| With almost two decades under its belt, the Austin Hot | | | | has grown, so has the competition, which is as fierce |
| Sauce Festival is a time-honored tradition featuring | | | | as the heat. |
| some of the most defining characteristics of life in | | | | In addition to sampling the finest hot sauce in the area, |
| Austin: hot sauce, hot weather, live music, great food | | | | spectators can partake of food from many local |
| and a fantastic way to give back to the community. | | | | restaurants, many of whom have entered, and won, |
| A major fundraiser for the Capital Area Food Bank, | | | | the hot sauce competition. The food provided often |
| the festival boasts free admission, with a donation of | | | | highlights or incorporates the salsas, and although |
| three healthy, non-perishable food items or a cash | | | | weighted towards Austin's renowned Tex-Mex, interior |
| donation to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. | | | | Mexican and BBQ, other ethnicities are often |
| Always held in late summer, the weather is | | | | represented. Restaurants that have participated in the |
| guaranteed to rival the sauces in hotness, but this | | | | past include Curra's, Dona Emilia's, Matt's El Rancho, |
| popular event consistently draws more than 15,000 | | | | Ruby's BBQ, Santa Rita and Suun Garden Shaved Ice. |
| spectators to Waterloo Park in downtown Austin - this | | | | What would an Austin festival be without live music? |
| amounts to a sizeable donation to one of the most | | | | Again focusing on our local talent, the festival boasts |
| community-centric and necessary non-profits in town. | | | | quite a cross-section of musical genres, with |
| The heart of the festival is the hot sauce competition. | | | | kid-friendly bands, country, jazz, conjunto, and many |
| The contest, with separate judging for individuals, | | | | others. Bands who have played at past hot sauce |
| restaurants, and commercial bottlers, is divided into | | | | festivals include, Loose Cannons, the South Austin Jug |
| three categories: red, green, and specialty variety. The | | | | Band, Los Jazz Vatos and the Gourds. |
| festival attracts as many as 350 entries, who each | | | | Getting to try the cream of the salsa crop, eat the |
| provide a quart of their entered hot sauce that makes | | | | best food Austin has to offer, dance to the grooviest |
| over 100 gallons of hot sauce being consumed annually | | | | bands in town and make a contribution to a worthy |
| at the festival itself, let alone all the jars available for | | | | cause is one of the highlights of an Austin summer. |
| purchase. Combined with over 650 lbs of tortilla chips, | | | | The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is an |
| the sauces are available to be sampled by all | | | | institution, and one that will face its next two decades |
| participants. The sauces are judged, however, by | | | | in the same spicy fashion. |
| respected area chefs, and as this festival's reputation | | | | |