Aruba’s Autentico culinary festival returns for its third edition on October 3-11 with chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Virgilio Martinez, the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) said on September 28.
The festival is aimed at spend as much as volume. Aruba received 1,515,102 stopover visitors in 2025, up 6.6% on 2024, while average spend per visitor rose 1.7% to $1,949, according to preliminary data compiled by Tourism Analytics. Food and drink are a growing part of the Caribbean pitch, where rum tourism is reshaping local economies.
“As the festival enters its third year, we’re proud to continue creating opportunities for our local culinary community to share the creativity and cultural influences that define our island,” said Ronella Croes, CEO of the ATA.
Restaurant Week runs on October 3-9, with 25 restaurants offering special lunch and dinner menus.
A series of smaller Bucket List experiences includes From Summit to Sea, which pairs Martinez, founder of Central in Lima, with Aruban chef Urvin Croes of Infini. Mixologist Luca Cinalli will work with Apotek Speakeasy and the culinary team at The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba, and Martinez will join an industry seminar on October 8.
The festival closes with the Pavilion, an outdoor food and drink weekend in downtown Oranjestad on October 10-11. Samuelsson will lead culinary classes and collaborate with L.G. Smith’s Steak & Chop House, while Cinalli will run ticketed mixology classes.
The ATA is the island’s destination marketing organisation and launched Autentico in 2024. Aruba lies in the southern Caribbean, and its tourism receipts reached $3.09bn in 2025, according to Central Bank of Aruba figures.