The cultural eclipse that is Taylor Swift (even the NFL is not a sanctuary) returns to South Florida on Friday with the nearly three-hour concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.” If you happen to know a Swiftie, you are aware that seats are sold out at many screenings across the region. 

Indeed, according to CNN, AMC Entertainment reported a record $100 million in advance ticket sales for the film. Perhaps driving local enthusiasm is the fact that The Eras Tour did not stop in South Florida — an odd decision Swift reconsidered by adding three performances at Hard Rock Stadium on Oct. 18-20, 2024. Yes, they’re sold out. 

If you are among the legions who have not been able to see Swift perform, the best way to enjoy the spectacle is on an IMAX screen, and there are several opening-night late shows in local theaters with tickets available. At press time, these include Friday’s 10 p.m. show on the IMAX screen at AMC Pembroke Lakes 9, 10:30 p.m. at Paragon Theaters Delray, 10:45 p.m. at the Regal Sawgrass in Sunrise, and 11:15 p.m. at the AMC Aventura 24. For more information, visit and TaylorSwift.com.

FRIDAY

Date night: If you are looking for a soothing spot for dinner this weekend, consider The Katherine in downtown Fort Lauderdale, where amiable James Beard-nominated Chef Timon Balloo has just unveiled a new fall menu. Highlights include preludes such as Local Fish Crudo ($17), with charred onion in a pool of black garlic dashi, and the Burrata & Arugula Salad ($16) warmed by roasted fall squash and toasted pumpkin seeds. For a main course, there is Mom’s Trini Oxtail ($34), partnered with coconut rice and peas, pot vegetables and zesty Haitian pikliz. Close out with a Middle Eastern Tahini Sundae ($12), with kataifi (a sweet and crispy bale of shredded phyllo dough), date syrup and toasted pistachios. Visit TheKatherineRestaurant.com.

Very funny: Comedian and bon vivant Bert Kreischer, still known to some as The Bard of Tallahassee, on Friday concludes his two-night run at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. Tickets for the the 8 p.m. show are available and start at $55+. Visit MyHRL.com

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 25: Bert Kreischer attends the Los Angeles premiere of Sony Pictures' "The Machine" at Regency Village Theatre on May 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Bert Kreischer is not shy. The comedian, seen at the May premiere of his film, “The Machine,” performs at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Friday. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Fearfield Beach: The Cove Brewery in Deerfield Beach, on Friday the 13th, will host the Jason Beach Massacre Party, with slasher flicks, a costume contest (with prizes), new seasonal beers and beats from Spred the Dub. The party runs from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Visit .

Weekend DJ: Producer, DJ and entrepreneur Deadmau5 (one of the more recognizable non-faces in modern music) will perform at DAER Nightclub at the Hard Rock at 10 p.m. Friday. Tickets for the 21-and-older show cost $75+ at HardRockNightlife.com

Beat on the brats: Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Friday hosts the Ramones tribute band Sedated on a bill with Time Bombed, doing music by Rancid.  Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission starts at $15+ at JoinTheRevolution.net.

More laughs: Actor, comedian and Plantation High ex Bret Ernst (“Cobra Kai”) performs for a Comics Crushing Cancer fundraiser in The Paddock Restaurant at the Palm Beach Kennel Club on Friday from 8 to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $50+. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and there’s a two-item minimum. Visit at ComicsCrushingCancer.org. … Emmy-winning talk show host (“The Real”), actor and comedian Loni Love performs at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Dania Improv in Dania Beach. Tickets cost $25+ at DaniaImprov.com.

Local listening: Guitarist and songwriter Raiford Starke will be joined by Davie-based country singer-songwriter Sarah McCulloch (who put out one of 2022’s best local albums with “Sawmiller’s Daughter”) at 8 p.m. Friday at intimate North Miami listening room Luna Star Cafe (775 NE 125th St.). There will be a $10-$15 cover, plus a $15 minimum on food/drink or “camping fee.” Luna Star is cash only. Visit .

Take the kids: This is opening weekend for the Broadway tour of “Annie,” running through Oct. 22 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. Weekend performances are at 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $45+. Fair warning: Seats for Sunday’s matinee are scarce. Visit BrowardCenter.org.

