Ms Hughes told the Queenstown Times she was going out on a high after overseeing a highly-successful 25th festival, which ended last Sunday.
"I need to take some time out for family reasons," she explained.
In fact, she and the rest of the organising committee are all standing down, making way for fresh faces to come in next year.
Ms Hughes concedes it will be a "wrench" relinquishing the job she has made her own over the past six years.
"Yes, it will leave a huge hole in my life but there are always people in this community who are prepared to step on board.
"And, you know, I'm not going anywhere. All of the committee will still be there in the background."
So, does this mean she might be talked out of an early retirement?
"Possibly ... but, you know, family comes first. You've got to look after your family," said the mother of two.
Asked what advice she would give the new festival co-ordinator, Ms Hughes said her successor just needed to give themselves "whole-heartedly" to the job.
"You have to be a part of everything because, the way I see it, you are taking on the position on behalf of the community.
"But, you do have loads of fun and whoever takes it on will be delighted with what they can achieve, especially with so many volunteers to help. There are 1000 of them on the ground and they are all prepared to jump in to help."
She also had some advice when asked about the challenges of doing things differently for the 26th annual festival: don't.
"Every year we do throw in some new events but, to be honest, the format is pretty set and it works, so, there's no point in just changing. It's the old story, if it's not broken don't try to fix it."
Ms Hughes said the proof was in the crowd numbers who attended this year's festival, which had house-full" signs up most events. In fact, she confessed, she probably "slightly oversold" many of the functions.
Her highlights included the night with TV chef Richard Till ("a very funny and entertaining man"), the '80s evening last Friday ("an amazing night") and the variety concert last Sunday night ("the best we've ever had; so many talented people in our community").
