From regional events featuring locally-made sauces and small-batch producers to international fairs with famous manufacturers, there's something for everyone who loves hot sauces and heat. All around the world, there are a ton of annual hot sauce and chili festivals where people come together for the love of hot sauce and heat!
So today we want to list some of those events and share them with you.
Here are some of the hottest festivals around the globe!
Hot Sauce Festivals: Updated 2023
Before we get started... although this is not a completely comprehensive list, as there are quite a lot of events, we'll be just touching on some of the most important and popular hot sauce festivals.
We're also going to break these down by the month in which they are typically celebrated... We won't be listing exact dates though as these can vary from year to year.
With that being said, let's get started by talking about hot sauce festivals in January.
(If there are any events that we didn't list that you think we should include in this guide, please let us know)
January
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Hops N’ Sauce Festival
Humble, Texas
Every year, the Hops N' Sauce Festival near Houston, Texas celebrates spicy food and beer with vendors, free samples, and a pepper-eating contest. The event usually is towards the end of the month and was most recently hosted on the 21st of January 2023.
Other hot sauce events in January:
N/A
February
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Heatwave Hot Sauce Expo
- London, Ontario, Canada
The Heatwave Hot Sauce Expo is a hot sauce-sampling and spicy food festival featuring competitions and judges that determines the winners of "The Eternal Flames" contest. Which includes five different categories. The event has a general admission costing only $12.25, so with such a cheap admission, it's hard to pass up!
Other hot sauce events in February:
Chilli Fest Willunga - Willunga, Australia
March
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National Fiery Foods Show
Albuquerque, New Mexico
The National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show has grown to become an internationally-recognized event, attracting over 20,000 attendees and 170 exhibitors. It's one of the largest and most important spicy food festivals in North America.
Herb and Chilli Festival
Wandin North, Victoria, Australia
The Herb and Chilli Festival is an annual two-day event in Australia with vendors, competitions, cooking demonstrations, live music, and even wrestling (Yes, wrestling). It's one of, if not the, biggest spicy food festivals in Australia.
Other hot sauce events in March:
Chinderah Chilli Festival - Kingscliff, NSW, Australia
April
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Pinellas Pepper Fest
Pinellas Park, Florida
The Pinellas Pepper Fest is an annual celebration of all things spicy featuring live entertainment, vendors, food, and a variety of contests. The event has been going on now for 15 years. It's a two-day event packed full of heat and fun!
Philippine Chili Festival
Makati, Philippines
People in the Philippines love their spicy dishes and every April they hold their two-day Philippine Chili Festival. It celebrates spicy food, featuring peppers from around the world, contests, games, and more.
Indiana Hot Luck and Fiery Foods
Madison, Indiana
With 28 years of celebration, the Indiana Hot Luck & Fiery Foods Fest is packed full of some crazy and unique spicy foods. It features people's creative side with the spiciest and most flavorful dishes, celebrated at a local winery.
Other hot sauce events in April:
Boston Hot Sauce Festival - Somerville, MA
May
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Berlin Chili Fest
Berlin, Germany
Celebrating not just chilis but also craft beer, the Berlin Chili Fest happens mid to late May and showcases some of the best new hot sauces in Europe (and beyond).
Chili Knockout + Spicy Food Festival
Linwood, New Jersey
Chili Knockout and Spicy Food Fest is an event that celebrates flavor through a culinary discovery experience with interactive chili cook-offs and activities for friends and family.
Hot Sauce Society
Birmingham, UK
Hot Sauce Society is London's original hot sauce festival featuring hundreds of small-batch and limited edition sauces, chili karaoke, live music, street food, beers, cocktails, and more.
Other hot sauce events in May:
Christchurch Chilli and Cheese Festival - Christchurch, UK
Zest Fest - Irving, Texas
June
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Spice Fest
Des Moines, Iowa
Spice Fest is an event held in Des Moines, Iowa offering vendors a chance to win the “people’s choice” award for their spicy foods and hot sauces. This is a newer event but has already begun to gain traction as a must-go.
Hop Sauce Fest
Beach Haven, New Jersey
HopSauce Festival is an annual celebration of craft beer, hot sauce, and original live music in Long Beach Island, NJ. It's the perfect event to get your craft beer and hot sauce cravings.
Other hot sauce events in June:
Berks Pepper Jam - Strausstown, Pennsylvania
Exhibit 'A' Brewing Co's Sauce Showcase - Framingham, MA
Sauce Lake City Fest - Salt Lake City, Utah
West Coast Hot Sauce Experience - San Diego, CA
Chilli Fair EU - Ham, Belgium
Chili and Barbecue Festival - Hanover, Germany
July
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Old Boney Mountain
Thousand Oaks, California
The Old Boney Mountain international hot sauce competition is an exciting event featuring food, drinks, music, and a silent auction, with proceeds supporting underprivileged youth and the families of lost firefighters. Hot sauce for a cause!
