Miami's Best Eats and Drinks This Weekend: Wynwood Life, Rum Fest, and Taste of Miami

Happy Friday, Miami. There's much to do over the weekend.

Enjoy Taste of Miami at Marlins Park or explore the Wynwood Life street festival. Make like a pirate at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, or partake of barbecue and blues.

Weekend starts now!
Taste of Miami
8 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 21, at Marlins Park, 501 Marlins Way, Miami; 305-480-1300. Tickets cost $66.50 to $141.50 via tickets.com.
Enjoy food and beverages from some of the area's best chefs at Taste of Miami. The evening includes a head-to-head MVP cooking competition where chef Andres Barrientos from Miami Smokers and Marlins All-Star Charles Johnson take on chef Jesus Diaz from Univision's morning show Despierta América and 1997 World Series MVP Liván Hernández in a battle for supremacy. Tickets cost $66.50 for general admission and $141.50 for VIP admission, which allows access at 7 p.m. All proceeds benefit the Marlins Foundation, the Hispanic Food and Beverage Foundation, Common Threads, and the Miami Culinary Institute's Joanna Rodriguez Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Wynwood Life Street Festival
5 p.m. Friday, April 21, and noon Saturday, April 22, and Sunday April 23, at Mana Wynwood, 318 NW 23rd St., Miami; 305-573-0371; manawynwood.com. Admission is free.
Most of us can't afford to live the Wynwood life — at least not its latest, gentrified version. But that doesn't mean we can't show up in Wynwood and say things like, "Wynwood gives me liiiiiife." For a taste of what you're missing, check out the Wynwood Life Street Festival, chock full of all the art, music, and boozy treats you know and love. With almost two dozen musical acts, including DJ Craze; a half-dozen fashion shows from brands like Thrifter; and art-making onsite, this event is sure to enhance the usual sensory overload of Miami's arts district. But we wouldn't have it any other way.
The Wild Brunch Pop-Up
1 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Punch Miami, 5580 NE Fourth Ct., Miami; 305-758-9932; punchmiami.com. Tickets cost $50 to $2,000 via eventbrite.com; women get in free before 3 p.m.
The Wild Brunch combines eccentricity, elegance, and fantasy — with an emphasis on the “wild” side — into a brunch and all-day celebration. The exclusive party is usually done in the beautiful city of Cartagena, Colombia, where it unites the most beautiful and glamorous VIPs and socialites from all over the world. The Wild Brunch offers guests a magical and fahsionable atmosphere, including performances by internationally known DJs, eccentric decorations, dancers, performers dressed as various characters, exquisite food by an international chef, and fine champagne.
Miami Rum Renaissance Festival
1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23, at the Miami Airport Convention Center, 711 NW 72nd Ave., Miami; 305-261-4200; macc.com. Tickets cost $75 to $125 via miamirumfest.com.
The sweetest of popular liquors is most definitely rum. You can get it white or spiced, but simply mixing it with a splash of Coke creates a dessert-like libation that'll have you smacking your lips with buzzed delight. Celebrate this sugary intoxicant with the Miami Rum Festival. It's geared toward rum-makers and fans — those who want to learn more about the beverage at seminars and those who want to celebrate its roots by drinking tiki-themed cocktails.
Redland Blues & Barbecue Festival
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the Fruit & Spice Park, 24801 SW 187th Ave., Homestead; 305-247-5727; redlandfruitandspice.com. Tickets cost $8; children 11 and younger get in free.
Get your fill of good food and good music at the Redland Blues & Barbecue Festival. It offers all manner of barbecue from Miami's best grillmasters, along with great blues and country music by Jay Blue Band, Juke, P.J. Aviles, the Wynwoods, and Jacob Reese Thornton. Family activities include a classic car and motorcycle show, a Homestead-Miami Speedway interactive area, pony rides, and critters from the Everglades Alligator Farm.
Sustainable Seafood Dinner
7 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the Café at Books & Books at Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 786-405-1745; booksandbooks.com. Tickets cost $82. Call to RSVP.
Chef Allen Susser hosts Hook, Catch & Cook, an evening of sustainable seafood at the Café at Books & Books at the Arsht Center. He'll be joined by Cindy Hutson, Tim Andriola, and John Iatrellis, who'll prepare a multicourse meal highlighting sustainable seafood.
Beer & Wine Paella Fest
Noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23, at Omni Park, 1234 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 786-631-3580; omniparkmiami.com. Tickets cost $55 to $1,700 via beerandwinepaellafest.com.
Watching experienced professionals whip up a vat of paella is like witnessing Goya at a canvas. The rice and seafood dish is a Spanish delicacy that will be celebrated with gypsy tunes, dancing, and fútbol (that's soccer, ya gringo) at this year’s Beer & Wine Paella Festival. And because everything is bigger in Miami, master chef Miguel Angel Rebolledo and his cooking team are creating one of the largest portions of paella ever. There will also be a cooking contest and music spun by former Pacha Ibiza resident DJs Lu.Pon and Jonathan Cowan. A portion of the proceeds will support the Autism Soccer Foundation.