2026 Souvenir Poster

Every year, the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival looks a little different on paper. And every year, that is exactly the point.

This year’s winning poster for the 2026 Hudson Valley Garlic Festival captured our imagination the moment we saw it. It feels like a storybook come to life, familiar and fantastical at the same time.

At the center is garlic, not just as an ingredient, but as a character. A glowing garlic bulb becomes a carriage, rolling gently across a stone bridge, pulled by a steady horse through a landscape bathed in autumn color. The river winds through the scene like a ribbon, dotted with warm lights that feel equal parts fireflies and festival magic. In the distance, a village glows under a painted sky, suggesting community, tradition, and a gathering just beyond the bend.

It is playful without being silly. Whimsical without losing its sense of place. You can feel the Hudson Valley in the trees, the water, and the quiet sense of motion, like you are arriving somewhere special just as the sun goes down.

This design was chosen through our annual poster contest and public vote during the festival, and it represents what we love most about this event: creativity, community, and a little bit of magic mixed in with the garlic.

We cannot wait to see this image welcoming everyone to Cantine Field in Saugerties on September 26th and 27th, 2026.

Thank you to everyone who voted, submitted artwork, and helped bring the 2026 festival vision to life.

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Some stories begin long before they are ever told out loud. The person behind this year’s poster is not someone who set out to design festival art. She is someone who grew up with the festival and let that experience guide the work.

Danielle Duke is the artist behind the 2026 Hudson Valley Garlic Festival poster and the winner of this year’s poster design contest. She doesn’t have a website. She doesn’t maintain a portfolio. She creates art for herself, quietly, thoughtfully, and with deep roots in this place. That makes this poster even more special.

Danielle grew up in Saugerties, attending the Garlic Festival as a child, wandering the booths with her family, collecting memories along with garlic knots and music. When she set out to design this year’s poster, she wasn’t trying to make “festival art.” She was trying to capture a feeling. The kind that sticks with you from childhood and resurfaces years later in unexpected ways.
Below, in her own words, Danielle shares the story behind the imagery, symbolism, and small details woven throughout the poster. 

"The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival has always held a bit of magical nostalgia for me. I grew up in Saugerties and the festival was a day spent with family wandering from booth to booth, tasting garlic-infused foods, listening to music, and soaking in creativity. As a kid, even something as simple as a garlic magic wand felt enchanting, and I wanted this poster to capture that child-like sense of wonder.
 

The imagery is inspired by the idea that if Cinderella’s story were set in the Hudson Valley, her carriage wouldn’t be a pumpkin, it would of course be a clove of garlic! I chose the colors to reflect autumn in the Hudson Valley, and the water flowing beneath the bridge represents the Esopus. The glowing orbs can be read as fireflies or fairies; I wanted them to feel like quiet guides leading the way, but chose not to detail them too much to let viewers decide what kind of magic they like. I wanted the castle to represent the festival itself, which to me feels like a place of light, music, and gathering.

I also included small personal “Easter eggs,” with the frog and turtles in the foreground. They’re an ode to my sister, Tara. They’re my reminder to slow down and notice the small, often overlooked pieces of beauty around us. I chose not to place a figure in the carriage so that anyone looking at the poster could imagine themselves inside. Most of my work is rooted in blending realism with a touch of imagination. Creating this has been a really wonderful experience and I hope people enjoy the magic of the festival as much as I have over the years."