The sweetest showdown
of the season
Join us in your best holiday pajamas on December 7th in a competition to raise $10,000 for youth aging out of foster care.
100% of proceeds benefit the FLITE Center, guiding Broward & Palm Beach youth aging out of foster care into housing, education, and real independence.
Put your sweet tooth to work
What started as a family tradition and a kitchen full of broken graham crackers has become the ultimate gingerbread house competition we look forward to all year.
🛠️ Amateur Builders Welcome
Never built a gingerbread house in your life? Perfect. We'll teach you everything — how to pipe royal icing, stack a roof that actually stays up, and turn a pile of candy into something you'll be proud to photograph. Every team gets a kit, the tools, and all the candy ammo you can handle. Just bring your holiday spirit.
⏳ The Two-Hour Build
We give every team exactly two hours on the clock. From there it's pure holiday chaos — gingerbread slabs, royal icing, peppermint trusses, and a mountain of candy. Watching teams engineer an edible estate against the countdown is the best part of our December.
🧸 Wear Your Best Holiday Pajamas
This is a holiday party first and a competition second, so dress the part. Break out the coziest, most ridiculous holiday pajamas you own — the onesies, the matching family sets, the light-up reindeer sweaters. We hold it on the 28th floor of the Tower Club with the whole Fort Lauderdale skyline behind you, festive cocktails flowing, and high-energy music all night.
A short film about the young people this night is for — dropping soon.
Turning 18 is supposed to be exciting...
But for kids aging out of foster care, your 18th birthday means being abandoned by the system and without FLITE, they're left to figure out adulthood without family, a safety net or a home. These kids are at risk for every single bad experience society has to offer and the funds we're raising at Gingerbread Wars 5 are to make give them a chance at a good life.
The FLITE Center (Florida Independence Training & Education Center) is the place Broward and Palm Beach youth can count on for housing, education, jobs, and trauma-informed care. Every house you build and every dollar you sponsor funds their path to real independence.
Safe, Stable Housing
Emergency transitional beds and permanent supportive apartment placement.
Education & GED Access
College tuition waivers, tutoring, vocational enrollment, and laptop scholarships.
Employment & Career
Resume development, interview training, paid internships, and trade credentials.
Wellness & Mental Health
Trauma-informed counseling, healthcare access, life skills, and mentorship.
Let's raise $10,000 together
All proceeds fund the housing, education, and independence for youth aging out of foster care.
The live tracker connects to Stripe the moment payments are live.
Are you in?
Register, sponsor or donate and get your name added to the $10k wall:
The live supporter wall lights up the moment the first gift comes through. Be the first name on it.
How a Childhood Rivalry Became a $10,000 Mission
Long before we took over the 28th floor of the Tower Club, this was a family tradition around a messy kitchen table with broken graham crackers and powdered sugar everywhere. Building a gingerbread house offers life-changing support for foster youth.
The Kitchen Table Chaos
Broken graham crackers, frosting glued to our elbows, and an intense sibling rivalry. Just kids competing for holiday bragging rights over messy candy rooftops.
The 28th-Floor Showdown
100 builders, real architects as judges, signature cocktails, and a $10,000 mission guiding kids aging out of foster care into adulthood through the FLITE Center.
The OG Crew & Our First House
The Original Masterpiece
Candy-Cane Garland Duty
Floor Squad by the Tree
The Feast of Cookies
Table 5 Bringing the Energy
The Grinch Stopped By the Bar
Log Cabin Pretzel Architecture
The Wafer Cookie Estate
Caped Competitors at Work
Generations Building Together
The Mean Green Whoville House
The Rosemary Forest Estate
The Snoopy Doghouse
Table 16 Bringing the Heat
Pajama Runway Energy
Uncontrollable Table Laughs
The Mini Donut Bakery
The South Florida Beach House
Antler Headbands & Christmas Cheers
Burlap & Snowflake Details
Two-Handed Rooftop Piping
Nutcracker Stage & Antler Squad
The Gingerbread Superyacht
Rollin' With My Gnomies
Four-Handed Roof Alignment
Picture-Perfect Masterpiece
Table 10 Sips & Steady Hands
The Marshmallow Beach House
Your Spot on This Wall
How To Win Gingerbread Wars
We keep the rules simple so the building can get gloriously complicated. Here's everything you need to know before the clock starts.
Two Hours, No Mercy
The moment I start the clock, you have exactly two hours to build. When I call piping bags down, hands off — what's on the table is what gets judged.
Teams of Two
Every house is built by a team of two. Come solo and we'll match you with a partner, or grab a friend and build together. Company squads run multiple houses side by side.
All Materials Provided
Pre-baked gingerbread slabs, foundation boards, royal icing in piping bags, and a full candy ammo station — gumdrops, peppermints, sprinkles, licorice, fondant, the works. You bring the vision.
Everything Must Be Edible
Per the official GBW bylaws, every structural element has to be edible. No toothpicks holding up your roof, no glue or tricks. If a judge can't eat it, it can't be on it.
Secret Weapons Welcome
Want to bring your own special sprinkles, custom fondant, or edible glitter? Go for it. As long as it's edible, it's fair game. The best builds always have a secret stash.
Four-Criteria Judging
The judges score on structure, creativity, landscaping and overall. Ornaments go to 1st place, runner up and a Crowd Favorite voted by the room.
One more thing — the most important rule is that we're all here for the same reason. Every house built, every candy placed, every dollar raised goes straight to helping young people aging out of foster care find real footing. That's the whole point.
Pick Your Spot on the Build Floor
Come build solo and we'll pair you with a partner, grab a friend for a two-person house, or bring your whole company squad to take over a section of the ballroom. However you show up, we'll make sure you're matched, fed, and armed with candy.
Gingerbread Wars 5
Tower Club • Dec 7, 6:00 PM
Sponsor Gingerbread Wars 5
We partner with companies who want real visibility in front of South Florida's most engaged business leaders, creatives, and philanthropists — helping us hit our $10,000 holiday goal so every dollar lands directly in a foster youth's life.
Candy Sponsor
Fuel the builders with endless sweets, sprinkles, and candy ammunition
- Branded Candy Ammo Station stocked with gummies, sprinkles, fondant & tools
- 2 Company Competition Teams (2 houses / 4 builders)
- Logo on the candy station signage
- The Gingerbread Man visits your company for a social media spotlight
Ornament Sponsor
Fund the champion ornaments for the winner, runner up and crowd favorite
- Official Ornaments — award ornaments for the winner, runner up & crowd favorite
- 3 Company Competition Teams (3 houses / 6 builders)
- Your name engraved on the championship ornament + award ceremony honors
- Logo on prize signage and brochure
- The Gingerbread Man visits your company for a social media spotlight
Bar Sponsor
Sponsor a drink ticket for the signature holiday cocktail for guests
- Sponsor a drink ticket for the signature holiday cocktail for guests
- 4 Company Competition Teams (4 houses / 8 builders)
- Logo on bar signage and the event brochure
- The Gingerbread Man visits your company for a social media spotlight
Want a Custom In-Kind, Beverage, or Candy Bar Partnership?
We welcome candy makers, bakeries, beverage partners, and media allies. You can also sponsor multiple houses or set up corporate employee matching gifts — just tell us what you have in mind.
Gingerbread Wars Schedule
Monday, December 7, 2026 • 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM