Did you know Mexico has both rainy and dry seasons that make for a great mango growing climate? Or that Mexico is the dominant supplier of mangos to the U.S. and a main supplier to markets worldwide? Come learn this and more at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s 21st Annual International Mango Festival on Saturday, July 13 and Sunday, July 14 from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Enjoy two full days of fun, food and education in celebration of the juicy and delicious tropical fruit that makes for nutritious and refreshing summer dishes. Whether you’re participating in the world’s only mango auction, voting on your favorite variety at the Mango Tasting Room or sampling delicious mango dishes, there’s something for the whole family to do.
The Garden House will be overflowing with mangos at the Mangos of the World Display, where you can see the different shapes, sizes and colors of the hundreds of cultivars presented. On Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Miami’s top chefs are dishing out samples of their unique mango eats. On Sunday at 3:00 p.m., guests can participate in the world’s only mango auction led by Dr. Richard Campbell, Fairchild’s senior curator of tropical fruit. For $1, you can enter the Mango Tasting Room and vote on which freshly cut cultivar tastes best. Vendors and food trucks will also have plenty of mango dishes and products up for purchase. For those in need of some relaxation, Rina Yoga will have an outdoor yoga class for adults at 11:00 a.m. and kids at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Screenings of the documentary “Viva Mango,” which explores the mango world and those involved in it will show in the Glasshouse Café throughout the festival. It will inspire you purchase a mango tree at the Curator’s Choice mango tree sale, where you can select from the best mango trees, carefully curated by Fairchild’s experts. You can also attend lectures and workshops to learn how to make your new mango tree thrive. Watch the chef demos led by culinary experts from restaurants like Khong River House to take notes on the best ways to serve up delicious dishes for when your mango trees are in bloom. Have questions about caring for your plants? Fairchild staff will be on hand to give answers at the Mango Medic area.
To learn how to grow commercially successful mango crops, attend the Mango Festival Grower’s Summit on Saturday, July 13 from 2:15 p.m. – 4 p.m. in the new DiMare Science Village. The $50 registration fee includes entrance to both days of the festival. Hear from worldwide experts who will talk about pruning, harvesting and keeping mangos free of diseases so you can effectively produce and sell your own.
To savor the unique flavors of mangos, attend the Mango Brunch during the festival on Sunday, July 14 at 11:00 a.m. Chefs from some of the most talked about restaurants in South Florida – Oak Tavern, Eating House and Blue Collar, to name a few – will prepare their best mango dishes to serve along with Spanish wine courtesy of Cerdá, Llanos y Cía. The brunch is a fundraiser for Fairchild’s Tropical Fruit Program and the Fairchild Farm. Tickets are $100 for members and $125 for non-members and are available online or by phone at 305-667-1651, ext. 3344.
This year’s International Mango Festival is sponsored by Cerdá, Llanos y Cía, EcoRipe, HSBC Bank, South Miami Hospital, Sparkling Ice, Whole Foods Market and WLRN.
Admission is free for Fairchild members and children 5 and under, $25 for adults, $18 for seniors 65 and up and $12 for children 6-17. Eco discounts are available for anyone who walks, bikes or takes public transportation to the festival. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is located at 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, FL 33156.
For more info, please call 305-667-1651 or visit the International Mango Festival website.