Rum cake and black cake, the dark, fruit-heavy cakes that sit on Caribbean holiday tables from Thanksgiving through Christmas, get an afternoon of their own on Wilton Drive. The fifth annual Rum Cake and Caribbean Black Cake Fest is Sunday, Nov. 15, from 2 to 6 p.m. at The Venue Fort Lauderdale, 2345 Wilton Drive, in Wilton Manors. The organizers list bakers representing 23 Caribbean countries and territories.

Who is baking

The festival is presented by Island SPACE Caribbean Museum with the Caribbean Professionals Network, and the bakers are South Florida based. According to the ticket listing, they represent 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, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

With that many places at the tables, the same two cakes can be tasted in many versions in one afternoon, which is the point of the event: Island SPACE pitches it as a tour of the region by way of its holiday baking, timed so visitors can find their favorites before Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What the afternoon includes

The format is taste first, then buy. Island SPACE describes cake tastings from across the Caribbean, with rum cakes, black cakes and other treats for sale, so a visitor can sample several versions and take home a whole cake for the holiday table. Around the tastings there is:

  • A Caribbean holiday market for shopping.
  • Traditional holiday performances and music, with music by Bigg G.
  • Holiday drinks for sampling and for sale.
  • A Caribbean food court and a cocktail bar.
  • Media personality Raul Blaze as host.

The museum behind it

Island SPACE Caribbean Museum runs a set of signature festivals through the year, including a mango festival and an Anancy festival. The cake fest is its holiday event, and 2026 is its fifth year.

Tickets

Tickets are sold through the museum's Eventbrite listing. The listing puts advance tickets at $30 and says admission at the door will cost more, and the museum's own event page shows ticket types ranging from $12 to $70. Refunds are available up to seven days before the event. Buying ahead is the cheaper way in.

How to go

The Rum Cake and Caribbean Black Cake Fest is Sunday, Nov. 15, 2 to 6 p.m., at The Venue Fort Lauderdale, 2345 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors. Tickets and details are on the Island SPACE events page and its Eventbrite listing. For questions, Island SPACE can be reached at 954-999-0989 or [email protected].

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