A new season means new experiences await in Florida’s Cultural Capital®
It’s time to prepare for your cultural trip to The Palm Beaches—a sunny setting for top-notch arts and culture whether you’re staying for a week of family fun or finally taking that romantic three-day weekend with a loved one. When faced with a dizzying array of music, dance, visual art and theater events, a local arts expert is just what you need. That’s why we’ve asked our Cultural Concierge to cherry-pick eight of the best shows, exhibitions and concerts happening across The Palm Beaches this autumn.
For a complete compendium of cultural events, you can to visit our online events calendar and schedule your experiences before your trip!
Autumn at Downton Abbey
For those seeking an international, once-in-a-lifetime experience that lets you and your family see the history and the fashion of post-Edwardian England, CityPlace in West Palm Beach will be the second-ever location for “Downton Abbey: The Exhibition.” The show, which opens on November 10, will feature set pieces, props, costumes and much, much more for fans of the beloved PBS show. This is your door to a world only seen on television, so don’t miss out on it!
Modern art among classic sculptures
Get in the driver’s seat and put your pedal to the metal in an exhilarating display of expressionist art during “David Kapp: Crossing the Grid” at Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, which starts October 3 and runs through December 9 in West Palm Beach. Known for his oil paintings of New York City’s streets, David Kapp is a worldwide sensation whose work has been featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan; the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas; the North Carolina Museum in Raleigh, North Carolina; and the Foundation Paribas in Paris, France.
Visit for the exhibition during its run but do yourself a favor—spend an extra hour or two on a tour of the magnificent sculpture gardens, through sculptor Ann Weaver Norton’s studio and, especially, a look through her pristine, early 20th-century home. A true treasure to behold during the cooler autumn afternoons!
Children’s classic comes alive on stage
Talking clocks, dancing candles and so much more await those who make their way to Maltz Jupiter Theatre this November for special performances of the one and only tale as old as time, “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.” The Broadway classic, which features show-stopping hits such as “Be Our Guest,” “Belle,” “Gaston” and the eponymous “Beauty and the Beast,” is a win-win for a cultural experience with the kids! All you have to say is “Beauty” and “Beast,” and they’re in for a night of adventure.
Performances with panache in Palm Beach
What’s a visit to The Palm Beaches without the luxury of visiting Palm Beach itself? There’s hardly a better excuse, culturally, to visit the famous town than to take in a performance from the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach. The spectacular, internationally-celebrated soprano Julia Bullock kicks off the society’s season with a concert that also features pianist John Arida inside the dazzling Gold Room at The Breakers Palm Beach, a can’t-miss venue and a pitch-perfect backdrop for this caliber of performance.
Beautiful ballet on display in West Palm Beach
What kind of arts season would be complete without a bit of ballet? From November 16–18, Miami City Ballet will present its “Program One” at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. This performance features an eclectic mix of traditional and modern ballet, with select movements from George Balanchine’s “Concerto Barocco” and “Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2,” in addition to a work set from Paul Taylor’s “Company B.”
Florida’s vibrant past in photos
Florida’s past becomes your arts future at one of The Palm Beaches’ most-visited cultural organizations, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, for its major fall/winter exhibition “Imagining Florida: History and Myth in The Sunshine State.” History buffs and burgeoning photographers both will enjoy the vast array of stills on display during this show, which features more than 200 photographic pieces that explore the state’s people, flora, fauna and more throughout the years.
The museum is also neatly situated within Mizner Park, Boca Raton’s upscale shopping and dining district, which offers visitors a chance to explore art, have a bite to eat and enjoy a nice walk among the distinct architectural style of Addison Mizner.
Say “hello!” to Broadway in West Palm Beach
Take a trip back to the all-dancing, all-singing heyday of the Great White Way this December as “Hello, Dolly!” makes its way to West Palm Beach’s premier venue for large-scale spectacle, the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. This four-time Tony Award-winning revival of the 1964 Herman/Stewart musical, which stars Broadway’s own Betty Buckley as Dolly, will leave a song in your heart and an extra beat to your step when it runs December 11–14.
No matter your age, these shows offer the perfect opportunity for an exciting date night where you and a loved one can get dressed to the nines, enjoy a glass of champagne at intermission and tap your toes to a night of musical theater!
Sensational singers end with season’s greetings
When vibrant vocals combine with a program that features nearly nine centuries of music—it becomes an experience not quickly forgotten. This December, the ever-talented New York Polyphony travels to The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach for a one-time holiday performance that promises to both inspire and delight audiences young and old on December 9.
The Grammy Award-nominated quartet features countertenor Geoffrey Williams, tenor Steven Caldicott Wilson, baritone Christopher Dylan Herbert and bass Craig Phillips.
These eight experiences are just a small sampling of what’s available here in The Palm Beaches during autumn! Sign up for Insider Access today and get a monthly dose of Florida’s Cultural Capital sent directly to your inbox.