Ice dance: Palm Beach Skate Zone in Lake Worth Beach will host a “Stranger Things” costumed skate party on Friday from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., with skating to period music, games and contests. Admission is $22 (includes skate rental) or $16 if you BYO skates. A similar vibe (costumes, trivia) will take over on Saturday afternoon from 12:30 to 3 p.m. for a Taylor Swift skate party. Tickets cost $19.89 (get it?) and $16. Visit

Take the kids II: The Boca Pumpkin Patch Festival at Mizner Park Amphitheater is now a three-day affair sponsored by Ford. We like pumpkins, I guess. Taking place Friday through Sunday, the seasonal staple features a pumpkin patch with more than 2,500 gourds, carnival rides, a corn maze, food and drink vendors and more. Admission is $27.50 (free for guests younger than 3) and includes unlimited rides. New this year: timed sessions to reduce crowding. Tickets can be purchased for attendance on Friday from 4 to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 4 to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit BocaPumpkinPatch.com.

Sounds of Brazil: Acclaimed Brazilian singer-songwriter Marisa Monte performs at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale at 8 p.m. Friday, joined by special guests Arnaldo Antunes and Vitor Araujo. Tickets start at $79+. Visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.

Cheers to 20 years: Oceans 234, the popular shorefront restaurant (literally on the beach) in Deerfield Beach, begins a 20th anniversary celebration this weekend. Throughout the month, diners will find place cards at each table where they can share favorite memories at the restaurant to win gift cards and have their stories shared on social media. Visitors who purchase a signature cocktail during the month also will receive a commemorative anniversary glass. Visit Oceans234.com.

Hot Cortadito: The Norton Museum of Art in downtown West Palm Beach kicks off its Nuestra Cultura events, a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, during the Art After Dark gathering on Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., highlighted by a performance by lively Cuban-music ensemble Cortadito (7:30-9 p.m.). Admission to Art After Dark costs $10, or $5 for students. The Nuestra Cultura celebration continues from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday with a community event filled with art workshops, film, music, dance, food and Spanish-language tours. Museum admission during the event is free. Visit Norton.org.

SATURDAY

Fresh from the farm: One of Palm Beach County’s signature farmers markets returns on Saturday. Swank Farmers Market at Swank Specialty Produce in Loxahatchee open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through May 25, featuring items fresh from Jodi and Darrin Swank’s 20-acre farm, as well as more than two dozen local vendors offering beef, chicken, wine, cheese, wildflowers, baked goods and other sweets. (Shout out to La Gringuita Cookies!) Visit SwankSpecialtyProduce.com.

La Gringuita Cookies owner Caroline McGinley is shown with a tray containing her eight current flavors, clockwise from top left; The Jammy, Brown Buttah, El Churro, Chocolate Souffle, Pink Lemonade, Banana Pudding, Key Lime Pie, and Au chocolat, at her West Palm Beach bakery on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.

Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel

You’ll find the plump goodness of Caroline McGinley’s La Gringuita Cookies at Swank Farmers Market. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Tacos x treats: Taking place at John Prince Park in Lake Worth Beach on Saturday and Sunday, the South Florida Tacos & Treats Festival is exactly what you think it is — but much more. You’ll find tacos from more than 50 restaurants, trucks and caterers, and desserts from dozens more, along with live music and an artisan market. Food is sold a la carte for $1 to $5 each. There also will be a menu of cocktails, hard seltzers, local craft beer and nonalcoholic beverages. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $10+ per day, or $15+ for a two-day pass. Kids 10 and younger get in free. Visit SoFloTacosTreatsFestival.com.

Saturday night live: The Jonas Brothers will be at Kaseya Center at 7 p.m. Saturday with scattered tickets remaining, starting at $95.20+, at Ticketmaster.com. Pop duo Lawrence (recommended) is the opening act. … Mexican alt-rock icons Café Tacvba bring their global tour to Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday at 8 p.m., with opening act Wonderfox. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission for the all-ages show starts at $52.50 at JoinTheRevolution.net. … Gimme Gimme Disco, the touring “disco dance party inspired by ABBA,” returns to Respectable Street in downtown West Palm Beach at 10 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $15+ in advance, $20 at the door. Visit RespectableStreet.com

Cafe Tacvba has new music to share at the Fillmore Miami Beach on Thursday, Sept. 28.

Los Angeles Times

Café Tacvba plays Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. (Los Angeles Times)

Season’s greetings: The inaugural Kravis Center Block Party, a free kickoff to the 2023-2024 arts season, unfurls in multiple spaces in and around the West Palm Beach cultural venue on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a long menu of workshops and performances by artists from the Palm Beach Opera, Ballet Palm Beach and  Miami City Ballet, as well as samba percussion group Miamibloco, the Yvette Norwood-Tiger Jazz Ensemble, the Joey Calderaio Band, Grammy-nominated Miami funk group Elastic Bond and DJ Rumble, surveying 50 years of hip-hop. Visit .

