Jacksonville Today Arts and Culture Editor Matt Shaw shares his arts and culture picks for the weekend.

Friday

Blue Jay’s Six-Year Anniversary

Blue Jay Listening Room | Jacksonville Beach 

Intimate and beloved Jacksonville Beach music club Blue Jay Listening Room has much to celebrate. Not only did the fun-sized venue weather the storm of pandemic lockdowns and touring halts, the venue is thriving as a locus for standouts from the local jazz scene, emerging regional singer-songwriters and one-of-a-kind storytellers of the nationally touring variety. On Friday, Blue Jay celebrates six years in the biz, removing those comfy leather chairs and sturdy bistro tables to welcome Duval honky-tonk act Dean Winter & The Heat for a special standing-room-only show. Music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets and more info. 

Friday, Saturday & Sunday 

Murder Ballad 

Players by the Sea | Jacksonville Beach 

Local nonprofit All Beaches Experimental Theatre brings the critically acclaimed rock-opera Murder Ballad to the stage of Players by the Sea theater in Jax Beach. With music and lyrics by Juliana Nash and book by Julia Jordan, Murder Ballad tells a modern story of passion, betrayal, and, yes, murder, that’s sure to intrigue the true-crime-obsessed (see: seemingly anyone and everyone). ABET performs Murder Ballad three times this weekend: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets and more info.

Saturday

Phoenix Flea For All Outdoor Market 

Phoenix Arts & Innovation District | Springfield 

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see the progress being made in the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District, Saturday’s Phoenix Flea For All outdoor market on Saturday evening is a great opportunity to see the vision for a hub of creativity and ingenuity in north Springfield. An all-local lineup of small business owners and makers will be set up among the many vibrant murals in the district’s greenway, with food trucks, beverages and DJ Enerji spinning until 9 p.m. Market opens at 5 p.m. It’s free to attend. More info.