The South Beach Wine & Food Festival, the annual multi-day celebrity-fueled bacchanalia that hits Miami Beach every February like a wine-soaked tidal wave has been the site to numerous parties, events, and seminars. Privy to some epic antics like Robert Irvine being shackled upside down by his ankles, Guy Fieri tossing a pizza, and Morimoto singing karaoke, we thought we saw everything.
We were wrong. Oh, so wrong.
This year, the festival is going to the dogs. Literally.
See also: Lee Schrager on SOBEWFF 2015: Meatopia, Tiki Cocktails, and the Cronut King
SOBEWFF has just announced its first-ever canine-centric cocktail party, named (what else) Yappie Hour, hosted by celebrity biped, Rachael Ray, which gives an entirely literal meaning to the term South Beach Party Animal!
On Saturday, February 21, from 4 to 6 p.m., the Standard Spa Miami Beach's gorgeous bayfront pool deck will be the site of this dog-friendly event. Festival director (and dog-lover) Lee Schrager, got the idea for the fido fete at a recent visit to the Standard, which welcomes pampered pets. The idea quickly turned into a vision of a "beautiful afternoon cocktail event" complete with "yappitizers" from Rachael Ray's own Nutrish line of pet food and Bowser beer.
Humans won't go hungry or thirsty either, with passed bites from the Standard and adult beverages served.
Other activities being planned include a possible doggie runway show, an interactive photo booth, and other dog-and-people pleasers. We're just thinking of the sponsorship opportunities for those little plastic poop bags.
Tickets are $95 (pups are free when accompanied by their ticketholding human) and are available now during the South Beach WIne & Food Festival pre-sale at sobefest.com or by calling the SOBEWFF box office at 1-877-762-3933 during regular business hours Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Best of all? A portion of the event proceeds will go to Rachael's Rescue, benefiting the Humane Society of Greater Miami. Sit! Stay! Cocktail!
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