THE CHOCOLATE EXPO RETURNS TO THE HUDSON VALLEY WITH A SPECIAL “HOLIDAY EDITION” ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, IN NEWBURGH, NY
Event to feature over 80 booths with artisan chocolates, gourmet foods & local craft beverages, plus there will be entertainment throughout the day and an appearance by a star of the original Willy Wonka movie.
NEWBURGH, NY – The Chocolate Expo, one of the largest chocolate events in America, will be bringing its first-ever Hudson Valley “Holiday Edition” to the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, 321 S. William Street, in Newburgh, NY, on Sunday, December 10, 2023, from 10am until 6pm.
For this holiday-themed chocolate experience, attendees will get to taste, purchase, celebrate and otherwise indulge in delicious gourmet chocolates, baked goods, specialty foods, cheeses, wines, spirits, meads and more, all while enjoying great entertainment, celebrity appearances, chocolate demonstrations, a chocolate body care demonstration, music, and children’s activities. There will be something for everyone!
Once visitors enter the Expo, they will be greeted by chocolate fountains overflowing with dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate selections. Participating chocolatiers are expected to offer an extensive assortment of chocolate products including bon bons, truffles, bean-to-bar chocolates, barks, caramels, toffee, fudge, chocolate-covered bacon, chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate-covered nuts and hot chocolate.
There will also be festive cupcakes, cakes, pies, donuts, cookies, brownies, cannolis, and French macarons in the bakery category, plus cheese, honeys, pickles, teas, handmade candles and American-made cutlery.
Craft beverages are always a highlight of any Chocolate Expo, and for this Holiday Edition... an incredible selection of ten Hudson Valley and upstate wine, spirits and mead producers will be participating. Visitors won’t want to miss this opportunity to get local craft beverages to serve at home, bring to parties or give as gifts.
Of course, with a day’s worth of holiday fun, guests who get hungry will be able to enjoy a wide range of ready-to-eat foods such as empanadas and Asian-inspired steamed dumplings.
Special holiday features of The Chocolate Expo in Newburgh will include displays for Christmas & Chanukah, a life-sized version of a gingerbread house made completely of balloons, visits with Santa & Mrs. Claus and holiday-themed music.
Coinciding with the release of a new Willy Wonka movie that week for the holiday season, actor Paris Themmen, who starred as Mike TeeVee in the original classic with Gene Wilder, will be making his first-ever Hudson Valley appearance and to describe his experiences in making the movie in an onstage dialogue at 11am.
On The Chocolate Expo stage, a chocolate & wine pairing presentation will take place at 12pm and 3pm, plus chocolate demonstrations by Chef Lawrence Rosenberg (as seen on Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games) will take place at 1pm and 4pm, and a chocolate body care presentation by Cristy Bergeron-Charest with audience participation will take place at 2pm.
For children, The Chocolate Expo’s will feature its famous “Kidz Zone” with incredible face painting, balloon twisting and holiday craft activities included at no extra charge.
Timed-entry tickets to The Chocolate Expo are $20/adult and $10/child (ages 5-12), when purchased online from www.TheChocolateExpo.com, or $30/adult and $15/child (ages 5-12) at the door. With the time-entry tickets, guests get priority entry during the specific time they choose (to even-out entry arrival flow), but can stay as long as they like.
For greater savings, The Chocolate Expo’s “Late-Day Special” ticket is priced at just $10/person (all ages 5 and up) for admission after 4 p.m., when purchased online, and $15/person, when purchased at the door.
A special VIP ticket, priced at $40/person and available online only, provides an early “Preview Entry” at 9:30am and priority entry at any time during the day plus one deluxe Chocolate Expo insulated tote bag (a $20 value) with an included VIP Chocolate Bar and chocolate lip balm gift.
It is highly recommended that tickets be purchased online at www.TheChocolateExpo.com where more information is also available about the festival. # # # ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE EXPO: The Chocolate Expo is a Baum Image Group event. Prior creations of Baum Image Group include the official Woodstock 35th Anniversary Celebration in 2004 (under license from Woodstock Ventures) and the New York Chocolate Expo. Digital photographs are available to accompany this story at: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/jn6clrypvqbkk2pouix7c/h?rlkey=vvlphysftsmf7swlq3ewd02qw&dl=0 Please credit images © to Chuck Fishman with the exception of the photos of actor Paris Themmen (current and from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory), courtesy of Paris Themmen.