The International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) and Haas & Wilkerson Insurance recognized the outstanding accomplishments and top-quality creative, promotional, operational and community outreach programs and materials produced by Festivals and Events around the world on Monday, September 19, 2022 at the 65th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat, presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, in McAllen, Texas, U.S.A., as the winners of the 2022 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards were announced.

Sponsored by industry leader Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, the professional competition drew entries from some of the world’s top festivals and events. Winning entries came from organizations as diverse as the Lubbock Arts Alliance in Lubbock, TX; the OC Fair in Costa Mesa, CA; the Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, IA; the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC; the City of West Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, FL; the Pasadena Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, CA; the City of McAllen in McAllen, TX; the Macon, Georgia’s International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, GA; The Parade Company in Detroit, MI; the Philadelphia Flower Show, Philadelphia, PA; High Point University in High Point, NC; and Folklorama in Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Destination NSW, Sydney, Australia; Festival Lent, Maribor, Slovenia; Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival in Hadong-gun, South Korea; and the Bangkok Music City in Pathumwan, Bangkok, Thailand.

Awards were handed out in 73 different categories including: TV/Radio, Social and Multi Media; Print and Merchandise, in addition to Festival and Event programs such as Sponsorship; Education, Accessibility; Children’s; Emergency Preparedness and Entertainment. The Grand Pinnacle, the highest award given by the IFEA in recognition of those Festivals and Events* who have a balance of all the elements necessary to ensure a successful event was also awarded.

“We would like to congratulate all of our Pinnacle winners for their outstanding entries into this year’s competition,” said IFEA President & CEO, Steven Wood Schmader, CFEE. “Especially facing the challenges of the pandemic years that we have all been through, while maintaining the highest degree of excellence in festival and event promotions and operations in every budget level and every corner of the globe, this competition continues to raise the standards and quality of the festivals and events industry to new levels, and also shows how event producers can use innovation and creativity to achieve the highest level of success under all circumstances.”

For all entries, each winning festival/event receiving a Gold, Silver or Bronze award is selected from those festivals and events who enter the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition and are judged on the overall excellence of a festival / event based on the specific criteria and requirements of the specific category(ies) being entered, within each of the four separate budget categories.

Grand Pinnacle

Budget: Under $100,000

• Gold - City of McAllen - McAllen Public Library, 2019 South Texas Book Festival, McAllen, TX, United States

Budget: $100,000 to $750,000

• Gold - Lubbock Arts Alliance, 2021 Lubbock Arts Festival, Lubbock, TX, United States
• Silver - Macon, Georgia's International Cherry Blossom Festival, 2022, Macon, GA, United States
• Bronze - Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, 2019, Kailua-Kona, HI, United States

Budget: $750,000 to $2 Million

• Gold - City of McAllen - McAllen Parks & Recreation, 2021 McAllen Holiday Parade, McAllen, TX, United States
• Silver - Des Moines Arts Festival®, 2021, Des Moines, IA, United States
• Bronze - Scottsdale Arts, 2019 Canal Convergence, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Budget: Over $2 Million

• Gold - Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 2021 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, Philadelphia, PA, United States
• Silver - Destination NSW, 2022 Vivid Sydney, The Rocks, NSW, Australia

See the complete list of 2022 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award Winning Entries.