Plan Your Trip: South Beach Wine and Food Festival is Feb. 24-28

Amazing food, bottomless wine, toes in the sand and an impressive line-up of celebrity chefs.

The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE (SOBEWFF) is one of the most talked about events of the year.

Taking place Feb. 24-28, this year’s event is sure to dazzle and tantalize your taste buds. Founded by Lee Brian Schrager, SOBEWFF is celebrating it’s 15th anniversary.

Imagine giant tents directly on the beach and tables upon tables of all kinds of food.

Celebrity chefs mix with Miami socialites and visitors from all over the globe at this funky mash-up of luxury, celebrity and dining with the Atlantic Ocean as the backdrop.

**Plan your trip to South Beach with my free Miami Travel Guide**

Last year, Rachelle Lucas and I were armed with a hungry appetite and a video camera to capture all the action at the Grand Tasting Village.

Situated directly on the picturesque shoreline on South Beach, we ventured from tent to tent exploring mouthwatering offerings from various South Florida neighborhoods and beyond.

Watch the video to get a glimpse:

Many of the events, including the Goya Foods Grand Tasting Village featuring MasterCard Grand Tasting Tents & KitchenAid Culinary Demonstrations, take place directly on the beach.

Other events like Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best sponsored by Bank of America, take place at iconic Miami hotels like the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

New this year, the festival is expanding north for the inaugural Taste Fort Lauderdale Series. It’s nice to see FTL getting some love!

While many events are already sold out, here are a selection of tastings that you might be able to still score tickets to (while they last!).

Signature Events

• Barilla’s Italian Bites on the Beach hosted by Giada De Laurentiis on Thursday, February 25, 7-10 p.m.
• Amstel Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by Rachael Ray on Friday, February 26, 7:30-10:30 p.m.
• Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best sponsored by Bank of America on Friday, February 26, 7:30-10:30 p.m
• Goya Foods Grand Tasting Village featuring MasterCard Grand Tasting Tents & KitchenAid Culinary Demonstrations on Saturday & Sunday from 12-5 p.m.
• Lucky Chopsticks: An Asian Night Market hosted by Andrew Zimmern on Sunday, February 28, 6-9 p.m.

Tastings

• Seaside Eats hosted by Robert Irvine Part of the Taste Fort Lauderdale Series on Wednesday, February 24, 7-10 p.m.
• Scott Conant and Michael Mina’s East Meets West Party at Turnberry Isle on Thursday, February 25, 7-10 p.m.
• Oyster Bash presented by Island Creek Oysters hosted by Josh Capon and Jeremy Sewall on Friday, February 26, 4-6 p.m.
• Grilled Cheese Happy Hour hosted by Laura Werlin and Ms.Cheezious on Friday, February 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Nutrish’s Yappie Hour hosted by Rachael Ray on Saturday, February 27, 4-6 p.m.
• Goya Foods’ Swine & Wine presented by The National Pork Board hosted by Lorena Garcia on Sunday, February 28, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Late-Night Parties

• Mexico City presents Tacos After Dark hosted by Aarón Sánchez on Thursday, February 25, 10:00 p.m. to 1 a.m.
• The Art of Tiki: A Cocktail Showdown hosted by Guy Fieri on Friday, February 26, 10:00 p.m. to 1 a.m
• Cigars & Spirits presented by Cigar Aficionado hosted by The Betsy and BLT on Friday, February 26, 11:00 p.m. to 1 a.m
• Fireman Derek’s Midnight Breakfast hosted by Chrissy Teigen on Friday, February 26, midnight t0 2:00 a.m.
• Croquetas and Champagne hosted by Jean-Georges Vongerichten on Saturday, February 27, 10:00 p.m. to midnight
• Kuro Late Night featuring DJ Felix Da Housecat Part of the Taste Fort Lauderdale Series on Saturday, February 27, 10:00 p.m. to midnight

Sit-Down Events

• Southern Kitchen Brunch hosted by Trisha Yearwood Part of The NYT Cooking Series on Sunday, February 28, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Bloody Mary Brunch hosted by the Cast of Chopped Part of the Taste Fort Lauderdale Series on Sunday, February 28, 12-2 p.m.
• Like Water for Chocolate Screening & Conversation with Screenwriter Laura Esquivel on Sunday, February 28, 6-8 p.m.

If you go…

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival takes place in South Beach each February. The festival consists of more than 75 events during the four-day, star-studded gourmet gathering. As it has since its inception, proceeds from the festival benefits the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management’s Wine Spectator Restaurant Management Laboratory and Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center at Florida International University. To date, the festival has raised more than $20 million for the school. For more info visit Sobefest.com or call 877-762-3933.

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