Events
30th Annual Las Olas Wine & Food Festival
Las Olas Wine & Food Festival Celebrated Three Decades of Culinary Chaos, Cocktail Creativity and Charitable Goodness.
April 24th, 2026
It was easy to get lost in the indulgence that was the 30th annual Las Olas Wine & Food Festival. The cocktails, the exquisite bites, the DJ sets that blur into one long, glowing stretch of Las Olas Boulevard. But beyond the shots of booze, the illuminated Demesmin and Dover cowboy hats, and full tummies, this party had purpose. This year, more than $450,000 was raised benefiting the American Lung Association.
Endless Bites
At the 30th annual Las Olas Wine & Food Festival, bold flavors and handheld convenience were on the menu. With tasting pavilions, imaginative cocktails, and 200+ wines spread across four blocks of Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the festival delivered, satisfying the appetites of over 2,500 foodie attendees.
Around 50 of the best and newest South Florida restaurants stepped up to the task, including: Wild Sea Las Olas, Shooters, Abiaka Wood Fire Grill, American Social, Anthony’s Catering and Events, Baires Grill, Batch New Southern Kitchen & Tap, Café Del Mar, Casa Sensei, Del Mar, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, El Vez, Ethos Greek Bistro, The Federal, Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, The Hollywood Donut Factory, Laudy Bar Craft Kitchen, Mastro’s Ocean Club, New River Café and Bakery, Ocean Prime, Oceanic at the Pompano Beach Pier, Padrino’s Restaurant, Pho Bar, Radiant 166, Sixty Vines Restaurant, Skinny Louie, Steak 954, Sweet Melody Ice Cream, Timpano Las Olas, The Wilder…the list goes on-and-on.
Top 5 Bites
With so many diverse offerings, there really was something for everyone. Specifically satisfying to my palate was Timpano’s short rib ravioli with truffle butter. Juicy, meaty, and rich, Las Olas’s mainstay Italian restaurant easily earned top 5 status. Another top 5 finisher was the lobster yuzu taco in homemade wonton shell from Bondi Sushi. Packing a solid crunch, tangy twist, and a creamy finish, this was the top-notch taco. Fresh, simple, and refined beyond expectation, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood’s yellowtail sashimi was an indulgent top 5 taste. A favorite amongst many attendees I spoke to, and packing loads of smoky, creamy goodness, the fiocchetti pasta from Anthony’s Catering and Events was a perfect 10. Rounding out the top 5, since I went back for thirds, was the sweet, creamy, and crispy stracciatella crostini from The Wilder.
Well Rounded Meal
While the food may be enough for some, beer, wine, and cocktail options at Las Olas Wine & Food Festival were abundant. From softer sips like Aperol Spritz to straight shots of tequila and bourbon, it was all on the menu. My favorite sip of the day was Jim Beam’s Golden Mullet cocktail, with Jim Beam Pineapple, lemon juice, vanilla syrup, soda water, and candied ginger. Unfortunately, this would be 20 pages long if I covered everything I enjoyed, but overall, every sip, every bite, every meatball, skewer, salad, and offering from the sea of tuna tartars, was spectacular.
Since no great meal is complete without dessert, I have to give thanks to New River Café and Bakery for the gooey, sweet goodness that was their cinnamon bun bites. Sweet Melody Ice Cream’s Kooki Monster ice cream, with natural coloring, was also a sweet favorite. As were the out-of-this-world, pillowy doughnut holes from The Hollywood Doughnut Factory.
Final take: 30 years of “Sip, sample, repeat”
After 30 years of Las Olas Wine & Food Festivals, you might assume the novelty is gone and the party’s over, but with an ever-changing local restaurant scene and new participants and partners every year, Las Olas Wine & Food Festival remains fresh, exciting, and enjoyable as ever – all for a great cause.
Visit LasOlasWFF.com or follow on Instagram via @lasolaswff for more information on tickets and festival news.
The Miami born app celebrated a major milestone with a seriously fun South Florida party, but 100,000 downloads are only part of what’s next.
September 26, 2026
Zéya had plenty to celebrate, and they definitely knew how to throw a party.
The Miami-born swapping app recently marked 100,000 downloads, and SFL Insider joined the celebration for a night that felt much more like a fun Miami get-together than a typical tech event.
