Festival Week on Cable Beach: Finding the Bahamian Thread at Baha Mar's Culinary & Arts Festival

"Coming Home speaks to our collective desire to reconnect, with our histories, our communities and one another," says John Cox, Baha Mar's VP of Arts & Culture. He was describing the theme of this year's FUZE Caribbean Art Fair. The phrase fits the week as a whole. Baha Mar's fifth Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival runs October 21 to 25, and the resort's own page says it welcomes "guests and locals alike." For anyone who lives along West Bay Street, that means a five-day festival a short drive from home with no hotel booking required. Baha Mar sells weekend passes, single-day expo tickets and individual events separately.

The headline events carry international names. Most of the Bahamian talent appears in the art fair and a few small-format sessions, and those are also the least expensive tickets of the week.

The Bahamian Names on a Global Roster

The 2026 chef lineup is long and mostly visiting. Daniel Boulud, Marcus Samuelsson, Scott Conant, Dario Cecchini, Amanda Freitag, Maneet Chauhan, Esther Choi, Claudette Zepeda, Buddy Valastro, Alfredo Villanueva, Nina Compton and Tristen Epps are all on it. So are Lisa and Chris Binns of Stush in the Bush in Jamaica. The festival names one Bahamian chef, Simeon Hall Jr., and the June announcement says he will showcase Bahamian cuisine and hospitality throughout the weekend. Among the beverage talent, Bahamian mixologist Marv "Mr. Mixx" Cunningham works alongside cocktail expert Noah Rothbaum and sommeliers Amanda McCrossin, Ken Fredrickson and Fernando Beteta.

Chef Simeon is one of the many chefs cooking at Saturday's Art of the Plate Foundation Dinner, which is included with the weekend pass. Outside that dinner, the Bahamian talent in the culinary program is concentrated in three sessions:

• Afternoon Tea at The Library, Thursday, October 22, at 2 p.m., $95. The menu features Bahamian-themed sweets and local bush teas.
• Sky-High Spirits with Mr. Mixx, Saturday, October 24, noon to 2 p.m. at SkyBar, $125.
• Chef Simeon's Sunset BBQ with Mr. Mixx, Sunday, October 25, 5 to 8 p.m. at ECCHO, $200.

All three cost less than the $325 Bon Appétit masterclasses in The Kitchen. They also cost less than a $399-plus-VAT Gold ticket to A Taste of Baha Mar, the Friday-night kickoff on the Jasmine Lawn with resort chef stations and a live set from OneRepublic.

The Art Fair Carries the Local Weight

FUZE has the most Bahamian content of the week. It is organized by The Current: Baha Mar Gallery & Art Center and has been the festival's official arts component since 2023. Its fourth edition brings more than 100 artists and over 20 galleries, museums and cultural institutions from more than 10 Caribbean nations, the wider Americas, Africa and the United Kingdom.

Lavar Munroe is the featured artist with the most recent milestone. His presentation with the late John Beadle, In Another Man's Yard, was curated by Dr. Krista Thompson at the 61st Venice Biennale. According to Baha Mar's September release, it was the first time in thirteen years that The Bahamas was represented there. The same release names Bahamian artist April Bey, represented by Vielmetter LA and TERN Gallery, and Antonius Roberts OBE. Also named are Jamaican artist Charles Campbell, St. Martin artist Deborah Jack, and Desmond Beach, winner of the FUZE x SCOPE Residency Prize.

The festival's own artist roster has a deeper Bahamian bench. It lists Delton Barrett, Jason Bennett, Chantal Bethel, Dede Brown, Claudette Dean and Veronica Dorsett. Keva Fawkes, Tyrone Ferguson, Tamika Galanis, Jordanna Kelly and Kachelle Knowles are also on it. So are Lynn Parotti, Matthew David Rahming, Heino Schmid, Edrin Symonette and Eddion Whyms. The web roster doesn't yet include every name in the September release, so the final exhibitor list may be longer than what's posted online.

The fair also reaches beyond ticket holders. With support from the Baha Mar Foundation and title sponsor Scotiabank, hundreds of students from across New Providence will tour the fair during the week.

What Each Way In Costs

FUZE is also the cheapest way into the festival, and that matters for someone attending from home. Here are the main entry points as Baha Mar currently lists them:

The five-day Culture Guru Pass costs about a fifth of the Gold Taste of Baha Mar ticket and covers the entire art fair. Baha Mar's pages don't fully agree on FUZE pricing, so confirm the final price at festival.bahamar.com before buying. None of the ticket pages show a resident-only rate. The Culinary Expo runs in the Convention Center from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, according to the ticket page. The festival also describes the expo as a showcase for local vendors and artisans, though the program doesn't name them yet.

Hands on the Material

Several FUZE workshops let you make something instead of only looking. Each costs $120:

1. Conch Shell Acrylic Pouring Workshop, Saturday at noon at The Current, with materials and wine included.
2. Sip N Paint with June Collie, Saturday at 2 p.m. at ECCHO.
3. Figure Drawing Workshop with John Cox, Sunday at 2 p.m. at The Current. Baha Mar's release calls this class "a fan favorite that has become a signature experience" of the fair.

June Collie has a history with the fair. Our News featured her in its coverage of the 2025 FUZE, along with Jonathan and Jennifer Bethel of Beached Treasures. The festival also lists panels and Pulse Talks, which it describes as academic presentations for artists, scholars, collectors, students and the public.

The Sunday schedule puts the figure drawing class at The Current at 2 p.m. and Chef Simeon's Sunset BBQ at ECCHO at 5 p.m., so one afternoon covers both the art and food sides of the Bahamian program.

Caribbean Additions New This Year

The festival's 2026 additions lean toward the region. The Island Table is a new lunch on Friday, October 23, from noon to 2 p.m. at Baha Bay Beach Club, led by Nina Compton and Tristen Epps, for $150. Baha Mar describes it as a celebration of Caribbean flavors and local ingredients. The masterclass series adds a plant-based Caribbean session from Lisa and Chris Binns on Sunday at 11 a.m. Daniel Boulud teaches in The Kitchen for the first time this year. On Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., the Binns join Marcus Samuelsson for a $200 day party at Marcus Gardens.

After the Festival Leaves

Some of the festival's names stay on Cable Beach after October. Rosewood lists a Villa Torél Residency with Chef Alfredo Villanueva at Costa from November 1 to 30, with dinner service. Vibe BBQ by Marcus Samuelsson is now open on the East Beach Walkway beside Grand Hyatt's Fortune Pool. A Ministry of Tourism release from September 1 gives its hours as 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The menu includes smoked brisket sandwiches, dry-rubbed ribs, coconut rice and peas, and cornbread, and Baha Mar recommends reservations.

December brings two larger events. WSOP Paradise runs December 2 to 17 with 20 bracelet events. The seventh Baha Mar Cup, hosted by John McEnroe and Mark Knowles, follows December 10 to 13 with a pro-am, an exhibition and a celebrity pro-am.

For festival week itself, the Bahamian program is spread across the schedule. The bush tea service is Thursday, Mr. Mixx is at SkyBar on Saturday, and Chef Simeon's BBQ is Sunday evening. More than a dozen Bahamian artists show at FUZE throughout the week.

If you'd like to talk about Cable Beach beyond festival week, from what's opening along the walkway to how the neighborhood is changing, Tyrese Campbell would be glad to help. Book an Appointment whenever it suits you.