Best of Vail Valley celebration at the Vilar toasts this year’s winners
Best of Vail Valley magazine is available on newstands now and will be inserted into the Vail Daily on Thanksgiving Day
Ben Roof/Courtesy photo
The stoke was real on Wednesday night as the valley’s workforce packed the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek to find out where they stacked up in the Best of the Vail Valley contest for 2025-26 . The Vail Daily’s annual readers’ poll allows the public to decide on hot topics like best burger, best margarita, best auto mechanic, best ski run and more.
The contest, an annual love letter to the valley’s business community, is a long endeavor. The call for nominations went out in July and voting took place in August, with 100,325 votes cast by 8,895 individual voters. This year, 1,022 unique businesses were nominated, resulting in 422 winners.
“We appreciate the over 100,000 votes that were cast in this year’s contest,” said Danielle Hanson, regional advertising director for the Vail Daily. “When you vote, you’re lifting up the local businesses that shape our daily lives and make this community feel like home.”
The six categories for awards are:
- Arts & Activities
- Body & Soul
- Food & Drink
- Health
- Services
- Shopping
The Vilar Performing Arts Center, along with hosting the event, won Best Place for a Romantic Date. Attendees were welcomed with cocktails and eats from Fiesta’s Café & Cantina, Fattoria, R Farmers’ Market & Kitchen and Volcano Sushi. Music was provided by Johnny Schleper, a past Best of Vail Valley winner, and Andy Cyphert, who has been named Vail’s favorite musician for eight years straight.
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The Vail Daily’s Tony Mauro welcomed the crowd before bringing Sean Naylor and Tricia Swenson on stage to announce the results of the contest. There were jubilant cheers, applause and standing ovations as names of businesses and people were announced. At one point, Naylor and Swenson went out in the crowd to get reactions from the top performers.
The energy was palpable from a crowd that represented the heart of the Vail Valley.
The Best of Vail Valley magazine is now available at newsstands around the valley. The magazine will also be inserted into the Vail Daily on Thanksgiving Day. By picking up a copy, you have access to a wealth of information. Whether you need to find a chiropractor, a home improvement company, a florist or you’re on the hunt for the valley’s best hot dog, those answers are in this year’s magazine. The winners will also be published online at VailDaily.com/Best.
The people have spoken, voices were heard, and votes were counted. Now it’s time to celebrate those who won and keep an eye on the prize for next year. Nominations will be accepted next July, followed by a voting period in August, so make sure you are part of the process. Thank you to everyone who participated in this annual readers’ choice awards, we couldn’t do this contest without you.