Dania After Dark: More than 25 breweries specializing in German-style beers will gather for the return of the Oktoberfest Beerfest edition of Dania After Dark on Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. at its usual spot next to Dania Beach City Hall (100 W. Dania Beach Blvd.). Along with the Beer Garden, the event will include a stein-holding competition, a costume contest, a kids zone and live music from the Polka Brothers and Jay Valor. Admission is free, with beer-sampling tickets $35 in advance, or $45 day-of, if available. Visit .

Rockin’ candy: Ink and Pistons Tattoo & Gallery in West Palm Beach (923 Belvedere Road) will throw out the welcome mat for the Halloween and Hot Rods party on Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. It’s an art show and a dress-up thing, both you and your car. Visit .

Monks and dogs: Barrel of Monks Brewing in Boca Raton hosts Dogtoberfest on Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m., highlighted by a dog costume contest and a raffle to raise money for shelter Rescue Rebels. Visit .

Molto bene: Italian HIT Week, a free Rhythm Foundation showcase of new sounds from Italy, returns to the Miami Beach Bandshell at 8 p.m. Saturday featuring the U.S. debut of indie-pop duo Coma Cose, joined by alt-folk poet Gio Evan and singer, drummer and beatboxer Kyotolp. Admission is free with an RSVP at MiamiBeachBandshell.com.

SUNDAY

This is not a test: The Bored Teachers: We Can’t Make This Stuff Up! Comedy Tour is in Florida (where education and levity never appear in the same sentence), with the troupe of teacher-comedians performing at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach at 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $35 at Kravis.org

Time warp:The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will get a 48th anniversary screening on Sunday at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, with star Barry Bostwick (the original Brad Majors) in attendance. Along with the original, unedited movie showing in the Knight Concert Hall, the evening will include a live, interactive shadow cast, a costume contest and memorabilia display with artifacts and costumes from the movie. Tickets start at $35+ at ArshtCenter.org.

Afternoon tribute: In downtown West Palm Beach, the Sunday on the Waterfront concert series brings tribute band Britain’s Finest to the Meyer Amphitheater to share music from David Bowie and Duran Duran. The music runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Admission is free. Visit .

Gotta have that funk: Los Angeles-based conglomerate Scary Pockets create funk mash-ups (for instance, “Eye of the Tiger,” “Wonderwall, “Love on Top”) that have attracted more than 230 million views. Catch them live at the Miami Beach Bandshell at 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $25+.  Visit MiamiBeachBandshell.com.

More laughs: Actor, writer and comedian Jamie Lissow (as seen in the Netflix series “Real Bob” and the late-night talk show “Gutfeld!”) is at the Dania Beach Improv on Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $25+ at DaniaImprov.com.

LOOKING AHEAD

Paws for the cause: The eighth annual Bark Back Benefit music festival will take place noon-10 p.m. Oct. 21 at Bryant Park Amphitheater in Lake Worth Beach, where artists, food trucks and a who’s-who list of local musicians will raise money for the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League of the Palm Beaches. Led by hosts Spred the Dub, the music lineup includes Brett Staska & the Souvenirs, Billy Zoom is Dead, Fuakata!, Uproot Hootenanny, The Petty Hearts (Tom Petty tribute), Nirvanna (Nirvana tribute), Mariachi, Octo Gato and The Supervillains. Admission at the gate is a $10 donation, $15 after 6 p.m. Visit BarkBackBenefit.com.

Going, going …: III Points returns to Mana Wynwood Oct. 20-21 with dozens of wildly diverse artists. Two-day passes are sold out, as are single-day tickets for Oct. 20. Still available are single-day tickets on Oct. 21 (starting at $169+), which includes performances by Iggy Pop, Grimes, Caroline Polachek and The Martinez Brothers. Visit IIIPoints.com.

Church music: Fort Lauderdale’s Culture Room next weekend will host two performances by The Church, the ‘80s college-radio staples from Australia with hits including “Under the Milky Way,” “The Unguarded Moment” and “Almost With You.” The shows are Oct. 20-21, with tickets starting at $36+. They also are selling table seating near the stage and balcony seats for $75+. Doors open at 7 p.m. Visit CultureRoom.net.

Taz guitar: Acclaimed young guitarist Brandon “Taz” Niederauer will perform at Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 20, backed by Grammy-winning drummer Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta) and bassist Brad Miller. Tickets start at $25+ for GA standing room. Visit CrazyUncleMikes.com.

Urban vibe: You can still get tickets for country star Keith Urban’s show at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Oct. 21, and last we checked there were GA floor tickets starting at $165+. Visit MyHRL.com

High dive: Roxanne’s Liquor Bar & Kitchen in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village will celebrate its third anniversary at 8 p.m. Oct. 21, with DJs, food trucks and satellite bars. It’s free. Visit .

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at . Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.