Three days off and nothing booked. The good news is that the best stop of this entire weekend costs nothing: Saturday, September 5, from 5 to 9 pm, the 11th annual BBQ Brews & Blues takes over Heart & Soul Park in West Palm Beach with live blues, smoked barbecue, craft beer and activities built for kids. The city is not charging a dime. Everything else here is stacked around it, from a 7 am bakery counter that closes Sundays to a 9:30 pm punchline in Wellington. Here is Saturday, start to finish.

7 AM: The 72-Hour Sourdough

Start at aioli, 7434 S Dixie Hwy, in West Palm Beach's SoSo neighborhood. It picked up a Michelin Bib Gourmand again in 2026, its second year running, and the reason is sitting on the bread rack. Chef Michael Hackman ferments the sourdough for 72 hours and spends three days making a croissant, and you can taste the patience in both. The counter fills fast with people who work nearby, so the line moves but it does exist.

Avocado toast is $12, built on toasted seeded sourdough with shaved radish and toasted pumpkin seeds. The turkey avocado club and the grilled Italian are $16.50 each, both on house-baked bread. Salads land between $12.50 and $15.50. Michelin's own pick is the black bean and tomatillo soup, served with two slices of that sourdough, but it moves on and off the board. Hours are 7 am to 4 pm and they are closed Sunday, which makes this a Saturday decision by default.

Lunch: Ten Kitchens, One Order

X7 Eatery sits at 1400 E Hillsboro Blvd #101E in Deerfield Beach, just over the Boca line, and it runs ten Asian concepts under one roof. That means the lunch argument is over before it starts. Pho King simmers its bone broth a full 24 hours before a bowl ever gets poured. Dumpling X handles handmade dumplings and fresh ramen. Ai Sushi, WokZup, Seoul Crispy, Santo Box, Teppanyaki Pro, Zenvide and Tearamiisu cover everything from American Chinese classics to dessert.

The part most people miss: one order can pull from every brand at once. So do not make anyone compromise. Order across four kitchens, put it all in the middle of the table, and let people reach. They are open 11 am to 10 pm Sunday through Thursday and 11 am to 11 pm Friday and Saturday.

5 PM: The Free One

BBQ Brews & Blues runs Saturday from 5 to 9 pm at Heart & Soul Park, 825 N Rosemary Ave, directly across from the historic Sunset Lounge. This is the 11th year. Local pit bosses work the grills, there are craft beers for anyone 21 and over, local vendors set up around the lawn, and there are family-friendly activities running the whole time, so this is the stop you can actually bring the kids to.

Blues Music Award winner Selwyn Birchwood has September 5 at this event listed on his own tour schedule. The city has not posted its full lineup yet, so check wpb.org or bbqbrewsblues.com the week of for the rest of the bill.

9:30 PM: The One That Can Sell Out

Nate Jackson brings the Big Dog Comedy Tour to Palm Beach Improv, 10300 Forest Hill Blvd in Wellington, for five shows across the long weekend: Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and 9:30 pm, and Sunday at 6 pm. He has over 4.5 million TikTok followers and 700 million views, and his first Netflix hour, Super Funny, premiered at number 3 on the Netflix Top 10. The act leans hard on crowd work, which is either the whole appeal or the reason to sit toward the back.

The Insider Move

Read the age policy before you buy. Saturday shows at the Improv are 21+, and the Sunday 6 pm show is 18+, so if you are bringing anyone under 21 this weekend, Sunday is your only option. There is also a two drink minimum per person inside the showroom, and non-alcoholic drinks count toward it. Seats are assigned by the host based on when your party arrives, and your whole group has to be there to sit together, so show up early rather than trickling in. Buy only at palmbeachimprov.com, because they cancel tickets they suspect were bought to resell. Box office is 561-833-1812.

One scheduling note: the barbecue ends at 9 and the 9:30 show is across the county in Wellington. If you want both in one weekend, do the barbecue Saturday and take Jackson's Sunday 6 pm show. For parking at the park, past years have used the lot at 444 W Railroad Ave and the county garage at 505 Banyan Blvd, with trolley and shuttle service running to the site. Confirm this year's setup on the city site before you head over.

What People Are Saying

One recent X7 guest summed up the whole appeal of the place in a sentence, writing that they had finally found their Asian spot after five years in Boca. Reviewers there keep naming the same two things, the pho and the dumplings, and pointing out that both taste like they were made minutes ago.

At aioli, the recurring refrain across hundreds of reviews is the bread, followed closely by the carrot cake, which regulars describe in terms usually reserved for religious experiences. Multiple reviewers say the sandwiches are large enough to split. Several mention the fresh flowers on every table, which is not the kind of detail people bother writing about unless the place has earned some goodwill.

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