Delight in a weekend of delicious activities as Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden celebrates its 22nd annual International Mango Festival. This year’s festival, featuring the mouthwatering mangos of Colombia, will take place Saturday, July 12, and Sunday, July 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Grab a famous Fairchild mango smoothie and make your way through Mangoville, where vendors are selling a multitude of mango dishes and products. Visitors can sample a variety of rare, freshly cut mangos for $1 and vote which cultivar is their favorite in the Mango Tasting Room. A festival highlight is the Mangos of the World Display, the largest mango collection in the world, which showcases the differences in colors, shapes, and aromas of mangos across the globe.
On Sunday, at 2 p.m., these mangos will be sold at the exciting Mango Auction, the only one of its kind. For a tropical culinary experience, make reservations for the Mango Brunch on Sunday at 11 a.m. Serving as a fundraiser for Fairchild’s Tropical Fruit Program, the brunch presents unique mango creations from some of Miami’s best chefs.
Try your hand at making your own refreshing summer dishes by attending cooking demos to get new recipe ideas. Those who want to do some stretches after sampling can participate in a tropical yoga class by Rina Yoga.
Want to grow your own mangos? Curator’s Choice mango trees are available for purchase. A variety of lectures and workshops will help visitors learn the best ways to care for mango trees. This includes talks from Fairchild’s curators of tropical fruit, Richard Campbell and Noris Ledesma, who are in the process of growing a new hybrid mango. The two also are hosting the International Mango Festival Grower’s Summit on Friday, July 11, which will bring together commercial growers from all over the world to share their methods for mango cultivation.
This year’s International Mango Festival is sponsored by Whole Foods Inc., Ecoripe Tropicals, Herederos Del Marqués de Riscal, HSBC, South Miami Hospital, Starbucks, and Williamson Automotive Group.
Admission is $25 for adults, $18 for seniors 65 and up, and $12 for children 6- 17; free for Fairchild members and children 5 and under. 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 Rd. in Coral Gables.
For more information, call 305-667- 1651 or visit the International Mango Festival’s webpage.
