2023 Best of NH Party

Tickets are selling fast!

Our annual Readers’ Poll and extensive list of Editor’s Picks all lead up to the state’s biggest celebration, the Best of NH Party.

This year’s Best of NH celebration returns to its glory days of sampling great food, drink, live music and fun from across the state.  The best part? All food, drink and entertainment is included with your ticket. The event will be an elegant tent and garden party at one of our most beautiful local treasures — Flag Hill Distillery and Winery in Lee. Join us for a truly unforgettable evening that’s all to honor the 2023 Best of NH winners and to support our nonprofit beneficiary: the New Hampshire Food Bank.

Thursday, June 22, 2023
Flag Hill Distillery and Winery
297 North River Road
Lee, NH
VIP Barrel Tasting and Tour: Sold Out
General Event: 6-8:30 p.m., $68

Please be aware: this event is intended to be a 21+ event, please be prepared to show your ID at event entry.

Participating Restaurants and Eateries

This year’s food and beverage sampling will be provided by the following (and growing!) list of past and present Best of NH winners.

Entertainment and Celebrities

If you’ve been to a Best of NH Party before then you know that you can expect some unexpected celebrity sightings. We’ve had rock super stars (hello, Steven Tyler!), America’s Got Talent alums (hey, Recycled Percussion!) and The Mad Fisherman (hi, Charlie Moore!). You never know which Oscar winner or reality TV stars might show up this year.

We’re excited to welcome the following entertainers to this year’s party.

Scott Spradling Band

Ready to get up on your feet and sing along to the hits from the golden era of swing music, Big Band and the music of the first decade of Rock and Roll? The Scott Spradling Band is a 12-piece stellar band with lots of horns and endless talent that does not disappoint. Best of NH Party guests can look forward to hearing hits from the 1950’s-90’s from bands like Chicago, Tower of Power, Sinatra, Earth Wind & Fire, Billy Joel, Bobby Darin, Stevie Wonder and many more.

Author and Chef Mary Ann Esposito

Foodies will be delighted by the appearance of Ciao Italia host and New Hampshire’s own Mary Ann Esposito. Author of 14 cookbooks and longtime food writer for New Hampshire HOME, Mary Ann Esposito, will be attending this year’s Best of NH Party as a VIP guest and then signing copies of her latest book, Ciao Italia: Plant. Harvest. Cook!, which will be available for purchase on the evening of the event. Copies of her book can be reserved while purchasing your event tickets. Reserved copies will be available for final purchase ($40) and signature in the Mary Ann Esposito booth. Cash and checks are preferred for payment.

Magician Andrew Pinard

Andrew Pinard is not a real sorcerer, but he plays one so convincingly, you might feel a real shiver run up your spine as he summons ghosts, materializes objects and vetoes the everyday rules of reality. Pinard, of Absolutely Magic in Bradford, is renowned and respected among both his fans and his peers, performing stage and close-up magic that delights and astounds. He took the main stage at the 2022 Best of NH Party at Canterbury Shaker Village and will be again delighting guests at the 2023 Party wandering throughout the event and wowing guests with his close-up magic.

Live Event Artist Steve Paquin

Artist Steve Paquin of Concord has almost single-handedly added a new artistic dimension to the music festival experience. While concert-goes squander billions of pixels on thousands of bad digital photos and movies, Paquin sits quietly in view of the stage and creates permanent works of art — paintings on canvas — that immortalize the ephemeral bliss of noodle-dancing in a field while a jam band cuts a deep groove. He posts the images he creates and sells prints to fans (and often to band members) as colorful tributes (and useful reminders about when and where a favorite concert took place). He also live-paints for other events, weddings and such.

Swag Bags

The first 300 guests in attendance at this year’s Best of NH Party will receive an exclusive swag bag filled with gifts, goodies and coupons from the following local businesses and Best of NH winners.

Upgrade your experience

Sign up for our new VIP hour (details below!) and private sampling opportunity, limited to 75 guests; spend the night in one of 10 tiny homes right on property; or come just for an evening of sampling and fun.

VIP Barrel Tasting & Tour: Limited to 75 guests, VIPs will enjoy an intimate Flag Hill spirits tasting and tour with distiller and owner Brian Ferguson. Nosh on light apps, have an exclusive chance to sample product right from the barrel, enjoy a custom cocktail and get first crack at the Best of NH event floor. Your ticket purchase will also qualify you to win a stay on-property in a tiny home the night of the event. As of May 22, VIP tickets are sold out.

Spend the night: Turn the party into an overnight getaway! The grounds of Flag Hill Distillery and Winery are home to RiverCrest Villas, a group of 10 uniquely designed tiny homes, located just steps away from the Best of NH Party. These tiny home villas are complete with a studio bedroom, comfortable queen sized pull out sofa, full bathroom and kitchenette. As of May 30, the villas are now sold out.

Win an overnight stay: All VIP Experience and General Event attendees who have purchased their tickets by Monday, May 29, 2023 will be automatically entered to win an overnight stay in one of the tiny home villas the evening of the Best of NH Party (June 22, 2023). One lucky winner will be picked and notified by June 1. Each villa can accommodate up to four guests. Congratulations to our lucky winner: Melanie D!

Welcome to the Best of NH

Since 2000, New Hampshire Magazine has polled and published the picks of its readers and editors in categories that range from best cupcakes to best martini to best antiques shop and everything in between.

Voting in these categories takes place each year, starting in mid-January. Our online-only ballot is the best way for readers and customers to recognize the best of the best that the Granite State has to offer.

Our annual Readers’ Poll and Editor’s Picks all lead up to the state’s biggest celebration, The Best of NH Party, which is held annually each summer.

2023 Best of NH Ballot

The voting period for 2023 has now closed. Thank you for your time and input! This year, a record 18,400 people cast ballots, so it may take us longer than usual to tally the results.

Winners can expect an email or phone call notification by early April. Please do not reach out asking if you have won. We will reach out and post information as soon as it is available.