The fifth Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival runs October 21 to 25 at Baha Mar, just up the beach from Goldwynn Residences. None of it is free. Every event in the published program needs a ticket or a pass. Tickets can't be refunded or transferred. Most events stop selling 24 hours before they start. One exception runs through the whole week. Tickets for the Culinary Expo on Saturday and Sunday are the only ones you can buy on the day.
That exception is also where most of the festival's Bahamian programming happens. An Expo pass includes access to the FUZE Art Fair and its Bahamian artists, and the Expo itself brings local vendors and artisans together in the Convention Center. Simeon Hall Jr.'s cooking demonstration and a Junkanoo rushout are on the Expo schedule too. For an owner who would rather see what the weather and the week bring, the Expo is the easiest way in, and it covers a lot.
The Door That Stays Open Until the Morning Of
The Culinary Expo and FUZE Art Fair take over the Baha Mar Convention Center on October 24 and 25. Regular pass holders get in from noon to 6 p.m. Platinum holders get in an hour early, at 11 a.m. A one-day Expo pass costs $195 and a two-day pass costs $250. Both include the Expo's food and drink, FUZE access, chef demonstrations, tastings, seminars, art activities and shopping from local artisans.
Here is where the Bahamian content falls in the two Expo days:
- Saturday, October 24: demonstrations by Simeon Hall Jr., Scott Conant and Maneet Chauhan, plus wine, whisky and FUZE programming.
- Sunday, October 25: demonstrations by Marcus Samuelsson, Claudette Zepeda and Buddy Valastro, plus a Junkanoo rushout and more drinks and FUZE programming.
- Both days: the FUZE Art Fair, which the festival calls a Caribbean art fair covering many disciplines. The program includes work from seven Caribbean nations, panel discussions, guided tours, live demonstrations and a film series.
The FUZE lineup is heavily Bahamian. It includes Antonius Roberts, Lavar Munroe, Heino Schmid, Tamika Galanis, Jordanna Kelly, Chantal Bethel, Delton Barrett, Jason Bennett, Dede Brown, Claudette Dean, Keva Fawkes, Tyrone Ferguson and Veronica Dorsett. Kachelle Knowles, Lynn Parotti, Matthew David Rahming, Edrin Symonette and Eddion Whyms are on the list too. For Nassau residents who follow the local art scene, that is one of the fullest gatherings of Bahamian artists on the island's calendar this year, a short drive or beach walk from home.
When the Weekend Pass Beats Buying Tickets One at a Time
The walk-up option has a limit. As soon as your plans include Friday night, it makes sense to commit early.
A Taste of Baha Mar is the festival's big night. It starts at 8 p.m. on October 23 on the Jasmine Lawn, with food and drink included, live chef stations and a performance by OneRepublic. A Gold ticket costs $399 plus VAT and a Platinum ticket costs $599 plus VAT. The Gold Weekend Pass, at $599 plus VAT, includes Taste of Baha Mar, both Expo days, the Art of the Plate dinner and a gift bag.
At the listed prices, the choice works out like this:
- A Gold Taste ticket plus a two-day Expo pass costs $649 in listed prices, before any VAT is added.
- The Gold Weekend Pass costs $599 plus VAT. It covers the same two things and adds Art of the Plate, a four-course dinner at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the Convention Center Grand Ballroom. You can only get into that dinner with a Weekend Pass.
- The Platinum Weekend Pass, at $899 plus VAT, adds an hour of early entry to both Taste and the Expo, plus a better gift bag.
Neither weekend pass covers the smaller add-on events, which are sold separately. Those add-ons are where the Bahamian hosts are easiest to find. They are also where waiting costs you. Buddy Valastro's $325 baking masterclass on October 24 is already listed as sold out.
The Bahamian Events That Need a Ticket in Advance
Outside the Expo, the local talent is concentrated in a handful of smaller events. Each one closes to buyers 24 hours before it starts.
