20th Annual Deering Seafood Festival

The Deering Estate Foundation is thrilled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the award-winning Deering Seafood Festival! Join us to experience this milestone event featuring fresh seafood, chef demos, live entertainment, and kid-friendly activities. Presented by the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board, the festival takes place on Sunday, April 12, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Don’t miss this special celebration of two decades of food, fun, and community at the historic Deering Estate.

Want a sneak peek of the Estate before festival day? Check out this live webcam view of the Deering Estate!

Food & Drink Vendors
At the Deering Seafood Festival, guests will be able to buy food and drink from some of South Florida’s best restaurants and suppliers. Participating seafood restaurants include Golden Rule Seafood, Sports Grill, Chef Winston Catering, Antigua Barbuda, Popos Seafood, Conch Mania, Mr. Cobbs BBQ, Rodbenders Raw Bar and Grill, Catering by Les, and Pubbelly Sushi. Other food vendors guests can get excited about are Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream and Nothing Bundt Cakes. Eagle Brands will be onsite providing Stella Artois, Kona Big Wave, Michelob Ultra, Ultra Zero, and Nutrl Seltzer. The Frozen Drink Booth is courtesy of Don Q Rum. The Whiskey Bars are courtesy of Cairlinn Bay Irish Whiskey, and the Wine Bar is courtesy Bonterra Winery. Please note, at this time, we are at full capacity for food vendors and are not accepting additional applications. We appreciate your enthusiasm and hope you’ll consider applying for future events.

Chef Demo Tent
The Chef Demo Tent is one of the highlights of the Deering Seafood Festival! Several chefs present 45-minute cooking demonstrations of their favorite seafood dishes, many of which are from their restaurant menus.

All cooking demonstrations are included with admission. Audiences are limited to 140 guests per demo, and spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees will enjoy samples of the food prepared by the chef, get a copy of the recipe, and have an opportunity to ask questions.

Throughout the day, a team of FIU culinary students will serve as sous chefs to those leading the Chef Demonstration, helping them to prepare their dish and clean up the cooking area.

2026 Chef Demo
11:15 a.m. – Chef Fernando Salazar, Platea Miami 
12:15 p.m. – Chef Damian Gilchrist, Card Sound Golf Club 
1:15 p.m. – Chef Dewey Losasso, Puff ‘n Stuff Catering
2:15 p.m. – Chef Kenneth Molyneaux, Executive Chef, Tropical Fusion Beach Bar and Grill & Captain British Virgin Islands National Culinary Team
3:15 p.m. – Chef Michael Altman, Kitchen 57
4:15 p.m. – Elise Mora & Jayda O’Neill, 2026 Deering Seafood Festival Student Chef Competition Winners, FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management 

Entertainment & Activities
While Florida’s freshest fish and seafood are always the main event, nonstop entertainment will keep the family dancing all day long. The festival will kick off with a Bahamian Junkanoo band and Virgin Island stilt walkers parading through Deering Estate, followed by performances by Caribbean Music Farm, I Threes – The Next Generation, Code Red, Razor Blade Band, and DJ Soso.

I-Threes Next Generation
From the hallowed ground where reggae’s most legendary harmonies were born, a new chapter unfolds. The I-Threes Next Generation isn’t merely a revival—it’s a spiritual succession, a passing of the torch from mothers to daughters, from pioneers to torch-bearers.

Code Red
Code Red Band was created by a group of individually talented Jamaican musicians residing in South Florida. Code Red is one of the most sought after bands emerging out of South Florida.

Razor Blades
Razor Blades is a popular fungi music band from the British Virgin Islands (BVI), celebrated for blending traditional Virgin Islands musical heritage with contemporary styles.

Caribbean Music Farm & DJ SOSO

Guests who want to get out on the water can take guided Pelican Skipper pontoon boat rides (for an additional fee) from Deering Estate to Chicken Key. Back on land, arts aficionados can wander down Artists Lane and find handmade paintings, photography, crafts, jewelry, and much more by local artisans.

Just for Kids

Presented by Kiddos Magazine, The Deering Seafood Festival will have a special “Spring & Family Fun Kid’s Zone” with art station, a DJ, interesting exhibits, games, kid-friendly food, raffles, water battle, cooking class, and lots of other fun activities for the kids!

