Tate of Boynton Beach Food & Win Festival

Summary

Podcast Summary: Taste of Boynton Beach Food & Wine Festival

Podcast: Culturally Speaking: The South Florida Sunday Podcast
Host: Hubbard Radio
Guest: Amanda Onda, Division Director of Events, City of Boynton Beach
Episode Date: April 9, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode spotlights the upcoming Taste of Boynton Beach Food & Wine Festival, returning for its third annual celebration on April 18th. Host Hubbard Radio chats with Amanda Onda from the City of Boynton Beach about everything festival-goers can expect: from the culinary line-up and entertainment, to new features and improved logistics. The conversation is engaging and informative, aimed at both first-timers and returning attendees.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Festival Details & Growth

• Date and Place: April 18, 2026
• Size: 35% increase in participating vendors compared to prior years ([00:41])
• Vendors: Over 30 food and drink booths, including a diverse array from ramen to vegan to local favorites
• Quote:

  “We're thrilled. We have 35% more participation from our local restaurants and SIPs vendors...wine, cocktails, specialty beers, champagne mocktails”—Amanda Onda ([00:41])

Unique Food Offerings

• Variety: Unlimited samples from vendors like Ramen Lab, Texas Roadhouse, Dope Vegan, etc. ([00:54])
• All-Inclusive: Every attendee gets the VIP experience, with unlimited sampling ([03:33])

Festival as Community Hub

• Beyond Food:
  • Professional entertainment
  • Artisan market
  • Photo booth
  • Live cooking demos
  • Flare bartending show ([01:04], [01:15])
• Community Impact:
  • Supports local and small businesses
  • Platform for economic growth and community cohesion
• Quote:

  “It's an investment in the soul of your own backyard... triggers a ripple effect that will benefit everyone in the community and encourages people to shop local.”—Amanda Onda ([03:00])

Entertainment Line-Up

• Local Talent: Boynton Beach’s Marcia Mitchell providing entertainment
• Schedule:
  • Jeff Ralston Acoustic Trio opens
  • Strolling violinist
  • DJ Damon as emcee
  • Glow party (8–10pm) with Marcia Mitchell Band, fire dancers ([01:24])
  • “From 8 to 10, when the party turns into a glow party, we have a 10 piece band from Marcia Mitchell Band... and we’ll have fire dancers... axe throwing, a golf simulator and a Shrunk 3D...”—Amanda Onda ([01:24])
• Activities: Arcade, axe throwing, golf simulator, sidewalk art ([01:24], [02:18])

Festival Experience & Logistics

• Immersive Activations:
  • Immersive photo booth
  • Shade champagne wall
  • Lounge with lush furnishings
  • Surprises and curated spaces ([02:25], [03:59])
• Entry:
  • All VIP; multiple entry lines to avoid bottlenecks
  • No anticipated long waits ([03:33], [03:59])

Goodies & Giveaways

• Swag for All Attendees:
  • Branded tote
  • Tumbler
  • Glow stick for evening events ([02:43])

Adult-Only Event

• 21+ Policy:
  • Only adult-focused event from the city; “leave the kiddos at home”
• Quote:

  “We love our kids, but this is the one time you can kick back, relax and really enjoy the evening.”—Amanda Onda ([04:38])

Accessibility & Transportation

• Parking:
  • Multiple accommodations
  • Shuttle and bus transportation from various pick-up points ([04:51])

Ticketing & Further Information

• Single Tier:
  • Every ticket = all-access VIP
  • Discount for early purchase ([05:07])
• Quote:

  “We really just listened to our residents and put our best foot forward in the planning.”—Amanda Onda ([03:33])

• How to Buy:
  • All ticketing and event details at the City of Boynton Beach website ([05:23])

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Memorable Moments & Quotable Highlights

• On Community:

  “When residents show up, it triggers a ripple effect that will benefit everyone in the community and encourages people to shop local.”—Amanda Onda ([03:00])

• On Entertainment:

  “From 8 to 10, when the party turns into a glow party, we have a 10 piece band... fire dancers, the arcade will be activated... axe throwing, golf simulator and a Shrunk 3D which is kind of a new thing we're excited for.”—Amanda Onda ([01:24])

• On VIP Experience and Logistics:

  “The entire event is ticketed and the entire event is VIP. We took a lot of the feedback from previous years to make this the best year yet.”—Amanda Onda ([03:33])

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Notable Timestamps

• [00:24] Annual festival overview and unique culinary experiences
• [01:04] Beyond food: entertainment, artisan market, live demos
• [01:24] Entertainment schedule and unique activities
• [02:43] Attendee swag: tote, tumbler, glow stick
• [03:33] New all-access VIP format, improved entry/flow
• [04:27] Adult-only policy and night-out atmosphere
• [04:51] Parking and shuttle logistics
• [05:23] Ticketing and where to find more information

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Summary

The Taste of Boynton Beach Food & Wine Festival, happening April 18th, promises a rich sensory and community experience. With more food and drink options than ever, immersive entertainment and activities, and new all-access VIP setup, it’s positioned as a must-attend event for South Florida’s food and arts lovers. The city’s focus on supporting local businesses and creating a seamless, enjoyable outing shines through in every aspect of this year’s planning. For tickets, full details, and event logistics, attendees are encouraged to check out the City of Boynton Beach website.

