Calling all lovers of sweet treats - don't miss the Gardiner Cupcake Festival, a popular annual event featuring more than 30,000 cupcakes and a variety of fun activities on Saturday, May 19th from 12 to 6 p.m.
The event is a day full of cupcakes, food, music, local vendors, wine tastings and activities for children. Previously held on Main Street in Gardiner, this year the festival moves to Wright’s Farm, a much larger venue to allow for more cupcakes and fun. Wright’s Farm is a 453-acre farm with a 200 year history and is currently run by three generations of the Wright Family. With the new location the ability to expand the event has become possible, this year – in addition to more than 15 cupcake vendors – there will be more activities for kids including face painting, cupcake decorating, helicopter rides, pony rides, wagon rides, bouncy house.
New to the festival this year is a cupcake eating contest in addition to the ever popular amateur cupcake contest. Amateur cupcake makers from around the Hudson Valley will be judged in such categories as: Best Decorated cupcake; Best Tasting cupcake; Best Tasting Vegan cupcake; Best Gluten Free cupcake; and Most Creative cupcake.
The festival showcases creations from Deising’s Bakery in Kingston, Main Course in New Paltz, Sweet Maresa’s Upstate Cupcake in New Paltz, Crave Cupcakery Bakery in Bloomingburg and Bettie’s Cakes from Saratoga Springs who will be returning with its popular double-decker bus. Other food vendors include Full Moon Farms, Meadow View Farms, Pasquale Pizza, Twisted Pretzels and the Village Market and Bakery. There will even be cupcake flavored ice cream from Lazy Crazy Acres, a boutique, family-owned Catskill Mountain farm and creamery based in Halcott Center.
The event is free with a small donation for parking. Proceeds of this year’s event will benefit the Gardiner Fire Department and Rescue Squad. Wrights Farm is located at 699 State Road 208 in Gardiner. For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/gardinercupcakefestival