Listed below is a schedule of most of the major national and regional fiery foods trade shows, conventions, hot sauce events and chile pepper festivals in North America. If you know of any industry shows and events that aren't listed below, I would love to hear about them!
| Event |
Date |
Location/Venue |
| ZestFest 2012 | Jan 27, 2012 -
Jan 29, 2012 | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas |
| In addition to being a large trade show with entertainment and cooking demos, this also features the Fiery Food Challenge awards. |  Link |  Map |
|
New Mexico Chile Conference | Feb 6, 2012 -
Feb 7, 2012 | Hotel Encanto, Las Cruces, NM | | Practical Solutions for Growers, Processors and Producers. Hear Guest Speaker Gary Nabhan speak on Chile Peppers, Climate Change & Water Scarcity in the Southwest - Research Solutions on Disease & Pest Management , Learn the Latest Updates on Mechanical Cleaning. Plus Commercial Booths and Current NMSU Research Poster Displays | Link | Map |
|
2012 North Market Fiery Foods Festival | Feb 18, 2012 -
Feb 19, 2012 | North Market, Columbus, OH | | Cooking demonstrations, BBQ contests and spicy foods vendors. | Link | Map |
|
24th Annual National Fiery Foods & BBQ Show | March 2, 2012 -
March 4, 2012 | Sandia Resort and Casino, Albuquerque, NM | | The largest fiery foods/hot sauce/BBQ trade show in the U.S.. | Link | Map |
|
Gunther’s Gourmet Gala | May 5, 2012
| Richmond, VA | | Hosted by Michael Lampros of Gunther’s Gourmet in Richmond, VA. It is a small gathering by invite only with retail and wholesale buyers for East Coast vendors of various products. It is going on it’s 3rd year and has a nominal fee of $35 which includes food and drink as chicken wings and other simple finger foods will be sampled and reviewed on site by chile bloggers. Contact Mike @ M66L66@aol.com or 804-240-1796 for information on how to attend. | Link | Map |
|
Peppers at the Beach | May 18, 2012 -
May 20, 2012 - | Peppers Hot Sauce Shop, Rehoboth Beach, DE | | hosted by Peppers, one of the largest hot sauce stores in the country.
Event is FREE, so all you have to do is show up and set up a strong tent and table to fight up the strong beach winds. The show is held at the Parking lot in front of Peppers, and word has it there will be a food show crew on hand this year. Interested vendors should contact Luther Hearn at 302-645-0812. | Link | Map |
|
Pinellas Pepper Fest | June 2, 2012
June 3, 2012 | England Brothers Bandshell Park, Pinellas Park, FL | | The spicy food festival includes hot sauces, salsas, BBQ sauces, pepper plants and more. there will be a Pepper Eating Contest on Saturday. Enjoy live bands. Free to the public. | Link | Map |
|
Oxnard Salsa Festival | July 28, 2012 -
July 29, 2012 - | Plaza Park, Oxnard, CA | | The 19th annual event of everything "salsa" - the food, the music and the dance. Spicy food, contests, and lots of entertainment. | Link | Map |
|
Hatch Chile Festival | Sept 1, 2012 -
Sept 1, 2012 | Hatch, NM | | The large spicy foods festival which boasts over 30,000 annual visitors from all over the United States. | Link | Map |
|
National Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival | Sept. 1, 2012 -
Sept. 2, 2012 | Coca-Cola Field, Buffalo, NY | | The premiere buffalo and hot wing festival in the world. | Link | Map |
|
17th Annual Chile Pepper Food Festival | Sept 7, 2012
Sept 8, 2012 | William Delong Park, 233 Bowers Rd, Bowers PA | | Large festival in eastern Pennsylvania featuring eating contests and more. | Link | Map |
|
I Like it Hot Festival & BBQ | Sept 8, 2012 -
Sept 9, 2012 | Minnreg Hall, Largo, FL | | Regional event with hot sauces, chile peppers, contests and more. | Link | Map |
|
12th Annual Houston Hot Sauce Festival | Sept 15, 2012 -
Sept 16, 2012 | Stafford Centre, 10505 Cash Rd, Stafford, TX | | The popular hot sauce/spicy foods show for the Houston, TX area. | Link | Map |
|
Jungle Jim’s 6th Annual Weekend of Fire | Oct 6, 2012 -
Oct 7, 2012 - | Oscar Event Center at Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield, OH | | The sixth year for this chilehead favorite. The Weekend of Fire is not only a trade show, but hosts spicy eating contests such as the Defcon Deathmatch National Hot Wing Eating Championship on Saturday night, Patter Fam’s Spicy PB & J Sammich Stackdown, and Heartbreaking Dawns’ Bhut Jolokia Brownie Brawl Buster. | Link | Map |
|
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Chile Pepper Fiesta | Oct 6, 2012
| Brooklyn, NY | DATE HAS NOT BEEN FINALIZED
Features plenty of spicy samples, sweets, live music, cooking demonstrations, and more. | Link | Map |
|
