Nominees for the Event Award of Distinction hosted events that occurred in Dutchess County that brought in visitors and made a positive impact on the tourism economy. Join Destination Dutchess in celebrating all the honorees at the 13th annual Tourism Awards of Distinction on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at The Henry A. Wallace Center at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Home in Hyde Park.
Read on to learn more about each Event Award of Distinction finalist.
• Kelly Ellenwood, President/CEO, BonfireWORKS Foundation
• Frank M. Castella, Jr., President & CEO, The Chamber Foundation, Inc. (Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival)
• Michael Babcock, President/Founder, The Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival
• Kelly Ellenwood, Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival: Since 2022, the BonfireWORKS Foundation has turned the streets, breweries, galleries, and unexpected corners of Beacon into a multi-day celebration of music and art. What began during the pandemic as a way to safely bring neighbors together has grown into a citywide festival drawing artists and audiences from across the Hudson Valley — inspired by the spirit of Edinburgh Fringe and Burning Man, but rooted entirely in Beacon's own community. True to its motto, "Be Curious," Beacon Bonfire invites people to wander, discover, and get a little lost amid an abundance of creative experiences — from an opening ceremony at the historic Prophecy Hall to a mile of Main Street pulsing with music and street performance. A low barrier to entry ticketing model reflects the Foundation's mission to support artists and foster connection through creativity. By the numbers (2025): 400 participating artists; 150+ unique performances; 100+ volunteers; 20 local venues activated; one 10K Trial Run to Mount Beacon's Firetower; 100% artists paid.
• Frank M. Castella, Jr., Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival: The JPMorgan Chase Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival is one of the Hudson Valley’s premier family-friendly events, bringing the magic of hot-air ballooning, live entertainment, food, fireworks, and community together for an unforgettable Labor Day weekend experience. Now in its 35th year, and held annually at Tymor Park in Union Vale, the festival features spectacular hot-air balloon launches filling the Hudson Valley sky, live music, family activities, food trucks, craft and specialty vendors, and spectacular balloon glows and fireworks each evening. The festival has grown into a major regional tourism attraction, drawing more than 22,000 attendees over the three-day weekend and welcoming visitors from across the United States and around the world. In 2026, 77.5% of ticket holders came from outside Dutchess County, with the largest concentration coming from the New York City metropolitan area. Nearly 19% of attendees came from outside New York State, with visitors traveling from as far away as Texas, California, and Florida. The festival also sold 182 tickets to individuals from 28 different countries, including countries throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The festival generates significant exposure for the Hudson Valley and creates an important economic impact for the region. In 2026, the festival’s website generated more than 1.4 million page views, nearly doubling the previous year’s 782,000 views. In the month leading up to the festival, the Chamber’s online Membership Directory received more than 86,400 visits — approximately seven times its normal monthly traffic — with significant attention directed toward hotels, restaurants, transportation providers, bed-and-breakfasts, attractions, and other tourism-related businesses. Festival sponsors also received tremendous visibility, with 6.9 million sponsor advertising impressions generated through the Chamber’s website. Social media advertising reached more than 8.65 million people, while the festival received coverage from more than 25 media outlets, including newspapers, radio, television, social media influencers, and national media outlets. With 70 vendors participating and 321 volunteers helping bring the event to life, the festival represents a tremendous collaboration between the business community, volunteers, sponsors, local organizations, and visitors. The thousands of visitors who travel to the region contribute to the local economy by staying in hotels and short-term accommodations, dining at restaurants, visiting attractions, shopping with local businesses, and exploring destinations throughout Dutchess County and the greater Hudson Valley. The festival would not be possible without the generous support of its sponsors. For the sixth consecutive year, JPMorganChase has played an important role in helping make this signature Hudson Valley event possible. Presented by the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce and The Chamber Foundation, Inc., the Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival celebrates the beauty, spirit, and community of the Hudson Valley while showcasing the region to visitors from across the country and around the world. What began as a celebration of hot-air ballooning has grown into a destination event that creates lasting memories, drives tourism, supports local businesses, and showcases everything the Hudson Valley has to offer.
