Global Chilli Festivals & Hot Sauce Expos 2026

The premier fiery food festival on the East Coast, featuring the Guinness World Record Carolina Reaper eating contest and the Hot Sauce Hall of Fame.

• Guinness World Record Carolina Reaper Eating Championship
• Official Hot Sauce Hall of Fame induction ceremony

The world's most famous pepper festival, where 30,000+ visitors celebrate the harvest of legendary New Mexico green and red chiles.

• Giant open-flame tumble roasters roasting fresh sacks of Big Jim, Sandia, and Barker chiles
• Annual Hatch Chile Queen coronation and hometown parade

Over 150,000 attendees pack downtown Pueblo each autumn to celebrate the heritage Mirasol (Pueblo) chile with street roasting and cooking showdowns.

• Over 50,000 lbs of fresh Pueblo Mirasol chiles roasted street-side on open rotating cylinders
• The famous Hot Chile Eating Contest and annual Chihuahua Parade

One of the world's longest-running hot sauce showdowns (since 1990), featuring hundreds of commercial and home-cook salsas in the heart of Texas.

• Celebrity chef judging panel alongside People's Choice voting for best Texas salsas
• Live local indie and country music on the outdoor garden stage

The premier winter fiery food expo in the United States, hosting the prestigious Fiery Food Challenge Golden Chile awards.

• The prestigious Fiery Food Challenge Golden Chile award ceremonies
• Atomic Wing eating challenges on the main entertainment stage

The UK's flagship chilli festival set in historic Dorset parkland, featuring Britain's top artisan sauce makers and chilli plant growers.

• The UK Chilli Eating Championship with escalating rounds from Jalapeño to Carolina Reaper
• National Chilli Plant Competition showcasing rare and beautifully grown capsicum specimens

The only touring UK festival dedicated to the harmonious pairing of regional cheeses and fiery craft chillies.

• The ultimate pairing: artisan farmhouse cheeses matched with boutique UK chilli preserves
• Extreme Hot Pepper and Hot Wings eating contests managed by the Clifton Chilli Club

Germany's coolest craft spicy festival, uniting European hot sauce makers, fresh craft beer, and Berlin's fiercest eating contests.

• Central Europe's top artisan hot sauce producers with zero commercial filler sauces
• The Berlin Chilli Eating Contest featuring pod-for-pod battles up to Pepper X mash

Austria's premier botanical pepper expo, set in Vienna's famous floral gardens with rare seed swaps and pepper tastings.

• Exhibition of over 300 live Capsicum varieties in botanical greenhouses
• Heirloom chili seed market and cultivation consultations with master growers

Italy's world-famous 5-day Mediterranean festival celebrating the Calabrian chilli (Diavolicchio) with street art, food, and culture.

• Italian National Pepper Eating Championship (Campionato Italiano Mangiatori di Peperoncino)
• Over 200,000 visitors exploring outdoor stalls along the sparkling Tyrrhenian seafront

Australia's largest hot pepper festival, set in the scenic Yarra Valley with 80+ craft stalls, chilli beers, and extreme hot wing contests.

• The infamous 'Stinger Wing' Challenge featuring ultra-hot Australian grown hybrid peppers
• The 'Shot 'n' A Holler' cocktail challenge combining local craft tequila and habanero elixir