Galvez Tasting Room & Gardens - 1848 Charter Street, Jackson, LAThe Galvez Rum Tasting Room and Gardens is on-site of our rum distillery in Jackson, Louisiana. Sample house rums, have a delicious and refreshing cocktail, and enjoy tapa-style light ref... 

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Regan Sanders gives us the inside scoop on what to expect and what's new at this year's 2nd Annual Rum Festival this Saturday from 1-8pm at the Galvez Rum Distillery and Tasting Room in Jackson! 

Festival Experience & Atmosphere

What can attendees expect in terms of the festival's atmosphere? Is it more of a laid-back gathering or a lively celebration?

The festival is fairly laid back and casual, but the vibes are still upbeat and positive--we like to think our attendees are here to have fun, relax, network with fellow community members and embrace the flavors of our rum through tastings and frozen daiquiris. 

Are there any new features or changes from last year's inaugural festival that guests should look forward to?

Last year, we learned a lot! One of our biggest challenges was making sure that everyone who wanted to do a tasting had a seat and could get a personalized experience. This year, we are going from 12 tasting slots per hour to 49! 

Another exciting part is that we will have a local singer-songwriter roundup, giving smaller artists the spotlight for about half of the duration of our festival. We have incredible talent in Southeast Louisiana, both established and up-and-coming. We had extreme interest in our past Singer-Songwriter Night a couple months ago, the artists expressed interest in our festival and rounded up a whole lineup! 

Rum Tastings & Cocktails

Could you provide details about the rum tasting sessions? How are they structured, and are there any new blends or special releases being introduced?

Our rum tasting sessions will be the highlight of the day! Tastings will start at 1:30 and the last one will be at 5:30, and they will last about an hour. The tastings will be led by our in-house Production Manager, the one responsible for working hands-on with perfecting our rum blends in our distillery, who will give tasters a background of our distillery, the process of making rum, what makes our rum special, and what notes and smells patrons should be paying attention to with each blend. Patrons will have a chance to sip each blend and cleanse their palate between blends. 

Will there be any signature cocktails or daiquiris available exclusively at the festival?

We will have a couple of our signature cocktails that we serve from our tasting room available, as well as frozen strawberry, mango, and pina colada daiquiris served all day long. These were a hit last year, everyone said they were refreshing and delicious! 

Entertainment & Activities

Can you share more about the entertainment lineup, including the South Louisiana and Mississippi songwriters and bands like Papo Y Son Mandao and Lil' Dee & The Zydeco Train?

We will begin our music around 1 pm shortly after opening remarks and kickoff with our songwriters: Gabriel Bass, Casey Barlow, Claire Kellar, Dee Fleming, Jaimz Woodard, Gavin McKinley, Nancy Roppolo, and Jessie Burkes. At 4 PM, Papo & Son Mandao will be returning to our stage with Spanish music. We think this is a very important element to our festival because our brand is centered around Spanish historical heritage, but it's also a fun cultural experience that isn't really seen around this area. Finally, Dee Fleming & The Zydeco Train will be returning as a headliner from 6-7:30 PM with everyone's favorite Cajun and Zydeco music. By this time of the evening, everyone is relaxed, the sun is starting to set, and everyone is just in party mode. Dee's band gets everyone hyped, dancing, and we of course, had a second line break out last year--we want to see this again this year!

Besides music and tastings, what other activities or attractions will be available for attendees?

We have a very special historical society here dressed in their cultural costumes that we partner with often, called the Granaderos y Damas de Galvez, educating the public about Spain's contributions to the American Revolution in a fun and interactive way. Our brand and our brand's values are built from Bernardo de Galvez, and this organization helps us keep the history alive. They will be kicking off our festival with a cannon demonstration and a live reenactment.

Food & Vendors

What types of food vendors will be present at the festival? Are there any local favorites or unique culinary offerings?

We will have Louisiana Burger & Grill (Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LouisianaBurger2021) as our food truck this year! They serve burgers, but also some amazing tacos and more (because what goes better with a frozen daiquiri than a taco??)!