The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival

Of course the festival's still on! You didn't think we'd let some paltry, world-changing pandemic get in the way of our 30th year of celebrating local expressions of deliciously edible heat and supporting the Central Texas Food Bank, did you? Because, what do they say? "Now, more than ever," right? That's so true – and so your Chronicle is hosting a virtual event featuring winner announcements for commercial bottler categories, music, videos, and more. To experience this at home, you can purchase your very own Hot Sauce Tasting Kits – which include samplings from a variety of local bottlers and all-new Hot Sauce Festival merch – and generally prepare to let your capsaicin-loving freak flags fly.