The 13th annual Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which ran Thursday to Sunday, mixed its signature events such as the Burger Bash and the Grand Tasting with new parties, each with its own look.
The North End tent, which hosted the bulk of the high-traffic events throughout the weekend, was able to continuously reinvent itself from one affair to the next, with decor and entertainment elements courtesy of Panache Party Rentals: A Classic Party Rentals Company, and a production squad with planners from companies including Designs by Sean and Just to Please You that worked around the clock to strip each theme and replace it with another in a matter of hours.
“Basically the site became a 24-hour production, essentially running two shifts each day once we started with the Q event on Thursday night,” said Kelly Murphy, event manager of Moet Hennessy’s the Q. “Much thought was given by the event teams to create some fun elements and reposition seating or add activations each night as well the complete change of themes and inspirations. … This is a team of incredible talent that are very familiar with the festival and the nuances of working on the sand and certainly all have plans B, C, and D in their back pocket.”
New events fared well, with popular debuts of Flaunt at Delano, Mix It Up With Morimoto and Friends at Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach, and the Rockin’ Beach Party hosted by Emeril Lagasse and rock legend Sammy Hagar. The variety of events catered to a versatile crowd, from the affluent crowd, which attended the $1,500-a-person Ocean Liner dinner with Anthony Bourdain, Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud, Francois Payard, and others, to the health-conscious, who indulged in the first Vegetarian Dinner hosted by Alfred Portale and Alex Guarnaschelli.
Highlight activations included Esurance’s SavorBands, which encouraged guests in the North End tents, to swipe their N.F.C.-enabled bracelets to collect recipes and discounts from participating vendors. Groupon created a custom silk-screen tote bag for attendees who experimented with the site’s new search functions. At the Grand Tasting, Evian returned with its popular photo booth, this time incorporating a projection of the participant’s future offspring, and DO AC promoted travel to Atlantic City via swag from a Twitter-operated vending machine that dispensed free wine bottle koozies.
While the lineup again provided a slew of celebrity chefs hosting events, one unannounced name created a lot of buzz over the weekend. Paula Deen, formerly a fixture at the festival, appeared at multiple events. Deen is embarking on a reputation rehabilitation campaign following her admission that she had used a racial slur and criticisms over an endorsement deal for a diabetes drug. She received warm greetings from her fans and made another public apology.
At the Grand Tasting, Del Monte's banana mascot posed for photos with guests. The fruit-theme activation included a chandelier made from bunches of bananas.
Evian returned to the tents at the Grand Tasting with a new photo activation. Attendees who posed at the booth received prints that imagined what their future children would looked like.
DO AC, a campaign promoting Atlantic City, New Jersey, sponsored a Twitter-operated vending machine at the Grand Tasting. Guests received a wine bottle koozie after entering the hashtag #LiveFromAC and a custom hashtag code.
Amstel Light promoted its new Amstel Radler—a mix of beer and sparkling lemon water—with a sunny booth at the grand tasting. The playful beach-theme setup between the first and second tasting tents offered samples and encouraged guests to volley beach balls.
A cake stand made of wood slabs and terra-cotta pots displayed tiers of heirloom tomatoes at the Pure Leaf Farm to Table Brunch presented by Whole Foods Market at Essensia at the Palms.
Sponsored by Pat La Frieda Meat Purveyors, this year's Burger Bash had flame-theme decor, including a chandelier in the center of the tent bedecked with lanterns.
Guests sampled more than 30 competing burgers at the Burger Bash from restaurants from Miami and beyond, including 5 Napkin Burger, BSpot, Good Stuff Eatery, Shake Shack, STK Miami, Tongue & Cheek, Landmarc, and more. Eaters taste-tested at tables covered in a flame grill pattern.
Buick, the main car sponsor of the festival, showcased its new Buick Encore model, offering attendees a chance to win a new ride after submitting their contact information via iPad. Entrants also received free spice blends, courtesy of local chef Douglas Rodriguez. A cow-print throw blanket provided on-theme decor at the Burger Bash.
Electrolux created a kitchen using the brand's appliances where chefs and student volunteers from Florida International University served dishes throughout the festival, including burgers, empanadas, and desserts.
Esurance's SavorBand kiosks let guests tap N.F.C.-enabled bracelets at the stations to receive recipes and other information from vendors throughout the festival.
