The International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA), together with longtime sponsor Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, proudly announced the winners of the 2026 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards during the 71st Annual IFEA Convention & Expo, presented by atVenu, in Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.

Winning festivals included the Cherry Creek Arts Festival (CO), Kentucky Derby Festival (KY), Pasadena Tournament of Roses (CA), Memphis in May International Festival (TN), Norfolk Festevents (VA), Canada Place Corporation (Canada), Fáilte Ireland/Púca Festival (Ireland), Vivid Sydney (Australia), Festival Lent (Slovenia), the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival (Poland), ÖRVÉNYESVÖLGY FESTIVAL (Hungary), Boryeong Mud Festival (South Korea), Jinju Namgang Yudeung (Lantern) Festival (South Korea), Bangkok Illustration Fair 2025, (Thailand), Nakhon Phanom World Fire Boat Festival (Thailand), and many more.

In total, awards were presented across 67 categories, honoring excellence in areas such as marketing and communications, including television, radio, social media and print; merchandising; sponsorship; accessibility; emergency preparedness; children’s programming; educational outreach; and more.

2026 Grand Pinnacle Winners

Gold	Gold
Grand Pinnacle	Grand Pinnacle
Budget: Under $50,000	Budget: $500,000 to $1.5 Million
Visit San Antonio - River Walk	Charlotte Center City Partners
Calaverita Run	Charlotte SHOUT!
Day of the Dead 5K	Charlotte, NC, United States
San Antonio, TX, United States
Silver	Silver
Grand Pinnacle	Grand Pinnacle
Budget: Under $50,000	Budget: $500,000 to $1.5 Million
City of McAllen - Quinta Mazatlan	Canada Place Corporation
Monarch Month	Canada Together 2025
McAllen, TX, United States	Vancouver, BC, Canada
Bronze	Bronze
Grand Pinnacle	Grand Pinnacle
Budget: Under $50,000	Budget: $500,000 to $1.5 Million
Waco Cultural ArtsFest	Saint Louis Art Fair
{254}DANCEFEST	presented by Emerson
Waco, TX, United States	St. Louis, MO, United States
Gold	Gold
Grand Pinnacle	Grand Pinnacle
Budget: $50,000 to $500,000	Budget: Over $1.5 Million
McAllen Public Library	CherryArts
South Texas Book Festival	Cherry Creek Arts Festival
McAllen, TX, United States	Denver, CO, United States
Silver	Silver
Grand Pinnacle	Grand Pinnacle
Budget: $50,000 to $500,000	Budget: Over $1.5 Million
City of West Palm Beach	The Parade Company
West Palm Beach GreenMarket	America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by
West Palm Beach, FL, United States	Gardner White
	Detroit, MI, United States
Bronze	Bronze
Grand Pinnacle	Grand Pinnacle
Budget: $50,000 to $500,000	Budget: Over $1.5 Million
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority	Destination NSW
Port Day 2025	Vivid Sydney
Vancouver, BC, Canada	Sydney, NSW, Australia

For a complete list of 2026 Pinnacle Winners, click here.