Transcript

[A]

The taste of Boynton Beach. You know this next weekend, right. April 18th. I cannot believe it is already here. Bringing together some of the best in Boynton Beach. And I actually have Amanda Onda, the division director of events for the city of Boynton beach here with us to tell us all about this year's events. Thank you so much for joining the show today.

[B]

Thank you for having me. We're very excited about the event.

[A]

Oh, I know. This is one of the best ones. So what are the details?

[B]

So this year it's our third annual food and wine festival featuring culinary tastings, drinks and entertainment while exploring the diverse food scene of Boynton beach, which makes our city so special.

[A]

And there's somewhere around 30 different food and drink vendors out there this year. Like what is the best way to navigate this festival?

[B]

Absolutely, we're thrilled. We have 35% more participations from our local restaurants and SIPs vendors. So we're going to have wine cocktails, specialty beers, champagne mocktails, you know, and

[A]

I do love the diversity of food choices. You have everything from the Ramen Lab to the Texas Roadhouse to dope vegan serving up unlimited samples. This is going to be a great event.

[B]

Yes, it is. But really the event is so much more than a food and wine festival. We have professional entertainment, artisan market, photo booth, live cooking demonstrations and a flare bartending show.

[A]

Of course. You were just saying there was more than just food. Right? So let's talk about the music, the entertainment. I mean, there were years where you had hula hoop fire dancers and stilt walkers.

[B]

We're really excited. We actually have Boynton Beach's own Marcia Mitchell providing all the entertainment this year. And it's very professional. So we have DJ Damon will be the emcee for the evening. We'll start off with the Jeff Ralston Acoustic Trio. We'll have a strolling violinist. And then from 8 to 10, when the party turns into a glow party, we have a 10 piece band from Marcia Mitchell band two. And we'll have fire dancers. The arcade will be activated. We have axe throwing, a golf simulator and a shrunk 3D which is kind of a new thing we're excited for all our residents to enjoy. Yeah.

[A]

And this is something that you don't really expect to find out at a food and wine festival. So this is amazing. I mean, it's going to be a glow party at night.

[B]

Yeah. So the samplings are from 5pm to 8pm so we hope that people will arrive on time to be able to get the most out of their experience. But then from 8 to 10, it turns into a party.

[A]

Oh, yeah, we're so ready for this. And we were talking about it before. People love the photo areas and the sidewalk art as well. That's going to be there too.

[B]

Oh, yes. We have so many different activations. We have an immersive photo booth experience. We'll have the ever favorite shade champagne wall. We'll have dancers. We have a wonderful artisan market. It's really going to be a fun, community focused event.

[A]

And will there be any demonstrations or special giveaways as well?

[B]

Yes. So everyone who arrives is going to have a tote, a branded tumbler, and a glow stick for the party.

[A]

Oh, that's going to be so amazing. And you know, it's also such a cool event because it's put on by the city of Boynton beach and it supports local and small businesses.

[B]

It really does. I think it serves as a vital platform for local economic growth and community cohesion. It's going to spotlight the city's small business sector and really, if you think about it, it's an investment in the soul of your own backyard. When residents show up, it triggers a ripple effect that will benefit everyone in the community and encourages people to shop local.

[A]

Amanda, we are so ready for this. So let's talk about tickets, because there are different tiers, right? You can purchase the food and wine sampling ticket or the VIP tickets. What's the difference? And do you unlimited sampling with both?

[B]

Actually, this year we changed up a bit. The entire event is ticketed and the entire event is vip. We took a lot of the feedback from previous years to make this the best year yet. So we taken over the entire park. We don't anticipate any lines this year. We have more vendors. We really just listened to our residents and put our best foot forward in the planning.

[A]

I love this. So everyone is going to get the

[B]

VIP experience, You know, six or seven different lines for entry because, you know, we have a thousand people trying to enter at once. So we're going to make a really fluid way for you even to enter the event. We've spread everything out so you're not going to fall into any long lines. But there's something to do for everyone. If you don't want to do the tasting, you can go to the artisan market or you can go play in the arcade. We have a beautiful lounge with lush furnishings where you can relax. And we just have different little surprises throughout the evening to keep everyone engaged.

[A]

We are so looking forward to this And I do want to mention that this is actually a 21 and older event. So leave the kiddos at home, have some you time. You know, that much needed. Girls or guys night out, maybe even a date night.

[B]

Absolutely. This is the only event that the city of Boynton beach hosts. That's an adult only event. We love our kids, but this is the one time you can kick back, relax and really enjoy the evening.

[A]

Right. And you also have shuttle services, right?

[B]

Yes, if everyone refers to our website, the city of Boynton Beach. We do have parking accommodations for every single person who's attending and there's shuttle and pickup locations throughout and we'll have buses just transporting people throughout the entire event.

[A]

Amanda, it was so great to speak with you and get all the details about the taste of Boynton Beach. That is next weekend, April 18th. Get your tickets early because there is a discount for you when you do that. How do we check this out online, Buy our tickets and you see about, you know, sponsorship opportunities as well.

[B]

Absolutely, you can please reach out to us. Everything is available through our city of Boynton beach website. It has tickets available, ways to become a sponsor if you want to become a featured restaurant, all the know before you go, details with parking and timing. So please review that website before you attend to make sure you have the best experience.