This is “Small Bites,” a South Florida Sun Sentinel feature with tiny tidbits on the food and beverage scene — because we know that sometimes you just don’t have room for a long article. You want a little news brief instead, an amuse bouche of information, if you will. Enjoy!
WHAT: Are you a mango-maniac? Then you need to mango-go to the third annual Island SPACE Mango Festival this Sunday in Pembroke Pines.
You can sample and buy mango-licious treats — everything from breads, cakes, preserves, chutneys and ice cream to juices and smoothies to soaps, lotions, candles, art and more — in the Mango Walk. (Select mangoes will be auctioned live at the end of the event.) There will also be live entertainment, culinary demonstrations and Caribbean-inspired performances (dance groups, steelpan musicians and tunes by Bigg G and DJ King Mega of KBM Live).
Making the celebration even sweeter, this year’s festival falls on Father’s Day, so the fruit-forward foodie fete has added some pater-riffic fabulousness.
“This is not the usual Father’s Day brunch or barbecue,” said Calibe Thompson, executive director of Island SPACE Caribbean Museum, which produces the event. “This is an afternoon where Dad gets to feel celebrated while the entire family enjoys an incredible cultural experience together.”
RJ Deed Photography
The third annual Island SPACE Mango Festival will take place in Pembroke Pines on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21. Pictured above is a scene from 2024’s festival, which was in Plantation. (RJ Deed Photography/Courtesy)
There will be a Daddy’s Kingdom, with a VIP zone featuring a throne-style photo opportunity as well as treats, games, giveaways and pampering experiences just for papa. Fathers and father figures also can enter the Daddy Mango Eating Competition and try soccer-themed kickoff moments in honor of the ongoing FIFA World Cup. (Before you ask: No, moms are not allowed.)
But no worries, mango-philes (mango-ites? mango-fangos?), because there’s also a Mango Sommelier Experience that is open to everyone and includes a tasting flight with rare and exotic mango varieties from across the Caribbean and beyond.
WHEN: 2-6 p.m. Sunday, June 21
WHERE: Charles F. Dodge City Center, 601 City Center Way, Pembroke Pines
COST: Ticket prices vary depending on whether you purchase them through Ticketmaster or at the Island SPACE Caribbean Museum in Broward Mall (until Saturday, June 20), 8000 W. Broward Blvd., Suite 1202, Plantation.
• General admission for adults is $32.55 through Ticketmaster, $35 at the door, and $25 at the museum.
• Admission for children (ages 3-12) is $13.10 through Ticketmaster and $10 at the gate and at the museum; free entry for kids age 2 and younger.
• Passport to Daddy’s Kingdom and Mango Sommelier Experience is $60.25 each (includes general admission) at Ticketmaster, or $50 each at the museum.
• Pre-ordered 10-pound boxes of mangoes range from $50-$75 at eventbrite.com.
INFORMATION: islandspacefl.org
EXTRA TIDBIT: In addition to mango-growing workshops and mango-grafting demonstrations, the event will have presentations from chefs, including Cynthia “Chef Thia” Verna (Haiti), Winston Williams (Virgin Islands), Hugh “Chef Irie” Sinclair (Jamaica) and the dining duo of Gabriella Zapata (Puerto Rico) and Guillermo Vasquez (Dominican Republic).
Island SPACE Caribbean Museum
David Muir, then the Island SPACE Caribbean Museum board president, with Cynthia “Chef Thia” Verna during the 2025 event in Lauderdale Lakes. (Island SPACE Caribbean Museum/Courtesy)
Island SPACE Caribbean Museum
Elected officials and Island SPACE Caribbean Museum staff at the annual Island SPACE Mango Festival in 2025. (Island SPACE Caribbean Museum/Courtesy)