Greater Fort Lauderdale’s biggest foodie event of the year returns Jan. 18-24, bringing some serious culinary star power to the beach. The eighth annual Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival (VLFWF) welcomes headlining celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, along with Nancy Fuller, Eddie Jackson, Hannah Flora and more for a week of dinner collaborations, hands-on classes and waterfront festivities that also spotlight local talent.


It all culminates with the annual Grand Tasting, featuring more than 100 tasty samples and interactive stations. Plus, you can indulge for a good cause, as a portion of every ticket sold benefits Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Don’t forget to buy tickets in advance, as events are expected to sell out.

  1. Must-Attend Events at the 2027 Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival
  2. Celebrity Chef Dinners and Culinary Collaborations
  3. Cooking Classes and Wine Seminars at the Festival
  4. Where to Stay for the Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival

Must-Attend Events at the 2027 Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival

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We recommend marking these five signature events on your calendar, then planning the rest of your itinerary around them.

Rino Cerbone | Heritage

First up is the debut of The Feast on Thursday, Jan. 21, hosted by chef Rino Cerbone of Heritage, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Head to Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park for an evening that brings a taste of Italy to the waterfront, with dishes representing the country’s culinary regions and plenty of Italian wine to go around.

Visit Lauderdale Food and Wine Festival BBQ on the Beach

BBQ at the Beach, hosted by celebrity chef Jason Smith, returns Friday, Jan. 22, when pitmasters from local and nationally renowned barbecue joints bring the heat with juicy favorites paired with live entertainment.

Visit Lauderdale Food and Wine Festival

The festival’s marquee event, The Grand Tasting, kicks off the weekend at Las Olas Oceanside Park (The LOOP) on Saturday, Jan. 23, and includes three hours of unlimited food and beverage tastings, live entertainment and chef demonstrations.

VLFWF Picnic in the Park

Wrap up the weekend with two events on Sunday, Jan. 24: Beachside Brunch, hosted by Food Network star Nancy Fuller with special guest chef Eddie Jackson, and the free, family-friendly Picnic in the Park, presented by Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. For the latter, bring your beach chairs and spread out a blanket for an afternoon of food trucks, cooking demonstrations, local artisan vendors and more.

Celebrity Chef Dinners and Culinary Collaborations

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Visit Lauderdale Food and Wine Festival
This year, the VLFWF brings together chefs from near and far for 12 exclusive dining experiences. The festivities kick off Jan. 18 with a highly anticipated opening-night collaboration between chef Rino Cerbone and Macchialina’s Mike Pirolo. The rest of the week features everything from creative chef collaborations and wine-pairing dinners to late-night omakase and a Sunday dim sum brunch.

Here’s the full lineup:

 

Monday, Jan. 18

Opening Night Collaboration Dinner: Heritage x Macchialina
Chefs Rino Cerbone and Mike Pirolo
7 p.m. | Heritage | $250

Tuesday, Jan. 19

Dinner at MAASS
Chefs Ryan Ratino and David Brito
7 p.m. | MAASS | $345

Wan’s Mandarin House x Top Hat Delicatessen
Chef Alex Kuk and Top Hat Delicatessen
7 p.m. | Wan’s Mandarin House | $150

Wednesday, Jan. 20

Evelyn’s Featuring Singeal Estate Winery
Chef Brandon Salomon
7 p.m. | Evelyn’s | $250

Ukiah x The Wolf of Tacos
Chefs Michael Lewis and Eduardo Lara
7 p.m. | Ukiah | $195

Union Kitchen & Bar x Barolo Cucina D’Autore
Chefs Christie Tenaud and Manuella Maffezzoli
7 p.m. | Union Kitchen & Bar | $175

Midwest Nice
Featuring Food & Wine Best New Chef Vinnie Cimino
7 p.m. | TRP Taste | $195

Tunes & Tapas: A Late-Night Omakase
Chef Thuan Lam
8:30 p.m. | Miso | $195

Thursday, Jan. 21

The Journey of Pez-Ka
Chef Martin Verano previews TRP’s upcoming FAT Village restaurant.
7 p.m. | TRP Taste | $225

Sidewalk Diner x Bicyclette Cookshop
Chefs Dave Lopez and Kayla Pfeiffer
7 p.m. | Sidewalk Diner | $225

Sunday, Jan. 24

Sunday Dim Sum Brunch
Chef Diego Ng, featuring Shojo’s Dojo
Noon | Temple Street Eatery | $99

The Farmer, the Chef and the Vintner
Chef Allen Susser, featuring Mastermind Mushrooms and Frey Vineyards
6 p.m. | Sunness Supper Club | $175

Cooking Classes and Wine Seminars at the Festival

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Cooking Classes and Wine Seminars at the Food and Wine FestivalRoll up your sleeves and learn a few tricks from the pros with a lineup of interactive culinary classes and wine seminars taking place Tuesday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Highlights include a hand-roll-making class at Bondi Sushi, “The Spanish Wine Journey” at Union Kitchen & Bar with sommelier Roberto Colombi and a cake-decorating class at LoveLee Bakeshop with chef Lee Mazor.
Head online for the full lineup and to save your spot.

Where to Stay for the Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival

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Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotels

Traveling from out of town? Getting to the festivities is easy, with many of the main events just a short drive from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The festival has also partnered with Delta Air Lines as its official airline sponsor.

With much of the action unfolding near Fort Lauderdale Beach at The LOOP and Intracoastal Promenade, a beachside stay makes perfect sense. Make B Ocean Resort Fort Lauderdale, the festival’s host hotel, your home base, or check into one of its partner properties, including AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Beach, Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach, Courtyard by Marriott Oceanside Fort Lauderdale and Four Seasons Hotel & Residences Fort Lauderdale.