Mango Melee takes place every July and is hosted by the St. Georges Village Botanical Gardens. Please check our calendar for this year's date.

This popular summer event helps develop a greater appreciation for tropical fruits, especially mangoes, and educates the public about growing these fruits and the many ways they can be used.

Mango Melee offers educational workshops as well as fun activities for children and helps raise funds for the programs the Garden presents throughout the year.

Mango Melee is sponsored by St. George Village Botanical Garden; the Department of Tourism; the Department of Agriculture; UVI Cooperative Extension Service; UVI Agricultural Experiment Station; BioImpact, Inc.; HOVENSA; and Plaza Extra.

Mango Dis, Mango Dat is a food competition that has been building in popularity over the past few years. This year chefs and cooks from around the Virgin Islands will be invited to compete. There are four categories in which mangoes must feature prominently:

• Appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks
• Desserts and baked goods
• Condomints
• Cruzan flavored rum drinks

There will be prizes awarded in all categories.

Workshops and Garden Tours will be available.

Other Happenings:
An Ice-cream Making Demonstration, two Tropical Fruit Identification contests and the ever-popular kids' Mango Eating Contest will again be offered.
We’ll have local food and drinks on sale as well as scores of craft vendors.

The Botanical Gardens will also have a bar featuring tropical rum drinks; the 4-H Club will sell hotdogs and burgers. The Garden’s Nursery will have a plant sale, too. The day ends with a Silent Auction on the tropical fruits that have been on display in the Great Hall for the event. Coconuts will be featured this year.

Mango Crop:
In 2005, according to Errol Chichester (horticulturist at the VI Department of Agriculture), "the way they are flowering, we’ll have mangoes over a long period."