THE 2024 ADIRONDACK WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL RETURNED WITH A SPLASH IN LAKE GEORGE
Festival Generates $3.5 Million Economic Impact with 8,000 Room Nights and 6,000 Attendees.
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. – On June 29th and 30th, the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival returned to Festival Commons in Lake George for its 8th year, showcasing more vendors and features for festival goers to enjoy than ever before.
The wine and food spectacular welcomed nearly 6,000 attendees with Saturday being the busiest day despite significant rainy weather.
Throughout the weekend, attendees enjoyed Culinary and Cocktail demonstrations and competitions under the Taste NY Culinary & Cocktail Tent. These segments featured celebrity chef Hell’s Kitchen Season 21 Contestant, Chef Sakari Smithwick, as well as local Chefs; Chef Carl Weiner of Sans Souci, Chef Robert Murphy of Alderbrook Lodge, and Executive Chef Adam Bruce. The Ultimate Culinary Showdown featured the two winners of Saturday’s two Iron Chef Style competitions – Carl Weiner and Sakari Smithwick. In the end, Chef Smithwick was the Ultimate Showdown Winner. The Mixology competition featured resident Mixologists, Kelli Hatin and Jenn-Berry Young of Mixaritas Mobile Bartending going head-to-head against Sommelier Heather Miller and Bar Lead Shelby Hier of Adirondack Winery. Mixaritas came out on top as the Mixology Showdown Winners. All culinary and cocktail competitions and demos utilized ingredients supplied by Festival vendors.
“The festival wasn’t just for adults,” said Festival Manager, Brad Willett. “Adirondack Safari generously donated a retired teepee tent for kids to play in and draw on, while the Wild Center entertained kids with games and activities; and our underage guests also got to sample from over 40 non-alcoholic beverage and artisan food vendors while also enjoying our entertainment options,” he added.
The festival entertainment line-up was chock full, featuring local solo acoustic musicians, the impressive Street Magic of TJ Clancy, and jaw dropping stilt walking and aerial work from Jessica Black. New this year was a fun 360-degree photo booth from SNA 360 Media, and live activity vendors such as Atherton Arts (caricature artist), Tarot Card readers (Divinely Aligned & Rising Phoenix), and on-site massages from Adirondack Healing.
The Biergarten Tent by Adirondack Brewery returned for its second year. Festival attendees could purchase full glasses of beer from Adirondack Brewery or Mean Max, or a full glass of Adirondack Winery wines.
The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival continues to attract a wide range of attendees and brings a younger and more affluent demographic to the Lake George area than most local events. Our 2024 attendee ticket demographics and post-event surveys show that 45% of our attendees are under 40 – this compares to an average age of 51 to 56 years old for a Lake George Tourist – and 55% have a household income of $100,000 or greater.
“I am proud to share that this year’s festival generated a $3.5 million economic impact for the Lake George region, through drawing nearly 6,000 attendees who generated over 8,000 room nights. Not only did they stay, but 80% of them shopped at local stores and visited local attractions, while 62% patroned local restaurants and bars while in town” said Festival owner, Sasha Pardy. “We know from our post-event survey that 90% of our attendees came specifically to attend the festival and that we continue to foster growth in the region with this event, as 2,243 people said they had either never been or hadn’t been back to Lake George in over 2 years,” she added.
For the fifth time, The Festival welcomed back Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks (BBBSSADK) as its festival beneficiary. An impressive $20,000 was raised for the organization (which benefits the youth in our community) through sharing a portion of ticket sales revenue, water and soda sales, raffle ticket sales, Adirondack Brewery Biergarten sales, and more by running the Purchase Pick-Up/Drop-Off Service for attendees.
Bill Moon, BBBS CEO said, “I would like to extend our most heartfelt appreciation to all the BBBS volunteers who came out rain or shine to help us partner with The Adirondack Wine and Food Festival! It takes a village to raise our kids, and the festival provides everyone with a way to help us make an impact. Thank you to all the festival vendors, attendees, Adirondack Pub and Brewery and our partners, The Adirondack Wine and Food Festival. We are proud to be partners with the Adirondack Winery. Together we have created a lot of opportunities for our local youth! Mentoring is more important now than ever. We have over 200 youth waiting for a mentor to invest in their future and all the funds raised will go towards matching these young people with a mentor to help them set a path for their future and provide them with a mentor for a lifetime. Together, we can make a lasting difference.”
Lake George Village Mayor Ray Perry voiced, “We are thankful and grateful to the Adirondack Wine and Food Festival and for all our visitors in attendance. The support provided by this event for our accommodations, restaurants, attractions, and shops is simply magnificent!”
The 2025 Adirondack Wine & Food Festival will take place June 28th & 29th. Tickets are anticipated to go on sale Black Friday, November 29, 2024.
Attendee Metrics & Demographics
- Total Attendance: 5,903
- Gender 76% Female | 23% Male
- Attendee Age: >20: 13% | 20s: 16% | 30s: 22% | 40s: 19% | 50s: 24% | 60s+ 17%
- Attendee Location: 32 States | 30% traveled 3+ hours to attend
- 55% Had a household income of $100,000 or greater
Key Results
- $3.5 Million Economic Impact
- 8,017 Total room nights generated
- 53% Stayed 1-14 nights in the region.
- 90% Planned their trip or chose the dates of their trip to Lake George specifically to attend the festival.
- 80% Shopped at and/or visited local stores and attractions.
- 16% Had never been to Lake George and another 18% hadn’t returned to Lake George in 3+ years
- 62% Ate or drank at a local bar or restaurant.
- 97% Would attend the 2024 Adirondack Wine & Food Festival.
About Adirondack Festivals LLC:
Founded in 2014, Adirondack Festivals LLC is based out of Queensbury, N.Y., and owned by Sasha Pardy, who is also the co-owner and president of Adirondack Winery, the presenting sponsor of the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival, in partnership with Warren County Tourism. The festival is held annually, on the last weekend of June, at the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George, N.Y.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks:
Since 1975, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks has changed the lives of children by matching them with caring adults who guide them on a path to success throughout Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
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