The atmosphere was lively, social, and genuinely welcoming, which actually made a lot of sense once we learned more about what Zéya is trying to build. This isn’t supposed to be another faceless marketplace where you post something and hope a stranger buys it. Zéya wants swapping to feel social, easy and connected to your community.
And after spending the evening celebrating with the people behind it, that part of the concept clicked.
Because we all have stuff.
The dress you wore once. The bag you loved until you didn’t. The camera you were definitely going to learn how to use. The random purchase that seemed necessary at the time and has barely moved since.
Zéya’s question is pretty simple: Why keep buying more when someone nearby might want exactly what you already have?
Even better, the app is now getting ready to move beyond swapping just things.
Services are coming too.
And that could make Zéya a whole lot more interesting.
Swipe. Match. Swap.
The easiest way to describe Zéya is old school bartering with a very modern makeover.
You browse what’s available nearby, see something you want and connect with the person who has it.
Then you offer something of your own.
Swipe. Match. Swap.
If the values don’t quite line up, Zéya allows an optional cash top up to help make the trade work.
So maybe your bag is worth a little more than the item you want. Or theirs is worth more than yours. You don’t necessarily have to abandon the swap because it isn’t perfectly even.
It feels less like traditional bartering and more like shopping without automatically reaching for your credit card.
100,000 Downloads Is a Pretty Big Deal
Zéya has now officially surpassed 100,000 downloads across iOS and Android, an exciting milestone for a company that started right here in Miami.
Founder and CEO Mehdi Taifi sees that number as something bigger than just downloads.
“One hundred thousand downloads is exciting because it shows that swapping can become a real habit, not a last resort,” Taifi said.
That idea stuck with me.
We’re so used to thinking buy when we want something new. Zēya is trying to get us to think swap first.
Earlier this year, the company also closed a $2.45 million strategic growth round led by Storage Innovations LLC, helping support its next stage of development.
Judging by the energy at the celebration, Zéya certainly isn’t treating 100K like a finish line.
Zēya 4.0 Makes the Whole Thing Easier
The company has also rolled out Zéya 4.0, designed to make getting from “I want that” to actually completing a swap much faster.
One of my favorite additions is the AI Listing Assistant, mostly because writing listings is probably the least exciting part of selling anything online.
Take a photo, upload it, and the app can generate the item name, description, and category in seconds.
Done.
The update also adds chat before making an offer, group chat, and a visual balance meter that makes it easier to see whether a proposed swap feels fair.
Zéya has expanded its categories too, including Baby & Toddler and Sports & Outdoors.
So that barely used handbag has value.
But so do the golf clubs in the garage.
And Now Zēya Is Moving Beyond Stuff
This might be my favorite part of what’s coming next.
Zéya is adding services.
That changes the whole idea of what you can bring to a swap.
Maybe you don’t have a designer bag to trade, but you’re an amazing photographer.
Maybe you tutor.
Maybe you’re a personal trainer, stylist, graphic designer, pet sitter or the magical person who actually knows how to organize a closet.
Your skills have value too.
The full details of how services will work are still to come, but opening Zēya to services takes it beyond simple bartering. It becomes more about exchanging value, whether that value happens to be sitting in your closet or comes from something you know how to do.
And suddenly the possibilities get much bigger.
It All Feels Very Miami
Maybe that’s another reason I enjoyed the celebration so much.
Zéya feels very Miami.
It’s social. It’s stylish. It’s a little entrepreneurial. And it revolves around discovering something you want without necessarily paying full price for it.
We can absolutely get behind that.
The party reflected that same energy. People were mingling, talking about the app and celebrating what is clearly a big moment for the team, but it never felt overly corporate or stuffy. It felt like a community celebrating something that started locally and is beginning to grow.
That seems especially fitting for a company that wants its marketplace to feel like a community too.
Swap, Don’t Shop
There is an obvious sustainability benefit to giving perfectly good things another life instead of constantly buying new ones.
But Zéya doesn’t make that feel like a lecture.
The appeal is much simpler.
You have things you don’t use. Someone else wants them. And chances are, they have something you want too.
Add AI-assisted listings, local discovery, cash top-ups, community features, and soon the ability to exchange services, and it starts looking very different from the bartering most of us remember.
Zéya’s tagline is “Swap Don’t Shop.”
