional perks of eating a rainbow on a budget! In this hands-on session led by Dr. Rhonda Trust, a lecturer in the University of Miami School of Communication, participants will assemble colorful, nutritious kabobs. Discover the health benefits of vibrant fruits and gain practical tips for preparing budget-friendly meals with ease. This interactive workshop combines a guided demonstration with creative kabob-making, sparking conversations about balanced diets, nutritional literacy, and culinary creativity. Health in the Hood will provide the fruits and kabob supplies.

Climate change is an existential threat, but Mary Benton of Bound by Beauty will show how you can fight back through gardening. By cultivating native plants, you can create a haven for wildlife, reduce your carbon footprint, conserve water, and protect essential pollinators. Discover the transformative power of butterflies to inspire community connections, nurture nature, and combat climate change—plus, enjoy the bonus of beautiful songbirds!

Join Dr. Christopher A. Searcy, professor and director of Graduate Studies, and Ph.D. candidate Aidan O’Brien, both from the Conservation Ecology Lab at the University of Miami, for an engaging presentation on the complex stressors that are contributing to the global decline of amphibians. The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander, a federally endangered species in California, is threatened by habitat loss, human activity, and rising sea levels. Despite federal protection, gaps in ecological knowledge persist. The Conservation Lab’s research focuses on larval habitats and post-metamorphic behavior, offering critical insights for effective conservation efforts.

Join us in celebrating Earth Day with a beach yoga session followed by a marine debris clean-up at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park! Amazing community organizations will be joining, and there will be food (provided by PLANTA), refreshments, music, and more!

Join us in the Kislak Center at the University of Miami for the inaugural presentation of the Kislak Talks series. The event will feature an engaging conversation with Dr. Miguel Valerio and Dr. Daniel Arbino about Valerio’s recent publication, “Sovereign Joy: Afro-Mexican Kings and Queens, 1539-1640.” “Sovereign Joy” explores the performance of festive Black kings and queens among Afro-Mexicans between 1539 and 1640. This fascinating study illustrates how the first African and Afro-Creole people in colonial Mexico transformed their ancestral culture into a shared Afro-Mexican identity. It particularly focuses on how participation in public festivals expressed their culture and subjectivities, while also redefining their colonial condition and social standing. By analyzing this previously understudied aspect of Afro-Mexican Catholic confraternities in both literary texts and visual culture, Dr. Valerio reveals the deeply ambivalent and contradictory meanings behind public processions and festivities, which often re-inscribed structures of race and hierarchy. Were these festivities markers of Catholic subjecthood, and what types of corporate structures did they create to project standing and respectability? “Sovereign Joy” examines many of these possibilities and, in the process, highlights the central role of Africans and their descendants in colonial culture. Through performance, Afro-Mexicans affirmed their existence: the sovereignty of joy and the joy of sovereignty. The presentation will conclude with a question and answer session with the audience. This event is presented in partnership with the Museum of Art and Design at Miami Dade College.