Five Fort Lauderdale businesses will get $5,000 for a mural
Mural grants close Friday, Kapow plans a Fort Lauderdale location, and National Night Out is at Carter Park tonight.
The City has relaunched its Business Mural Grant Program, and five eligible businesses will each receive $5,000 to design and install a permanent mural on their building. The rules are specific: a professional artist, permanent work, visible from the street, finished within six months of the award. The money covers artist fees, materials, surface preparation, protective coatings, and permitting, which is most of what actually eats a mural budget. One business from each of the four City Commission districts gets priority, plus a fifth chosen for exceptional artistic merit. Artists can file a joint application with a business owner — useful if you have the wall but not the painter. Deadline is Friday, July 31, and there are only five.
Kapow Noodle Bar is planning its first Fort Lauderdale location
What Now reported on July 16 that Kapow Noodle Bar is planning a Fort Lauderdale location, which would be the concept's first in Broward County. Its current locations are Boca Raton and Delray Beach, and the original opened in Boca Raton in 2011. Owners Paul Greenberg, Jamie Day, and Corri Day run a menu that pulls from Japanese, Thai, Korean, and Chinese kitchens: ramen, sushi, Korean fried chicken, pork belly bao buns, spicy tuna crispy rice, wok-fired noodle bowls. A Broward Scene Instagram account expects fall 2026, though no firm opening date is attached to it.
Free First Thursday returns to Las Olas next week
Put August 6 somewhere you'll see it. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., admission to NSU Art Museum at 1 E Las Olas Blvd. is free, with a 2-for-1 all-day happy hour. From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Mini Muse runs as a free drop-in artmaking project — all ages, all skill levels, materials provided. It's an easy answer to a Thursday afternoon with kids in tow, and a slightly easier one without them.
National Night Out lands at Carter Park tonight
Carter Park, 1420 W. Sunrise Blvd., from 4 to 7 p.m. tonight, free. The city lists crime-prevention activities, back-to-school giveaways, and special guests, with the event organized by the Fort Lauderdale Police and Parks and Recreation departments. The invitation is aimed at families, friends, and neighbors — an evening of community building, in the city's phrasing, on a summer Tuesday when the school year is close enough to feel. Three hours, one park, no admission. If you've been meaning to meet the neighbors you currently only wave at, this is the low-effort version.
Campers stage a 30-minute Nemo at the Broward Center tonight
Two performances tonight, 6:00 and 7:30 p.m., in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center. It's a lively 30-minute musical based on the Pixar film, performed by 6- to 9-year-old campers from the Performance Project and the Broward Center Summer Camp — which is roughly the ideal length for an audience that shares an age range with the cast. One practical note before you go: everyone entering needs a ticket, including lap-seat tickets for children 12 months and under, so count the baby when you're counting heads.
Make art inside a headset at NSU, today and tomorrow
NSU Art Museum is running guided VR and AR artmaking sessions by appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday, through July 30. Slots run 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the session is included with museum admission, so there's no separate ticket to buy. The museum describes it as an immersive, experimental artmaking session — which in practice means you're making something rather than standing in front of something someone else made. It's at One East Las Olas Boulevard, and the appointment has to be booked through the museum's page.
The older campers take on Beetlejuice Jr. Wednesday
Wednesday night, the older campers take the same stage: 10- to 13-year-old Broward Center and Performance Project summer campers performing the Broadway Junior version of the musical based on the motion picture and Broadway show. Performances are at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater. Same ticket rule as Tuesday — everyone entering needs one, including lap-seat tickets for children 12 months and under. Two nights, two casts, one theater.
Starlight Musicals brings high-powered rock to Holiday Park Friday
Friday, July 31, from 7 to 10 p.m., the Holiday Park football field at East Sunrise Boulevard and Federal Highway turns into a free outdoor concert. Shaw Davis Band & The Black Ties are on the bill, filed by the city under high-powered rock. Bring lawn chairs, a picnic basket, a cooler; food and beverages are also sold on site. Tents, canopies, and umbrellas are only allowed in the designated areas along the back and sides of the field, so stake out shade accordingly. The series collects nonperishable food and pet food donations. For weather calls, the city's line is 954-828-5363, then #2 and #4.