Mix It Up With Morimoto & Friends was the Asian-fusion Saturday late-night karaoke bash following Burger Bash and Best of the Best. The host dazzled guests at Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach with his fresh raw bar and sushi bites, which were served atop an ice-encased bar filled with frozen fish and other ocean delicacies. Other standout food vendors included Khong River House, China Grill, Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill, and Makoto.
The event served cocktails mixed with sake and Bye Joe, a Chinese spirit and sponsor. Illuminated pool balls and other lighting cast red hues around the Shelborne pool area.
At Oyster Bash, held on the Hotel Victor South Beach rooftop, a bar serving Cloudy Bay wines was topped in a thick bed of green grass, with pedestals for displaying the bottles.
Sammy Hagar performed hard-rock hits including Van Halen favorites throughout the evening on a stage bedecked with surfboards. In the past, bands have played reggae (Ziggy Marley) and funk-disco (KC and the Sunshine Band), so the rock genre was a much-appreciated change of pace.
A main sponsor of the Rockin' Beach Party, Del Monte served fresh fruit from a pineapple-shaped station. The company also distributed 5,000 LED necklaces for guests to wear at the late-night event.
One of the festival's kick-off events, Moët Hennessy's the Q used a word cloud of its sponsors as a stage backdrop as chef Michael Symon and festival founder and director Lee Brian Schrager greeted the crowd.
Chandon set up an extensive photo vignette that included, among other props, a bicycle with a cooler full of bubbly as well as colorful flutes, beach balls, and inflatables.
A main sponsor of both the Q and Flaunt late-night, Hennessy had a glowing cabana at Delano with its Hennessy Black spirit. Black lights illuminated the white bar and decor, which provided an eye-catching, glowing effect for the bottle's white insignia.
Veuve Clicquot's setup at Flaunt featured a life-size birdcage topped with floral accents. Inside, a dancer clad in the signature Veuve yellow shade greeted guests.
A contortionist entertained guests at Flaunt with a routine at the Delano pool's edge. Later, the contortionist performed moves from inside an inflated, clear bubble that rolled up and down the length of the pool.
A sand castle topped by a whole hog—complete with an apple in its mouth—met guests as they entered Thrillist's Barbecue & the Blues at Eden Roc. "This year we really wanted to bring the humor and irreverence of Thrillist's editorial to life," Thrillist events producer Adrienne Wright said. "By having a model spraying guests with a barbecue-scented cologne—a product we wrote about on Thrillist—as well as creating a Thirst-Aid Station slinging [craft beer] the Heimlich Maneuver, guests could leave with a better sense of what Thrillist is all about. And also smelling like ribs."
Paula Deen made an unannounced appearance at the event, which was hosted by her son Bobby.
Thrillist handed out thoughtful on-brand gifts such as toothpicks, breath mints, and moist towelettes.
Groupon offered several images in its signature green hue that guests could silk-screen onto tote bags at several festival events. The station promoted the discount site's new search bar.
Mountain Dew promoted its new Kickstart beverage with a refrigerated sample station set up inside a truck. Neon lights in the brand's signature green hue provided an eye-catching border.
Succulents marked each place setting at the Vegetarian Dinner hosted by Alfred Portale and Alex Guarnaschelli at the Space Miami.
Sylvia Weinstock instructed students how to make their own elaborate cake decorations—albeit on a smaller scale with two cupcakes—in a class at the St. Regis Bal Harbour.
The black-tie Ocean Liner Dinner—at $1,500 a ticket, the priciest event at the festival—was designed to evoke a first-class ocean liner. Anthony Bourdain oversaw a multicourse menu prepared by chefs Daniel Boulud, Andrew Carmellini, David McMillan, Fred Morin, Francois Payard, and Eric Ripert.
A display of cookbooks from participating chefs sat underneath a life preserver adorned with a take on the venue, the Wolfsonian museum.
The interactive kitchen at Jungle Island included stadium seating and a special section for toque- and apron-wearing kids.
The healthy living event Fun and Fit as a Family invited kids to power a blender by pedaling a bicycle.
At a station for Goya, kids could stack oversize blocks into images such as a fork and a cartoon mascot for the brand. The foam flooring made it safe for little feet.
At the Celebrity Chef Golf Tournament hosted by José Andrés, golfers sampled food and beverages from restaurants including the Bazaar as they played a round at Turnberry Isle Miami.
A rustic setting hosted the Chicken Coupe hosted by Andrew Carmellini at the W South Beach ballroom. The down-home dish came paired with champagne.
