The best October events in Miami

‘Tis the season for jump scares and gut-wrenching screams. In other words, House of Horror is back. The annual South Florida scare-fest returns for its 25th year, September 24 through November 1, at an all-new location: Tropical Park. Included with general admission, five haunted houses and unlimited carnival rides await, if you dare. Outdoor scare zones, live entertainment, and food and drink vendors keep things light between the action. Or, brave souls can test their nerves on Howie’s Blind Terror, a pitch-dark rollercoaster run by psychopathic clowns. Fun! Keep an eye out for weekday deals and special theme nights (October 13 is Country Night). 

On September 17, The Bass debuts two contemporary art exhibitions for the 2026-2027 season. In her first solo exhibition at a US museum, Tokyo-based artist Yuko Mohri explores the concepts of decomposition, environmental pressure, and improvisation with Unviolated Imperfection, transforming everyday objects into kinetic sculptures and multidisciplinary works. Amalia Pica’s Lecturas Posibles draws on the museum’s early history as the Miami Beach Public Library to present a site-specific installation in which the walls, furniture, and bookshelves are coated in chalkboard paint, inviting museum-goers to leave their mark in an ever-evolving record of collective expression.

Gilded and crimson-draped Faena Theater is the ideal venue to experience OBSESSION, a new original production presented by Faena Live in collaboration with the Quixotic performance art collective. Nestled in Mid-Beach, the cabaret-style show blends live vocals, choreography and cinematic storytelling to take guests on a seductive 1.5-hour journey complete with lasers, projected visuals and plenty of theatrical haze. Helmed by emcee Sophia Bollman—whose credits include a stint on NBC's The Voice as part of Team Miley Cyrus and backup singing in Beyoncé's iconic Coachella performances—Faena Theater's 2026 headlining production also features the energetic stylings of Principal Violin and Musical Lead Kostia Lucky. Tickets start at $100 per person and include show admission only (food and beverages sold separately). Guests must be 18 or older, with a valid ID required upon arrival.

Climate change is no laughing matter – well, maybe a little in Bryan Watkin’s Weather Girl. Running September 25 to October 18 at The Wolfson Family Theater, presented by GableStage, the one-woman show sees Ella Olesen star as a California weather girl whose picture-perfect world spirals into madness as she struggles to report on a growing climate crisis. See why this “blistering dark comedy” was named one of The New York Times’ best theater moments of 2025.

You scream, I scream, we all scream at The Horrorland. With six new haunted houses, hundreds of trained actors, four immersive “scare zones,” and an ominous Circus of Terror live show, the annual Halloween experience returns to Jungle Island from September 10 through November 1. Tickets start at $39.99, with a fast-pass option for $69.99. It’s a family-friendly attraction, but the experience is recommended for children 10 and older, and carrying infants or children through is discouraged.

If your Netflix algorithm includes Wild Wild Country and Wayward, the Museum of Sex Miami's new exhibition was made for you. Utopia: Three Centuries of Sexuality in American Cults and Communes, curated by filmmaker and publisher Jodi Wille, traces how over 20 American intentional communities — from the Shakers to the Rajneesh movement to the Source Family — used sexuality, spirituality, and art to build alternative visions of society across 300 years. More than 300 artworks, photographs, films, garments, and rare artifacts make up the two-story show, nationally recognized by Artforum and the Brooklyn Rail. On view through November.

Little Havana's street party and gallery walk, Viernes Culturales, happens every last Friday of the month along Calle Ocho from 8th to 27th Avenue. Running strong since 2000, it celebrates Latin culture with an old-school pachanga, featuring art exhibits from over 30 local artists, an artisan market at Domino Plaza, live music, and dancing in one of Miami's most famous cultural hubs. Dr. Paul George's free Little Havana Walking Tour begins at 7pm from the Historic Tower Theater for anyone who wants the deeper history alongside the party.

The largest presentation of Jean-Michel Basquiat's work ever mounted in Florida opens at PAMM on June 25. Basquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols brings together ten works from the collection of Kenneth C. Griffin, including Untitled (1982), the painting that sold for $110.5 million at Sotheby's and reportedly changed hands again for $200 million in 2024. But the exhibition is less interested in the market mythology around Basquiat than in the work itself, concentrating on his portraiture, his use of text and coded language, and the layered visual vocabulary he built from world history, Renaissance anatomy, hip-hop, and the street culture of 1980s New York. As the son of a Puerto Rican mother and Haitian father, Basquiat's relationship to migration and cultural hybridity lands with particular resonance in Miami. Curated by PAMM director Franklin Sirmans, who has been central to the posthumous study of Basquiat's work for over two decades. On view through June 2027.

If you’re from South Florida, there’s a strong chance you grew up watching Sábado Gigante, the wild Spanish-language show that took abuelas’ televisions by storm. Saturday Gigantic at Villain Theater draws from the same chaos mindset for its long-running improv comedy show. Shout out a suggestion and watch it come to life in ways you couldn’t possibly predict. Join the fun every Saturday, 8:30-10:30pm.

Wind down your weekend with views of Biscayne Bay and a glass of wine, or ten. Every first Sunday of the month, Bayshore Club hosts a waterfront wine tasting from 4 to 7pm. A $35 ticket includes 10 pours paired with light bites and live entertainment. Plus, receive 10% off dinner after the tasting.