Twenty-three bakers representing countries and territories across the Caribbean are set to gather Sunday for the fifth annual Rum Cake & Caribbean Black Cake Festival, a sprawling celebration of rum-soaked desserts and island culture planned for The Venue Fort Lauderdale in Wilton Manors. Organizers are preparing for more than 1,000 guests between 2 and 6 p.m., a scale that would mark the festival's biggest turnout yet.
According to the Miami Herald, the event is presented by Island SPACE Caribbean Museum and the Caribbean Professionals Network, and is expected to feature cakes from nations including Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent. Calibe Thompson, executive director of the Island SPACE Caribbean Museum, said the festival aims to showcase many varieties of Caribbean rum and black cakes, per the Herald's reporting.
The festival's address and timing are confirmed by 2urbangirls.com, which reports the event runs Sunday, Nov. 15, from 2 to 6 p.m. at The Venue Fort Lauderdale. That outlet also notes organizers are preparing to welcome more than 1,000 guests this year, alongside the roster of 23 bakers each representing a different Caribbean country or territory.
What's on the Menu and in the Rum Room
For guests 21 and older, a ticketed Rum Room will offer tastings of Caribbean spirits and cocktails curated by Coconuts & Cocktails, as described by Edible South Florida. The Rum Room ticket also includes general admission to the broader festival, the outlet notes. General admission itself was listed at $30 through Nov. 14 and $40 at the door, per the same 2urbangirls.com report, with children age 3 and younger admitted free.
Tickets for children ages 4 to 12 are listed at $10 by Edible South Florida. Beyond the entry fee, the food court is expected to feature soups of the Caribbean, Creole Island Rolls, a macaroni dish from Chef Paul and grilled stuffed lobster, according to 2urbangirls.com's reporting. The festival will also highlight traditional Spanish, French and Dutch Caribbean rum cakes alongside dark fruit or plum pudding cakes known as black cakes, as the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Entertainment, Lantern-Making and a Festival Host
Raul Blaze, described as festival host and a past performer, said the festival celebrates what brings people together, according to the Herald's account. The Sun Sentinel reports Blaze will emcee the event, with entertainment from the Sikan Afro-Cuban Dance Project, Island Groove Entertainment, DJ Bigg G and the Melo Groove Steel Orchestra. Beyond the music, the festival is expected to include Haitian fanal lantern-making, a rum demonstration, vendor shopping and regional cuisine, the same outlet notes.
Attendance at the festival has grown considerably since it began, though the figures reported for its earliest years vary by source. 2urbangirls.com reports the festival launched in 2022 with 25 guests, climbed to approximately 300 in both 2023 and 2024, and reached roughly 700 in 2025. The Miami Herald's coverage of last year's event instead reported that attendance jumped from 50 people in the festival's first year to 300 the following year.
How the Festival Has Evolved
Last year's fourth annual festival was held at Volunteer Park Community Center in Plantation and featured 15 bakers representing 15 Caribbean cultures, according to a Miami Herald report from that event. That edition also included a premium rum sampling experience, a Caribbean food court, a mocktail bar and traditional Caribbean entertainment, the Herald noted at the time. An earlier event listing from South Florida Caribbean News described Island SPACE Caribbean Museum as collaborating with the Caribbean Professionals Network and a number of South Florida bakers to present the gathering, underscoring how the festival has leaned on local baking talent since its earliest days.
This year's jump to 23 bakers and an expected crowd topping 1,000 guests would represent a sizable expansion from last year's 15-baker lineup in Plantation. Whether the festival ultimately draws the crowd organizers are anticipating, or matches past years' growth, remains to be seen as Sunday's event approaches in Wilton Manors.
