AFTER a hot start in 2023, Cohuna Chilli Festival is set to return this month and things are only going to get bigger, better and even hotter.
Local lovers of spice and travelling Scoville connoisseurs are set to descend on Cohuna’s Garden Park from 5.30pm on September 27 to put their heat tolerance to the test.
The event, organised by Cohuna Progress Association, was so well received last year that the only changes organisers are making is to up the scale – and the spice.
Cohuna Progress Association member Tanya Harvey said she and her fellow organisers were overwhelmed by the support the first festival had received.
“Last year’s Chilli Festival was amazingly successful – it all kind of blew us out of the water a little bit,” Ms Harvey said.
“At the time we started promoting it, we thought if we could get like 400 to 450 people, we’d be shocked.
“But we estimate close to 800 people came through the gate that night, which was phenomenal.
“We’ve tripled our food options for this year’s event: we’ve got nine food vendors and two dessert vendors this year, with a range of spicy and non-spicy choices.
“Our first event was a bit of a trial.
“We did not anticipate that people in the area could handle their chilli that much.
“This year we have absolutely had to go hotter – a lot hotter.”
Organisers have also introduced a range of new competitions for attendees to enter, with varied prizes up for grabs.
Those looking to show off their heat-handling skills can enter the either of the hot-wing-eating competitions.
There is a timed “firebowl” contest to see who can smash down their plate of hot wings in the shortest time, or competitors can take on each other in the “Don’t be a chicken” contest.
Starting from mild, competitors will climb the ladder of spice and show their endurance as the heat climbs – competitors can win a $500 cash prize in each competition.
One lucky community group will walk away $1000 richer as part of the team relay hot-wing competition: whichever team completes their wings the quickest will win the money for their chosen organisation.
Two new additions to the festival include the eating and making of homemade chilli, a $200 Ritchies IGA gift card up for grabs for the chilli chosen as the pick of the bunch.
Chilli lovers will be hitting the kitchen in hopes of claiming bragging rights in the competiton that will be judged by those in attendance who purchase a voting token.
There will be a range of entertainment for all ages, with live music from Toli and a range of fun activities for the younger attendees.
Tickets are just $10 per person, or $25 for a family.
Ms Harvey said any profits would go back into making the Cohuna Chilli Festival an annual event.
“Our tourism goes nuts this time of year,” she said.
“We pretty much double in population over that weekend so we’re hoping to capture a lot of the travelling people too.
“We’re super excited because this time we have a full committee behind us and a lot more community support as well.
“It’s an event that’s affordable in this current cost of living.
“We want people to come along and have that bit of reprieve from those stresses.”
Tickets and competition entry details can be found online at www.ticketleap.events/tickets/cohunachillifestival/cohuna-chilli-festival-2024
