A Night Worth Toasting: Las Olas Wine and Food Festival Raises More Than $450K for Lung Health!

It was a night worth toasting Friday as the Las Olas Wine and Food Festival celebrated 30 years of flavor and raised more than $450,000 in support of the American Lung Association. More than 2,500 foodies filled the iconic four block stretch of Las Olas Boulevard. They enjoyed signature bites from more than 50 of South Florida’s best restaurants and sampled more than 200 wines and spirits from around the world.

The one-night party is Fort Lauderdale’s longest‑running charitable wine and food festival. Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits—the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol—returned for its fourth year as the festival’s exclusive wine and spirits provider.

Festival highlights included:

• Curated cocktails and small bites at the VIP Kick-Off Party at the Riverside Hotel, presented by Florida Power & Light and Amerant Bank.
• Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Premium Wine Garden, hosted by Ombelle Fort Lauderdale, featured exclusive pours and wines from around the world plus limited-release bottles.
• The Demesmin & Dover Block Party returned with high-energy music and dancing under the stars.
• The VIP ‘90s party, sponsored by Land Rover Fort Lauderdale where revelers celebrated the year the festival first launched with throwback beats, retro bites and drinks.

“What an incredible night on Las Olas Boulevard. From the food and wine to the energy of the crowd, this milestone celebration truly captured what makes the Las Olas Wine and Food Festival so special,” said Riley Burke, Event Chair for the Las Olas Wine and Food Festival, and Vice President of Sales for South Florida at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Florida. “Thanks to our generous sponsors, restaurant partners and passionate supporters, the funds raised tonight will help advance the American Lung Association’s lifesaving work. That’s something worth celebrating.”

More than 50 South Florida restaurants were showcased on the Boulevard this year providing tasty bites for guests, including: Abiaka Wood Fire Grill – Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, American Social, Anthony’s Catering and Events, Baires Grill Las Olas, Batch New Southern Kitchen & Tap: Fort Lauderdale, Benihana, Blazin Buns, Café Del Mar, Casa Sensei, Charleston Coffee Roasters, The Cured Cartel Miami, Del Mar, Desiignbyfood, E41 – Embarcadero 41 Las Olas, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, El Vez, Ethos Greek Bistro, The Federal, Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, Fry-Day Afro-Cuban Fish House, Gran Forno Pronto, Huey Magoo’s, Hugh’s Catering, The Hollywood Donut Factory, Italian Fork, Jarana Peruvian Restaurant and Pisco Bar, JP’s Delights, Laudy Bar Craft Kitchen, Mastro’s Ocean Club, New River Café and Bakery, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Ocean Prime, Oceanic at the Pompano Beach Pier, Padrino’s Restaurant, Pho Bar, Playa Beach Bar and Grill, RA Sushi, Radiant 166, Sixty Vines Restaurant – Las Olas, Skinny Louie, Steak 954, Sweet Melody Ice Cream, Timpano Las Olas, The Tipsy Truffle, Tommy Bahama, The Whole Enchilada, The Wilder and WrapCity GoodEats. The VIP Kick-Off Party and the Premium Wine Garden featured signature bites from Wild Sea Las Olas and Shooters Waterfront.

 All proceeds from the Las Olas Wine and Food Festival fund the American Lung Association’s work serving the nearly 2.8 million Floridians living with lung disease, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer—the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. The Lung Association is helping people live healthier lives with a mission that includes researching new treatments and cures, tackling the youth vaping epidemic and protecting the air we all breathe.

The Las Olas Wine and Food Festival is sponsored by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Land Rover Fort Lauderdale, Ombelle Fort Lauderdale, Memorial Cancer Institute, Memorial Cancer Institute, The Las Olas Company, The  Swezy Foundation, Florida Power & Light, Demesmin and Dover Law Firm, Cadillac, Broward Health, Amerant Bank, Abiaka at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Shooters Waterfront, LaCroix, Eagle Brands Sales, Evian, and Mr. Pibb. The festival’s Title Sponsors are Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Espolón Tequila, Aperol, Jim Beam, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and LALO Tequila. The Riverside Hotel is the official hotel of the Las Olas Wine and Food Festival. Sun Sentinel Media Group and Greater Fort Lauderdale TravelHost Media Group are the festival’s media partners.

For more details, visit LasOlasWFF.com or contact [email protected]. To get involved with the mission of the American Lung Association, visit Lung.org or contact [email protected].