Hot Sauce Festival FAQs
Everything you need to know about attending
Fri., Sept. 9, 2022
How does the contest work?
At the heart of The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is the contest itself. The blind-tasting competition for commercial bottlers, restaurants, and individually submitted hot sauces is conducted by a panel of judges; see more about them here.
The contest is separated into three classes of competition: commercial bottlers, restaurants, and individuals. This gives us the opportunity to recognize salsas made fresh daily in restaurants, those made for store shelves, and the ones made by independent sauciers. Categories include red, green, special variety, and pepper sauces (the hottest category) and are designed to leave enough room for a wide variety of styles. In the past, sauces have included fruit salsas, dried-
pepper salsas, and even a purple sauce!
Restaurants and individuals who have competed in previous years were invited to return to a modified version of our Hot Sauce competition, with judging being done in advance of the festival by the Chronicle staff and a panel of judges chosen by our food editor, Melanie Haupt. While we are not able to make these sauces available for the public to taste at the festival, our mission to support the Central Texas Food Bank and local Texans in need remains our biggest goal and is the heart of our cause for hosting this event every year. Winners will be announced during the festival.
Commercial hot sauces are available to the public for tasting and voting in the "People's Choice" on the day of the festival. People's Choice voting will take place on tablets by The Austin Chronicle merch booth from 3 to 7pm. One vote per person for each hot sauce bottler category (red, green, special variety, & pepper).
When will the winners be announced?
Sunday, Sept. 11, around 8pm, at austinchronicle.com/hotsauce. Feel free to post about your win and use hashtag #HotSauceFest.
Is parking available on-site?
Limited on-site parking will be available at the Far Out Lounge. If possible, please take public transportation, carpool, park remotely, arrange a ride, use a rideshare, or ride your bike! Attendees are discouraged from parking in the neighborhoods adjacent to the festival. Please respect all parking signs to avoid being towed.
We recommend getting to the fest with Capital Metro's 801 N. Lamar/S. Congress bus or 10 S. First/Red River bus, both running every 15 minutes and dropping off within walking distance to the fest.
How much does it cost to get in?
Advance tickets are $10; tickets at the door will be $15, and $5 of each ticket goes to the Central Texas Food Bank.
Can I bring water, snacks, and my cooler?
Bottled water will be available for purchase and self-serve water jug stations will be placed throughout the venue. No coolers and no outside food or drinks are allowed.
Are dogs allowed?
We love dogs! But unfortunately dogs are not allowed on the festival grounds.
Are children allowed?
Yes, this is a family-friendly event, but please note that it is super hot out and plan accordingly.
What's the bathroom situation?
There's an ADA-accessible bathroom indoors and portable toilets outside.
Do you take credit cards?
Some vendors will accept credit cards, and we accept credit cards at the door and at the merch booth as well.
Hot Sauce Festival Safety Guidelines
Hot Sauce Festival staff will follow COVID-19 safety precautions such as frequent hand-washing, social distancing when possible, and masking for high-risk individuals. Vendors will be encouraged to wear a mask. All sampling and live music performances will be outdoors. Hand sanitizer will be available at the event entrance and throughout the festival space. Soap & hot water will be available in the bathrooms for frequent hand-washing.
Masking is not required for attendees to enter the venue. All guests will be required to practice mutual respect and social distancing when possible. We kindly request if you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms that you stay home and get tested regardless of vaccination status.
