{"id":309735,"date":"2026-06-16T21:39:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T21:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/309735\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T21:39:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T21:39:09","slug":"mango-festival-is-back-on-fathers-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/309735\/","title":{"rendered":"Mango Festival is back on Father’s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is \u201cSmall Bites,\u201d a South Florida Sun Sentinel feature with tiny tidbits on the food and beverage scene \u2014 because we know that sometimes you just don\u2019t have room for a long article. You want a little news brief instead, an amuse bouche of information, if you will. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

WHAT: Are you a mango-maniac? Then you need to mango-go to the third annual Island SPACE Mango Festival<\/a> this Sunday in Pembroke Pines.<\/p>\n

You can sample and buy mango-licious treats \u2014 everything from breads, cakes, preserves, chutneys and ice cream to juices and smoothies to soaps, lotions, candles, art and more \u2014 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<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Making the celebration even sweeter, this year\u2019s festival falls on Father\u2019s Day<\/a>, so the fruit-forward foodie fete has added some pater-riffic fabulousness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not the usual Father\u2019s Day brunch or barbecue,\u201d said Calibe Thompson, executive director of Island SPACE Caribbean Museum<\/a>, which produces the event. \u201cThis is an afternoon where Dad gets to feel celebrated while the entire family enjoys an incredible cultural experience together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

RJ Deed Photography<\/p>\n

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)<\/p>\n

There will be a Daddy\u2019s 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.\u00a0(Before you ask: No, moms are not allowed.)<\/p>\n

But no worries, mango-philes (mango-ites? mango-fangos?), because there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

WHEN: 2-6 p.m. Sunday, June 21<\/p>\n

WHERE:\u00a0Charles F. Dodge City Center, 601 City Center Way, Pembroke Pines<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 General admission for adults is $32.55 through Ticketmaster, $35 at the door, and $25 at the museum.<\/p>\n

\u2022 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.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Passport to Daddy\u2019s Kingdom and Mango Sommelier Experience is $60.25 each (includes general admission) at Ticketmaster, or $50 each at the museum.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Pre-ordered<\/a> 10-pound boxes of mangoes range from $50-$75 at eventbrite.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

INFORMATION: islandspacefl.org<\/a><\/p>\n

EXTRA TIDBIT: In addition to mango-growing workshops and mango-grafting demonstrations, the event will have presentations from chefs, including Cynthia \u201cChef Thia\u201d Verna (Haiti), Winston Williams (Virgin Islands), Hugh \u201cChef Irie\u201d<\/a> Sinclair (Jamaica) and the dining duo of Gabriella Zapata (Puerto Rico) and Guillermo Vasquez (Dominican Republic).<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Island SPACE Caribbean Museum<\/p>\n

David Muir, then the Island SPACE Caribbean Museum board president, with Cynthia \u201cChef Thia\u201d Verna during the 2025 event in Lauderdale Lakes. (Island SPACE Caribbean Museum\/Courtesy)
\n\"Elected<\/p>\n

Island SPACE Caribbean Museum<\/p>\n

Elected officials and Island SPACE Caribbean Museum staff at the annual Island SPACE Mango Festival in 2025. (Island SPACE Caribbean Museum\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n

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