Hot Sauce Festival
About the Hot Sauce Festival
What began as a small hot sauce contest in 1990 has grown into the largest competition of its kind and one of Austin’s largest and best-known annual food events, drawing as many as 10,000 spectators and over 350 entries each year.
Hundreds of gallons of hot sauce are consumed and beverages are on hand to cool off the overheated. In addition to the hot sauce competition, this truly Austin food event features tastings from local restaurants, sauces for sale, cookbooks, peppers and more, and of course live music! Past performers include Joe "King" Carrasco, A. Sinclair, Dale Watson, Money Chicha, Crooks, Shinyribs, Alesia Lani, Superfónicos, and more.
Serving as a major fundraiser for the Central Texas Food Bank, the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival raised over 56,000 meals in 2018 alone and has raised 875,700 meals in its 28 year history.
