“We were looking for something to invigorate our area,” Cohuna Chilli Festival Committee member Tanya Harvey said.
“We have the Cohuna Show, we have a few different events throughout the year, but we just needed something else that would bring people to the area that was a bit different.”
Kicking off at 5pm, the festival brings together 12 diverse food vendors, live music and free kids’ activities for ticket holders making it a brilliant night out for the whole family.
“Something that would bring people out of the doom and gloom of winter,” Tanya said.
“We started talking about having a food van event, which then became a chilli food van event to keep everyone warm.
“There is a bar, we have 12 different food vendors, so quite a variety for a small country town food event.”
Last year’s event was a runaway success, drawing a crowd of more than 1,000 people, with some making the trip from as far away as Western Australia.
“Although that said, I think one of the furthest people we did speak to were over from WA and they said they would be back again, because they loved it.
“At that time of year, people are up here anyway, because we are a bit of a tourist hotspot, and this gives them something else to do while they are here.”
Festival highlights include the ever-popular chilli-eating and hot wings competitions, plus a chilli cooking contest, introduced last year and already a crowd favourite, where a local resident took home the top prize with a standout chilli con carne.
The Cohuna Progress Association will be running the bar, keeping drink prices fair and affordable on the night.
Tickets and all the details you need are just a click away — head to the Cohuna Chilli Festival Facebook page and lock in your spot before they sell out.
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