New England Hot Sauce Fest
Hampton, New Hampshire
The New England Hot Sauce Fest is a family-friendly event featuring name-brand vendors, beer, bouncy houses, live music, and hot pepper and hot-wing eating contests. For the 2023 event, they'll be hosting over 20 hot sauce vendors.
Oxnard Salsa Festival
Oxnard, California
This summer festival celebrates both salsa dancing and the popular condiment. So you can enjoy trying tasty salsas while watching people salsa dance. The event also includes international foods, a recipe contest, and more. What more could you want? The Oxnard Salsa Festival is simply a blast!
IL Hot Sauce Expo
Joliet, Illinois
The IL Hot Sauce Expo is one of the biggest hot sauce destination events of the year, even though the event is only in its 4th year. The event hosts a ton of hot sauce vendors and notable sponsors. Some of them being the biggest names in the industry.
Other hot sauce events in July:
Fredericksburg Hot Sauce Festival - Fredericksburg, Texas
New England Hot Sauce Fest - Portsmouth, NH
Canadian Festival of Chili and BBQ - Langley, BC, Canada
ChilliBobs East Midlands Chilli Fest - Nottinghamshire, England, UK
August
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Great Dorset Chili Festival
Dorset, United Kingdom
The Great Dorset Chili Festival is an annual family-friendly event featuring food, a chili cook-off, and chili plant competitions. This event is usually held in the first week of August.
North Hudson Pepper Festival
North Hudson, Wisconsin
The North Hudson Pepper Festival is an Italian heritage festival that celebrates spicy food with an annual hot pepper eating contest. The North Hudson Pepper Fest is a three-day celebration with tons of food, entertainment, and chilis.
Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival
Austin, Texas
The annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is celebrating over 30 years and takes place in Austin, Texas. It features 20 different hot sauce bottlers, local foods, cold beverages, and live music. It's also one of our personal favorites!
Other hot sauce events in August:
Pepper Fest - Joplin, Missouri
PDX Hot Sauce Expo - Portland, Oregon
Nagymarosi Csípós Festivál - Nagymaros, Hungary
Philippine Chilli Festival - Manila, Philippines
Maldon Smoke and Fire Festival - Colchester, England
Peperoncino Day - Viareggio (Lucca), Italy
September
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Hatch Chile Festival
Hatch, New Mexico
Arguably one of the most important hot sauce chili festivals in the United States, the Hatch Chile Festival is a vibrant celebration in the small town of Hatch, New Mexico. Featuring chile-eating contests, live music, carnival rides, and plenty of food and craft vendors, this event brings in over 30,000 visitors every year!
North Carolina Hot Sauce Contest
Oxford, North Carolina
The NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival is an annual event that draws thousands of people to Downtown Oxford and Granville County to enjoy live entertainment, food and drink, contests, a car show, a scavenger hunt, and more.
Annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo
Secaucus, New Jersey
Featuring the most extreme eating challenges on earth with the Guinness Book of World Records, the NYC Hot Sauce Expo is full of heat. It features all kinds of contests, challenges, live entertainment, and much more.
Other hot sauce events in September:
Heating up the Capital - Ontario, Canada
National Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival - Buffalo, New York
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Chile Pepper Festival – Brooklyn, New York
Chile Pepper Festival - Bowers, Pennsylvania
Chilifest - Sunderland, Massachusetts
Saucetoberfest - Flemington, New Jersey
Fiery Foods Festival - Pasco, Washington
Texas Hot Sauce Festival - Houston, Texas
I like it Hot! Festival - Largo, Florida
Brighton Chile Fest - Brighton, Colorado
Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival - Pueblo, Colorado
Westwood Chile Fest – Denver, Colorado
Pittsboro Pepper Festival – Pittsboro, North Carolina
October
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Hot Pepper Festival
Palestine, Texas
The "Hottest Little Festival in Texas" offers a variety of activities for all ages in the streets of Historic Downtown Palestine. The Hot Pepper Festival is a short outside event with plenty of spicy foods, music, and even a parade.
Other hot sauce events in October:
Jungle Jim's Weekend of Fire - Fairfield, Ohio
Pflugerville Pfall Chili Pfest - Pflugerville, Texas
Hot Pepper Festival - Palestine, Texas
Datil Pepper Festival - St. Augustine, Florida
Belgium Chilli Fest - Antwerpen, Belgium
Fete du Piment a Espelette - Ville d'Espelette, France
Briz Chili Fest - Newstead, Australia
November
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Logan Chilli Festival - Brisbane, Australia
December
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N/A
World Hot Sauce Events & Celebrations
From the fiery foods competitions in Texas and Ohio to the traditional chili festivals in France and Hungary, there a plenty of events you can attend and experience!
What hot sauce events and celebrations do you want to experience?
Make sure to check out which hot sauce events we'll be attending in 2023 as well! If there is a hot sauce event that we missed and should be added to this list, please make sure to either leave a comment below or send us a message!
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