A Festival of Chocolate: The Sweetest Event of the Year
Saturday and Sunday, January 20 & 21, 2024
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

What better way to kick off the new year than by tasting your way through chocolate confections, decadent desserts, and savory bites at our A Festival of Chocolate.

Experience a weekend filled with all things chocolate that will delight your palate and remind you of the bounty from the tropics. We’ll have cacao trees available for purchase for your home garden all weekend long as well as ‘chocolate scented’ orchids.

Theobroma cacao: The Chocolate Fruit

Did you know that chocolate is made from the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree? Often described as the “Food of the Gods,” cacao is a tropical rainforest understory plant. You can see cacao trees growing in our Rainforest; you may even see some fruit ready for harvesting!

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What you can expect:

Enjoy chocolate tastings, cooking demos, and chocolate-inspired activities and classes
Enjoy chocolate pairings, chocolate-themed drink specialty flights and tastings, and a variety of chocolate infused foods all aimed at unlocking flavors
Visit chocolate and artisanal vendors!
Shop cacao trees for your home garden all weekend long as well as ‘chocolate scented’ orchids
Listen to live music
Watch your little ones ride the kids chocolate choo choo
Enjoy spectacular butterflies at Wings of the Tropics, our exotic butterfly exhibit
Sit in the shade and watch your little ones run, play and explore at The Children’s Garden
Cool down in the misty cloud forest and National Orchid Garden in the only tropical rainforest in the continental U.S.
And so much more!
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COCOA LOUNGE

Bourbon & Chocolate Tasting: $29
Experience the flavor of chocolate from Kakazon Chocolate, perfectly paired with 3 different types of bourbon.

Mini Chocolate Cocktail Flight: $29
Taste 3 mini cocktails perfectly crafted for the chocolate lovers.
Mudslide Martini, White Chocolate Strawberry Martini, Espresso Martini

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CHOCOLATE LAB

Wine & Cupcakes: $29
11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m.
Taste red, white, and sparkling wine paired with 3 different cupcakes.

Sweetbar Studio: $13
Create your very own chocolate bar! Choose from the molds provided and decorate it with your favorite toppings.

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HOUSE OF CHOCOLATE

Chocolatiers include:

Club Chokolate, Garcia Nevett, OMG Brigadeiros, Kakaozon Chocolate, Castronovo Chocolate, Gorgeous Edibles, Key West Sweets, Circus Eats, Palato Chcolate, Cao Chocolates, Romanicos, Exquisito Chocolates, and Go Dark Chocolate.

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THE MARKETPLACE

Shop from some of your favorite local vendors and stop by THE SHOP at Fairchild to purchase limited edition Cacao trees this weekend only.

Marketplace vendors include:

A Little Slice of Europe, Miguel Bode, Nomad Soul Design, Paz y Luna, Keez Beez, Mondespice, Unique Arts, Love Weld, Apu Hemp, Organdy Paper, Barbaro Mojo, Astoria, and APU Hemp.

Marketplace food vendors include:

Crepemaker, Dutch Magic, Ceviche & Guacamole, Greek & Latin Food, Eat Da Bone, Joey’s Bag of Donuts, Arancinus Italian, Ikonic Coffee, Artic Ice, and Juice Somm.

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CALLING ALL THE KIDDOS

The Chocolate Olympics
11:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2:30 p.m.

Compete in the Cacao Sack Race, Egg & Spoon Balance Race, Donut Toss for a chance to win a Golden Ticket! Redeem at the Sweetbar Studio to create your very own chocolate bar!

Bubble Dance Party

DJ Brandon Segree will lead the Bubble Dance Party at the top of each hour with your favorite tunes.

The Chocolate Express
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Hop on the Chocolate Express for a train ride around the Garden!
For children only. 1 parent can accompany child.