Cherry Creek Arts Festival Wins Top Global Honor for Third Straight Year

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival has been named the world's best festival for the third consecutive year. The International Festivals and Events Association presented the event with the Gold Grand Pinnacle Award, the highest distinction the organization offers for festivals and events globally.

CherryArts, the nonprofit that manages the annual show, has now received this specific accolade eight times during its 35-year history. The award acknowledges excellence in both production quality and community impact. This year, CherryArts won in the category for festivals with budgets exceeding $1.5 million, a tier that also recognized the Kentucky Derby Festival, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Memphis in May, South Korea's Boryeong Mud Festival, and the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival in Krakow, Poland.

Tara Brickell, the executive director of CherryArts, stated that the organization was stunned by the recognition. She credited the achievement to the combined efforts of staff, board members, volunteers, sponsors, and exhibiting artists. Brickell noted that the festival's fundraising directly supports arts education programs operating across Colorado year-round.

The most recent festival took place from July 3 to 5. It featured 260 artists, 37 of whom were based in Colorado. CherryArts reported that these artists were selected from a pool of nearly 2,000 applicants. The event generated $4.5 million in sales for the participating creators.

Over the past three and a half decades, the festival has displayed work by nearly 4,000 artists. The show features paintings, photography, textiles, jewelry, musical instruments, and sculptures. The event also includes food vendors and family activities. A portion of the proceeds helps dozens of Colorado students purchase original works of art for permanent display in their schools.

The 2027 Cherry Creek Arts Festival is scheduled for July 2 to 4 in the Cherry Creek North neighborhood. Artist applications remain open until December 1 at cherryarts.org.