Kingston Held a Sexiest Armpit Contest. Yes, Really.

Eight contestants walked into Unicorn Bar in Kingston on July 18 prepared to be judged on three things most pageants politely avoid: looks, scent and passion.

The result was the second annual Hudson Valley’s Sexiest Armpit contest, a celebration involving exposed underarms, enthusiastic sniffing and what organizers described as a passion round. Thistle Pernot took home the title

The contest did not begin as a carefully developed regional tradition. According to organizer Puy, it started with “an off hand joke and birthday wish” from his girlfriend, Pit Puppy Cassie.

Then something unexpected happened.

Other people wanted in.

“It came to life through the surprising amount of love for armpits among some amazing organizers in the Hudson Valley,” Puy told Hudson Valley Happenings.

That sentence may raise more questions than it answers, but it also explains why the event worked. A ridiculous idea became a real gathering because enough people were willing to treat shared weirdness as a reason to show up, cheer loudly and build a tiny community around something nobody needed permission to enjoy.

The judging was not limited to appearance. Contestants also faced scent and passion categories, turning the evening into equal parts pageant, performance and affectionate local nonsense.

And this was not a one-time fever dream.

Puy confirmed that Hudson Valley’s Sexiest Armpit will return in 2027 for a third edition. Organizers have already chosen next year’s passion round, although they are keeping the details under wraps for now.

Kingston has hosted plenty of respectable cultural events. This one asked a more important question:

What if the community event people actually remember is the one where somebody wins because their armpit has charisma?

Photos courtesy of Unicorn Bar and the event organizers.