For the sixth year in a row, the Lakefield Village Lions are once again hosting the Lakefield Chocolate Creations Festival.
Started in 2020, the contest is a chance for local businesses to showcase their best chocolate creation and welcome in new visitors to the area.
Coinciding with Selwyn Townships PolarFest weekend, the contest will start on January 20 and run until February 17th after the Family Day weekend.
The Lions chocolate festival committee said that this contest started for three reasons.
They said, “The first is a thank you from the Lakefield Village Lions Club to our local businesses. These businesses generously support the Lions and the community throughout the year and the festival helps bring more customers into the area during February as a way of giving back. Secondly, the festival is a service to the community, offering a fun and engaging event during the winter “February blahs,” and encouraging residents and visitors to see, taste and experience the creativity of our local businesses. Finally, the festival is a fundraiser for the Lakefield Village Lions Club, with a portion of every chocolate creation sold being returned to the Lions Club and distributed to local organizations and families in need.”
The way the festival and contest works is that residents and visitors are encouraged to visit participating businesses in the Village of Lakefield and surrounding areas, try their chocolatey entry, and vote on the best one!
There are three categories for businesses to enter entry: Food, Drink, and Creativity.
The committee explained, “The festival is open to all local Lakefield and surrounding area businesses who have pre-registered. There are three categories, Food, Drink and Creativity. Restaurants, cafes and bakeries compete head to head in the Food and Drink categories, as those creations are made in their very own kitchens. All other businesses compete in the Creativity category. The creative category is wide open and imaginative and is for participating businesses that are not restaurants, bakeries, cafes or kitchens. Entries might include a chocolate-themed treatment, a fun photo opportunity, a decorative or gift style item for your home or other unique chocolate inspired ideas. It may also be a food or drink but is not required.”
Currently there are 15 local businesses that are participating in the contest in hopes of winning bragging rights for the best chocolate creation in the Lakefield for 2026.
After trying any of the qualified entries, customers can complete a paper ballot at any participating location. They can also vote online via a link or QR code that will be provided by the Village Lions once the festival begins. It will be available at participating businesses, on the Driftscape App and on thier Facebook page (facebook.com/lakefieldvillagelionsclub).
“Our local businesses are working very hard to create unique chocolate and chocolate inspired creations. Residents are encouraged to come out, support local and enjoy this fun community event and discover who will be crowned the winner of the 2026 Lakefield Chocolate Creations Festival in the Food, Drink and Creativity categories - and earn bragging rights in Lakefield for the year ahead.”
For more information, visit the Lakefield Village Lions Facebook page for the most up to date details on the Lakefield Chocolate Creations Festival.
