If you're heading south to Punta Gorda Town for the upcoming 3-day holiday weekend, the organizers of the Chocolate Festival of Belize, formerly known as the Cacao Fest, want you to stop by and indulge your sweet tooth.
The Festival celebrates local chocolatiers from Toledo, who depend on the cacao industry, by highlighting all their products.Today, representatives of the Toledo Chapter of Belize Tourism Industry Association stopped by our office tell us why you'll stop by for
Friday night's Wine and Chocolate event, and Saturday's Taste of Toledo Fair. Here's what they told us about the Festival:
Robert Pennil - President, BTIA Toledo
"This year, we'll be having the 13th Annual Chocolate Festival of Belize. Previously, it was known as the cacao. We'll be having a 2-day affair, this time. Friday night will be the wine and chocolate, and then, Saturday, which is the Taste of Toledo Street Fair. Friday night, wine and chocolate, it's exactly what the name says. There will be plenty of wine, and plenty of chocolate. But, we'll also be featuring a whole different level of cuisines, including Mayan cuisines. We'll also have some vegetarian cuisine. So, there is a taste for everyone."
Charmagne Westby - Ramirez - Tourism Information Officer, BTIA Toledo
"The Street Festival will be held this year on Front Street. That's near the St. Peter Claver School, if you're familiar with the logistics of Toledo. And it's start from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. We'll be merging what was traditionally a Sunday cultural day. That's gonna be at the Street Festival. We'll be having the Maya Deer Dance, chocolate making demonstrations, apart from the great selection of local cuisines, so from Garifuna cuisines, East Indian cuisines, Maya, Kriol, will all be represented there. There will be chocolate stout for sale. There will be a really good selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. And it is Chocolate Festival of Belize, right? So, all booths will be having a chocolate inspired item. So, you can get chocolate inspired jewellery made, or you can have crafts that are chocolate inspired as well."
Reporter
"Annually, what do you guys see for traffic to the Festival?"
Charmagne Westby-Ramirez
"The festival is a very good crowd pleaser to Toledo. So, we get a really good group of people coming out to Toledo, to Punta Gorda for the Street Festival, and the Wine and Chocolate is a very big hit as well."
Tickets for the Wine and Chocolate events are $60.
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