Annual Hot Sauce Festival Brings the Heat and Provides Relief for Central Texans Facing Hunger

Lovers of hot and spicy food from all over the country will gather in Austin this Sunday to raise thousands of meals for hungry Central Texans at the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, billed as the largest festival of its kind in the world.

Free to the public with a suggested donation of three healthy, non-perishable food items or a $5 cash donation to the Capital Area Food Bank, the Hot Sauce Festival draws nearly 15,000 attendees and more than 350 salsa entries every year.

The 24th Annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival takes place on Sunday, August 24th at beautiful Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St., Austin, TX 78702, from Noon – 5:00 P.M. 

The Hot Sauce Festival is a fun and tasty way to help the Food Bank raise food and funds for Central Texans dealing with hunger. Last year's festival raised over 65,000 meals. But the need for food assistance in our community continues to grow, making events like the Hot Sauce Festival vital to the Food Bank’s mission.

Festival goers also have a chance to win valuable prize packages while helping the Food Bank  by purchasing tickets for this year's Sizzlin’ Summer Raffle, which includes three fantastic prize packages valued at more than $1,000 each. Raffle tickets are available for $5 each, or five for $20, and there’s no limit to how many you can buy. Every $5 raffle ticket purchased allows the Food Bank to provide $25 worth of nutritious food to Central Texas families in need.

Festival goers will jam to music from Rosie & the Ramblers, Gumbo Ce Soir, El Tule, and LaTasha Lee & The BlackTies. But the biggest draws are the salsas. Gallons and gallons of hot sauce are consumed at the event every year. Area restaurants show off their hot and spicy foods at booths, and vendors from across the Southwest set up shop to sell hot and spicy cookbooks, fresh peppers, and chili pepper memorabilia.

The Hot Sauce Festival will offer a Park ‘N Ride lot available to all Hot Sauce Festival attendees. FREE parking will be available at Saltillo Plaza at the northwest corner of 4th & Waller with free shuttle buses running to and from Fiesta Gardens throughout the day. And bike parking is available at the main entrance of the festival.

The 24th Annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is presented in conjunction with the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas and sponsored in part by 93.3 KGSR, Capital Metro, Just Add Chef, Latino 102.7, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Planet K, Texas Music Water, Univision, Whole Foods Market, and Bud Lite.  

For more information about the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival visit austinchronicle.com/HotSauce.

About Capital Area Food Bank of Texas: The mission of Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger. Founded in 1981, CAFB provides food and grocery products through a network of 300 Partner Agencies and nutrition programs, serving 48,000 people every week. Headquartered in Austin, CAFB serves 21 counties in Central Texas, an area about twice the size of Massachusetts. For more information on CAFB and its programs, visit www.austinfoodbank.org.