| Day | Event | Host or focus | Venue | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 22, 2 p.m. | Afternoon Tea at The Library | Bahamian-themed sweets and local bush teas | The Library | $95 |
| Sat, Oct 24, noon | Sky-High Spirits | Marv "Mr. Mixx" Cunningham | SkyBar | $125 |
| Sat, Oct 24, noon | Conch Shell Acrylic Pouring Workshop | Shell, materials and wine included | The Current | $120 |
| Sat, Oct 24, 2 p.m. | Sip N Paint | June Collie | ECCHO | $120 |
| Sun, Oct 25, 2 p.m. | Figure Drawing | John Cox | The Current | $120 |
| Sun, Oct 25, 5 p.m. | Chef Simeon's Sunset BBQ | Simeon Hall Jr. with Mr. Mixx | ECCHO | $200 |
The Nassau Guardian lists Cunningham as a Bahamian mixologist among the beverage talent. Hall is the festival's most clearly local chef. Nina Compton, Tristen Epps and Lisa and Chris Binns bring more Caribbean cooking to the lineup. Compton and Epps host The Island Table, a $150 lunch at noon on Friday at Baha Bay Beach Club.
For a Goldwynn owner, a practical Sunday combines the two. Walk up to the Expo for Samuelsson's demonstration and the Junkanoo rushout, then head to ECCHO for Hall's closing barbecue at 5 p.m. You buy the Expo ticket that morning. You have to buy the barbecue ticket by Saturday afternoon.
The Festival Is Held in the Strip's Newest Rooms
Several add-on events take place in Baha Mar restaurants and clubs that residents can visit on any ordinary week.
Scott Conant's Sunday in Sicily lunch, $150 at noon on October 25, is at Leola, his Italian restaurant on the Grand Hyatt casino level. Leola opened on November 10, 2025. Nina Compton, Jon Batiste and The Essence Band play Nawlin's Nightcap, a $225 event at 9 p.m. on Thursday at Jon Batiste's Jazz Club. The club normally books jazz, blues and Bahamian-influenced music with food and cocktails.
Marcus Samuelsson hosts Marcus' Dayparty with Lisa and Chris Binns, $200 at 1 p.m. Saturday at Marcus Gardens. Vibe BBQ by Marcus Samuelsson sits on the East Beach Walkway beside Grand Hyatt's Fortune Pool. It serves smoked brisket, ribs, coconut rice and peas and cornbread, daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Local coverage calls it his second restaurant at the resort and lists Junkanoo jerk chicken and whole curry snapper on the menu. It's a good option for a festival weeknight when nothing on the program fits.
Two more recent openings work for the quieter hours around the festival. The Studio, which Baha Mar announced in March 2026, is a podcast studio with a café and bar on the West Beach Walkway beside the Drift Pool. It serves breakfast from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and all-day food until 5 p.m. Horse to Water is a speakeasy-style cocktail lounge with a smoke lounge, next to Nexus Cabana Club and open daily from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The Goldwynn Side of the Week
At home, the timing is on your side. Goldwynn's infinity pool is closed for maintenance from September 8 to October 7, 2026. Until then, the resort is offering free transportation to Baha Bay Water Park. The published closure ends two weeks before the festival starts, so the pool should be back for festival mornings.
Pool cabanas include food service from Amara, seating, games, a refrigerator, a television and towels. They hold up to six people and are listed as available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. That window lines up closely with the Expo's noon-to-6 hours. A household can split the day, with some people at the Convention Center and others by the water.
The art thread continues indoors. Atria, Goldwynn's daily spot for coffee, smoothies and pastries, is built around a 60-foot installation by Bahamian artist Keshan Munroe. After an afternoon at FUZE, it's an easy place to see one more large local work without leaving the building. In the evening, OIA serves Mediterranean- and Asian-influenced food indoors and out. Bar Paul, the oceanfront cocktail lounge, lists hours of 6 p.m. to midnight with a 10:30 p.m. kitchen close. Some of Goldwynn's posted hours differ from page to page, so check with the front desk before planning a late dinner around them.
Dates to put on the calendar
- October 7: the published maintenance closure of the Goldwynn infinity pool ends.
- October 19: the Culinary & Arts Information Desk in Grand Hyatt's East lobby starts handing out passes and tickets, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bring your confirmation and a valid ID.
- 24 hours before each event: ticket sales close for everything except the Expo.
- October 23: a second pickup desk opens in the Convention Center, and Taste of Baha Mar starts at 8 p.m.
- October 24 and 25: you can buy Expo tickets on the day. Simeon Hall Jr.'s Sunset BBQ closes the festival at 5 p.m. Sunday at ECCHO.
The festival is the busiest week on this stretch of Cable Beach, and Goldwynn owners have it right next door. Whether you're thinking about your own Cable Beach home or a neighbor's building down the strip, The Agency Bahamas knows these properties well and can talk you through them. Contact the team now!
