Next Friday (Oct 16), the Catch a Rising Star Comedy Club comes to Sunny Isles Beach’s Newport Beachside Hotel and Resort’ Kitchen for a night of laughs featuring Kevin Meaney.

Meaney, who has had his own HBO Special and featured on the Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, Conan O’Brien, Letterman and Oprah (among other shows) will be performing as part of the Comedy 305 series.

The evening will be MC-ed by Miami’s Mario Mateo and tickets are $25 – call 305-749-2110 for advanced sales.

The highlight comes on Saturday, October 17 from 7:00 – 10:00 PM when The Neville Brothers, take the stage at the beachfront Samson Oceanfront Park, 17425 Collins Avenue. Opening for the brothers is South Florida’s own Nicole Henry – an exciting talent and the exceptional jazz harpist Roberto Perera.

Tickets are $25.00 for all ages, and are available at www.sunnyislesbeachjazz.com, or at the door.

The weekend kicks off on Friday, October 16 from 8:00 to 11:00 PM with a performance from Jazz Vibrations and Libations at Acqualina Resort & Spa in the Aaria Bar & Lounge, located at 17875 Collins Avenue. Admission is $20.

The final event of the Festival is a sumptuous Sunday brunch on Sunday, October 18 from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM featuring the jazz sounds of Sammy Figueroa and Angela Liano at the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort, located at 16701 Collins Avenue. Admission is $20.

“The 2nd Annual Sunny Isles Beach Jazz Fest” promises to be bigger and better than last year’s,” said Ibis Romero, executive director of the Sunny Isles Beach Resort Association. “We look forward to welcoming the residents who live in South Florida and the tourists who will be visiting, for this 3 day Festival,” added Romero.

For more information on the Sunny Isles Beach Jazz Fest or for an updated list of scheduled performing artists, visit the website at www.sunnyislesbeachjazz.com

Check out Karina’s music at her Myspace page

Entry is free and the show begins at 8pm. And ladies drink free from 9-11.

Saturday night’s party at the Newport Beachside Resort’s ‘Kitchen 305′ is put on by High Society Events and features the ‘Playtime Party launch. As always at 305 – expect the party to get going after dinner until late…

The Trump has a $39 upscale brunch which also includes access to their cool pool area and beach. Don’t forget also that after 3pm, DJ Indigo will be spinning the tunes during a Swimsuit show and party at the same location.

Let us know of any events you have planned or any parties you are going to by emailing: visitsunnyislesbeach@gmail.com

Have fun and maybe we will see you at one of these events this weekend in Sunny Isles Beach!

There is a new buzz about Sunny Isles Beach and much of it relates to the emerging restaurant/bar/hotel lounge/pool party scene that is slowly developing in the city. So last Friday, the VisitSunnyIslesBeach.com team embarked on what you might call a ‘typical’ night out – cocktails, casual dinner and then a little partying. It is something we do pretty regularly, with variations in terms of location, but last week just seemed to typify what we like about our neighbourhood and so we thought we would share it with you.

We kicked off with cocktails at Sole on the Ocean – 17315 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160, tel 305.935.4777 A coastal residential condo development, the Sole now has a bar and grill by the small pool which has a pleasant view of the ocean and beach. Nothing amazing in terms of design or ambiance but a pretty cool and chilled out spot to just kick back after work.

It’s early days for this event, which seeks to become a regular part of the Sunny Isles scene, but the 40 or so people hanging out around the pool, a young, fashionable crowd, created a casual and fun atmosphere helped by two for one cocktails from 6pm – 8pm – we tried the South Beach Lemonade (orange and raspberry vodkas, sweet & sour mix, lemonade, grenadine and a Blue Curacao) and the Watermelon Quencher ( Grey Goose Vodka, fresh watermelon juice and sweet & sour mix) – both hit the mark.

The mood was also lifted by the tunes of DJ Tamara Sky – best known for featuring in Playboy and being crowned Miss Bikini Puerto Rico, but besides being as sexy as you would imagine from such labels, she also happens to play just the right kind of progressive house music – perfect for that time of the evening. Keep your eye out for her next time she is in the area – she’s candy for the ear as well as the eye.

Good news for jazz lovers in Sunny Isles and for all those who love a bit of live music while lounging near the sea — Sunny Isles Beach’s Jazz Festival, premiered last year, will return in the weekend of October 16-18, 2009.

“The 2008 Jazz Fest weekend was such a huge success and by popular demand we are bringing it back to Sunny Isles Beach,” said Mayor Norman Edelcup. Certainly it is good for everyone in the city to have events such as this to bring in more local visitors and add to the growing image of the city as a place for relaxed fun and entertainment.

The event, produced by the City of Sunny Isles Beach in partnership with the Sunny Isles Beach Resort Association, will benefit Joshua’s Heart Foundation. Performing will be featuring world-renowned jazz entertainers, notable local jazz artists and several illustrious music groups from major universities around the South Florida area.

The 2008 event featured The David Sanborn Group as well as local artists and we look forward to finding out which musicians will be performing this year.

“The 2nd Annual Sunny Isles Beach Jazz Fest promises to be bigger and better than last year’s,” said Ibis Romero, executive director of the Sunny Isles Beach Resort Association. “Moreover, corporate sponsors will benefit by receiving an unprecedented amount of earned media impressions and recognition before, during, and following the festival through our agency’s aggressive marketing campaign,” she added.

For more information on Sunny Isles Beach Jazz Fest visit the Festival’s official website and for corporate sponsorship information, email Ibis Romero at ibis@sibfl.net.

The Pelican Bar is a real favourite for anyone who has spent any amount of time on the beach. Located on the old Newport pier, just to the right of the Newport Beach Hotel – the Pelican is a classic tiki bar – wooden floor, simple tables, straightforward but tasty food and a magnificent view of the Atlantic ocean.

The menu offers standards faves such as various burgers, salads, club sandwiches etc but the Pelican also has a raw bar which is proving increasingly popular as customers enjoy the oysters and clams. The English style battered fish and chips also met the approval of a Brit in our party and the Spanish style paella also seems to go down well. The beer is cold, the cocktails freshly made and the service fast and friendly. The clientèle is a mix of locals and visitors from the coastal hotels – all ages, families, ’spring breakers’, couples, whoever happens to be passing by.

But to be honest – you don’t go to the Pelican for a gourmet experience or any kind of ’scene’. You go there because it is a lovely day, the sun is shining, the sky and the sea are a beautiful blue, you are thirsty and need a beer, you are hungry and need a bite and you satisfy your needs in beautiful surroundings undisturbed by the pretentious crowd you might find on Ocean Drive.

The Pelican is what a bar beach should be. Basic, fun, cheap and cheerful. Come by – you’ll probably find us there at one of the tall chairs looking south.

Open till 9pm.

Well, that beachlife still exists – and it is thriving in Sunny Isles.

We want to capture the essence of the beachlife in our city so please send us your pictures of friends and family having fun in Sunny Isles and we will add them to our fun photogallery.

Send your pics to visitsunnyislesbeach@gmail.com

Thanks!

Emily