• Michael Babcock, Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival: For 25 years, the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival, produced by WineRacks.com, has brought together wine lovers, winemakers, and food enthusiasts from across New York State and beyond for a weekend of celebration, discovery, and connection. The festival welcomes Hudson Valley locals as well as visitors from New York City, Albany, Long Island, and communities throughout the region. Year after year, guests return to enjoy the festival, discover new favorites, and connect directly with the people behind the products they love.
• Kelly Ellenwood, Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival: What makes Beacon Bonfire unique is its personal, collective vibe — it's a festival experienced with friends, as a community, supporting one another. Every artist is paid, there's no headliner, and there's no barrier separating the crowd from the art and music, just people gathering to celebrate being together. The programming embraces a kind of structured spontaneity — there's simply too much happening to see it all, so no two people have the same Bonfire. Everyone leaves with their own version of the experience.
• Frank M. Castella, Jr., Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival: This event is a sellout every year and has become a cherished tradition for our hot-air balloon pilots and their families. They look forward to returning to the Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival year after year because we make them feel truly special and treat them like royalty. From the warm welcome they receive from the Town Supervisor and the Balloon Bucks they can spend during the weekend at local food vendors to the thoughtful hospitality awaiting them in their hotel rooms — including charcuterie trays courtesy of the Hampton Inn & Suites — we strive to showcase the very best of Dutchess County from the moment they arrive until the moment they leave. Our goal is to make the festival an exceptional experience not only for our attendees, but for every pilot, crew member, family member, sponsor, volunteer, and guest who helps make this event so special. The family spirit of our event is so strong that even the COVID-19 lockdowns could not stop the Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival from taking flight. In 2020, only a handful of hot-air balloon festivals across the country were able to take place, and the Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival was one of them. Rather than canceling, the Dutchess County Regional Chamber completely re-engineered the 29th annual Festival to meet the unprecedented challenges created by the pandemic. Originally scheduled for July 2020 at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, the festival was moved to Tymor Park in Union Vale and transformed into a unique drive-in balloon festival. The traditional festival experience had to be reinvented. Instead of thousands of people walking through a crowded festival grounds, families reserved parking spaces and enjoyed the event from the safety of their vehicles. They were able to picnic outside their vehicles while maintaining social distancing and enjoy the spectacular sights of the balloons taking flight. Despite the extraordinary circumstances, the skies over Dutchess County still filled with hot-air balloons. Families watched the launches, enjoyed the evening Moon Glow and fireworks, and experienced a tradition that had become an important part of the Hudson Valley summer. While many major balloon festivals across the country were forced to cancel in 2020, the Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival found a way to keep the tradition alive. COVID-19 may have changed the way we celebrated, but it couldn't keep the balloons on the ground.
• Michael Babcock, Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival: The Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival is a celebration of the very best New York has to offer. From wineries and distilleries to gourmet food, artisan crafts, live music, and food trucks featuring a wide variety of cuisines, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Our attendees look forward to this experience all year, whether they're discovering a new favorite wine, sampling the latest blends, or purchasing longtime favorites directly from the people who make them.
• Kelly Ellenwood, Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival: The BonfireWORKS Foundation sees itself as the future of the festival — building out the infrastructure, paying artists more, as well as key staff — that lets it keep growing: more spaces for performance, residencies, audience development, deeper collaboration with Main Street, and more opportunities for collaborators to come together and create community.
• Frank M. Castella, Jr., Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival: Each year, we add new attractions and unique features that can only be found at our balloon festival. This year, we added a new VIP Elevated Experience, The Silver Starlets Twirling Troop on stage during the Hot-Air Balloon Illumination Moonglow and an Accessibility Conciergerie to ensure guests of all abilities have a positive experience.
• Michael Babcock, Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival: We're always looking for new ways to make the Wine Fest a more immersive and memorable experience for our guests. Over the years, we've introduced VIP experiences, celebrity chef demonstrations, wine seminars, and other special programming, and we'll continue building on that momentum. Each year brings new vendors, more live music, exciting culinary experiences, and fresh opportunities for our guests to explore and enjoy. We're excited to keep growing the festival while staying true to what makes it special: bringing people together to celebrate New York's incredible wine, food, makers, and culture.