After a fun night celebrating 100,000 downloads and getting a closer look at where the Miami company is headed next, we’re curious to see just how far people are willing to take that idea.
Because if swapping can be this easy and this social, maybe we really don’t need to buy everything new.
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Luli Fama celebrates its Paradise Found Cruise ’27 swimwear and resortwear collection with a luxury Miami launch at its Dadeland Mall boutique.
August 20, 2026
Miami swimwear favorite Luli Fama is stepping into Cruise ’27 with Paradise Found, a new swimwear and resortwear collection inspired by tropical escapes, exotic prints and effortless vacation glamour.
South Florida Insider has already taken a closer look at the Luli Fama Paradise Found collection, and it feels made for Miami.
The new Cruise ’27 collection combines the bold, body-confident swimwear Luli Fama is known for with elevated resort pieces designed to move effortlessly from the beach and pool to cocktails and dinner.
On Thursday, August 20, Luli Fama will celebrate Paradise Found with an exclusive evening at its newest Dadeland Mall boutique in Miami, complete with fashion, light bites, personalized surprises, and a luxe espresso martini bar.
Inside Luli Fama’s Paradise Found Cruise ’27 Collection
Paradise Found is inspired by the feeling of discovering a hidden tropical retreat.
Think lush landscapes, warm golden hour light, exotic patterns, and silhouettes made for somewhere beautiful.
The collection features Luli Fama signatures, including flattering ruched details, seamless construction, adjustable fits, and statement swimwear, alongside an expanded selection of resortwear.
We especially love the pieces that blur the line between swim and ready-to-wear.
Flowing dresses, sleek coverups, and body-skimming silhouettes make it easy to transition from a sun-drenched afternoon to an evening out without losing that relaxed resort feeling.
It is sensual, polished, and unmistakably Miami.
Luli Fama Brings Luxury Resort Style to Miami
There is a reason Paradise Found feels so natural in South Florida.
In Miami, resortwear is not reserved for vacation.
A swimsuit can become part of an outfit. A coverup can take you to lunch. A flowing resort dress can carry you from an afternoon by the water straight into cocktails and dinner.
Luli Fama has always understood that lifestyle.
Paradise Found takes it a step further, creating a Cruise ’27 wardrobe that feels as appropriate for a tropical getaway as it does for a weekend in Miami.
The campaign captures that mood beautifully, pairing the collection with palms, lush greenery, tropical architecture and the kind of sun soaked setting that makes you want to extend your vacation indefinitely.
Paradise Found Comes to Luli Fama at Dadeland Mall
Luli Fama will bring the world of Paradise Found to life on Thursday, August 20 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at its newest boutique at Dadeland Mall in Miami.
The intimate celebration will bring together invited guests, influencers, celebrities and media for an early look at Cruise ’27.
Luli Fama is also dressing invited guests in pieces from the brand, allowing the new collection to be experienced the way it was designed to be worn: in motion, styled and out for the evening.
Luli After Hours Espresso Martini Bar
Fashion is only part of the experience.
For the Paradise Found celebration, Luli Fama is introducing Luli After Hours, an Espresso Martini Bar inspired by the glamour of the collection.
Guests will be able to sip three specialty espresso martinis created for the evening.
The Luli Babe puts a polished spin on the classic espresso martini, while Golden Hour pairs salted caramel with edible gold shimmer. Miami After Dark takes a richer approach with chocolate hazelnut and a cocoa dust finish.
Along with cocktails, guests can expect light bites, curated details and a special personalized surprise.
The result feels less like a traditional retail event and more like checking into a private resort for the evening.
A Miami Swimwear Brand Celebrates at Home
For a brand with such a strong connection to South Florida, launching Paradise Found in Miami feels especially fitting.
Luli Fama has built its identity around colorful, confident swimwear and resort fashion with a distinctly tropical point of view.
Paradise Found carries that identity into Cruise ’27 while giving it a more elevated, escapist mood.
And with Luli Fama’s newest boutique now at Dadeland Mall, Miami shoppers have another destination to experience the brand in person.
After getting our own closer look at Luli Fama’s Paradise Found Cruise ’27 collection, we can safely say the name fits.
Paradise has officially been found, and this time, it is in Miami.
Check out the collection HERE
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