Widely recognized as one of America’s favorite epicurean celebrations, the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF®) returns to EAT. DRINK. EDUCATE. February 20 – 24, 2019. Benefiting the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University, tickets are on sale now for more than 100 events. The line-up for the 18th annual Festival includes an array of unique dinner experiences, signature tastings, late-night parties, seminars, CRAVE Greater Fort Lauderdale Series, and more, taking place at locations throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Kicking off the 2019 Festival, as well as the featured CRAVE Greater Fort Lauderdale Series, is a dinner hosted by Donatella Arpaia, PJ Calapa and Michael Chavez on Wednesday, February 20. The series continues throughout the Festival with a dinner hosted by Anne Burrell and Angelo Elia; Dinner hosted by Elizabeth Karmel and Martina McBride; Clambake hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli and Jorge Ramos;; Rock ‘n Roll hosted by Adam Richman; Sunset Spritz hosted by Valerie Bertinelli; Cajun-Cooking Master Class & Lunch hosted by Sam & Cody Carroll; and the first-ever Festival Drag Brunch hosted by Alex Carr and Elvis Duran, in collaboration with PRIDE Fort Lauderdale, plus much more.
Signature evening offerings taking place on the sands of Miami Beach begin on Thursday, February 21 with Italian Bites on the Beach sponsored by HCP Media and the Miami Herald Media Company hosted by Giada De Laurentiis, and continue Friday, February 22 at the Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by David Burtka & Neil Patrick Harris. The party keeps going on Saturday, February 23 at the Beachside BBQ hosted by Guy Fieri, which will feature special musical performances from Cassadee Pope and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. Closing out the weekend on Sunday, February 24 is BACARDÍ’s Beach Carnival hosted by Andrew Zimmern. Family-friendly events taking place during the Festival will once again include Fun and Fit as a Family featuring Goya Foods Kidz Kitchen on Saturday, February 23 and Sunday, February 24, Nulo Pet Food’s Yappie Hour hosted by Katie Lee on Saturday, February 23 and the return of the Family Ice Cream Social hosted by Duff Goldman on Sunday, February 24.
Continuing its tradition of offering one-of-a-kind culinary experiences featuring the world’s best chefs, the Festival has added an assortment of new events, including:
- Bites & Beats on the River hosted by Adam Richman
- Wine & Cheese Happy Hour hosted by Martha Stewart
- Taste Jamaica presented by Jamaica Tourist Board and TEF hosted by Cindy Hutson & Delius Shirley
- Mangia After Dark hosted by Marc Murphy
- Rosé Pool Party hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian
- Sunset Stone Crab hosted by Emeril Lagasse
- Plus, an array of new Master Class experiences covering a variety of carefully-curated topics!
A complete line up of 2019 events can be found online at sobewff.org, and by following along with the hashtag #SOBEWFF on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Tickets for the 2019 Festival are available now online at sobewff.orgor by calling 877.762.3933 (Phone sales are open Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST). To date, SOBEWFF®has raised more than $28 million for the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at FIU.
Between SOBEWFF® and its sister NYCWFF, which takes place each October in New York City, more than $39 million has been raised to benefit the respective charities for each Festival. Beyond the funds raised, both Festivals draw attention to the vibrant dining culture in their respective cities, provide economic stimulus in their communities, and serve as an invaluable platform to drive awareness, engaging and inspiring people to get involved in philanthropic activities.