Also at the festival, the Deering Discovery Cove will return with fun, educational programming and activities from Deering Estate’s environmental classes and camps!

Tickets
Festival attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance online. Tickets for adults are priced at $25 in advance and $30 at the gate, and tickets for children ages 4-14 are priced at $7 in advance and $10 at the gate. While Deering Estate Foundation members are entitled to free festival admission, members must go online to obtain a ticket for entry. Ticket prices include park entrance and activities, but exclude food, drink, boat rides, and vendor purchases.

🚨 Important Ticket Notice – Deering Seafood Festival 🚨

To ensure a safe and secure experience, please purchase tickets only through the official Deering Estate website. We are aware of unauthorized resellers and fraudulent listings appearing on social media. Tickets and vendor spots purchased from third-party sellers are invalid and will not be honored at entry.

🎟️ Secure your tickets directly HERE

Interested in becoming a sponsor? View the Deering Seafood Festival Sponsorship Package for additional information.

Transportation & Parking
In addition to street and area parking, a free “Park and Ride” will be available to all festival guests at Westminster Christian School and Palmetto Bay Village Center. Shuttle buses will go to and from the venue and Deering Estate every 15 minutes. For those wishing to ride their bikes to the festival, a courtesy bike valet will be available from Heritage House.

To the North: Westminster Christian School, 6855 SW 152 Street
To the South: Palmetto Bay Village Center, 18001 Old Cutler Road
Bike Parking: Near the Main Gate in the area between SW 168 Street & SW 167 Street along 72nd Avenue.
Arrival by boat or watercraft is prohibited.

All proceeds will benefit the Deering Estate Foundation and are used to provide funding, advocacy and support for Deering Estate and its initiatives.

What items/activities are prohibited on-site?
Pets, balloons, balls, BBQ’s/barbecues/grills, bicycles, coolers, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, confetti, candles/flames, glitter, drones, frisbees, fireworks, hammocks, kites, remote-control boats/cars, rollerblades/skates, scooters, skateboards, tents/canopies, in ground umbrellas, fishing, and swimming are not allowed onsite.

Additional Notes:

– Historic Museum Homes are closed during this event.
– Bugs & mosquitos are very common throughout the year, please come prepared.
– No pets allowed.

Sponsors
As a nonprofit organization, Deering Estate could not host its year-long calendar of exciting community events without the help of its generous supporters. The Deering Estate Foundation is honored that the 20th Annual Deering Seafood Festival on the Bay is presented by British Virgin Islands Tourist Board.

Other sponsors include Golden Rule Seafood, Sports Grill, Jaguar Land Rover South Dade, Community Health of South Florida, European Collision, Baptist Miami Cancer Center, Peterson’s Harley Davidson South, Trinity School, Eric’s Outboard, The Keyes Company, The DeValdivielso Team, Florida Power and Light, South Florida Police Benevolent Association, Sunstate Bank, Smile Institute Miami, Prestige Windows & Doors, Kaufman & Rossin, Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm, Kutner Personal Injury, The Tonkinson Foundation, Bet Shira, The Florida Villager, Diario Las Americas, Miami New Times, Go Latinos Magazine, Community Newspapers, Florida Keys Media / Radio, Miami International Airport, Clear Channel Outdoor, Drew Kern – The Kern Team, Shutts and Bowen, LLP, Tonkinson Financial, and the Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs Tourism Development Council.

About The Deering Estate Foundation

For those who treasure the Deering Estate, who advocate for its preservation and wish to invest in its future, The Deering Estate Foundation provides opportunities for individuals and corporations alike to partake in membership, signature events, and one-of-a-kind experiences, all in service of providing vital funding and support to the Deering Estate. Through these efforts, the foundation fulfills its mission to uphold the legacy of Charles Deering’s cherished 1920s-era property, to provide funding for the cultural, educational and recreational experiences it offers, as well as its significant scientific and archaeological endeavors to conserve its diverse flora, fauna and the eight native ecosystems that thrive on its 450 acres, and to ensure its longevity as a prized American heritage site. Established in 1989, The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc. is a community-based charitable 501(c) 3 Florida Corporation and the philanthropic partner of the Deering Estate. Interested individuals can become a member here!

About Deering Estate

The Deering Estate is a 21st Century house museum, cultural and ecological field station, and a national landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, owned by the State of Florida, and managed by Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department.