The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, which began in 1990, has become the world's largest, drawing as many as 15,000 spectators and more than 350 entries every year. This year The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival will take place onSunday, August 26 at Fiesta Gardens (2100 Jesse E. Segovia St.) in Austin, Texas.

In the 22 years since its inception, what started out as a small contest with a few spectators has turned into one of Austin's biggest and best-known annual parties. The event is a favorite among hot and spicy food lovers from all over the country. The Hot Sauce Festival also serves as a major fundraiser for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. Last year's Festival raised over $17,000 and almost 19,000 lbs. of food in a six hour period!

FREE to the public (with a donation of three healthy, nonperishable food items or a cash donation to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas), the event draws upward of 15,000 spectators and more than 350 entries every year.

CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK DONATION & RAFFLE

The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is presented in conjunction with the Capital Area Food Bank. Three healthy, nonperishable food donations or a cash donation for CAFB are requested. Purchase raffle tickets at the festival to be included in the drawing for this year's Sizzling Summer Raffle prize packages (up to five packages available valued at more than $500 each). There's no limit – purchase as many as you'd like! $1 each, or six for $5. Every $1 raffle ticket purchased allows the food bank to provide $5 worth of nutritious food to Central Texas families.

HOT SAUCE COMPETITION

The hot sauce contest has three levels of competition: individuals (homemade), restaurants, and commercial bottlers. This gives us a good chance to recognize hot sauces in a class by themselves. It also gives us a chance to consider hot sauces made fresh daily in restaurants apart from those made for grocery store shelves. The 2012 featured Hot Sauce Festival judges are some of the finest chefs in Texas!

FOOD VENDORS

Food vendors will provide a wide array of foods. This year Brick Oven, Buenos Aires Cafe, Curra's Grill, Jalapeno's Taco Bar, Santa Rita Tex Mex Cantina, Sun Garden Shaved Ice, and Torchy's Tacos will be on hand serving up their specialty dishes!

BANDS Live Music from the Planet K Stage: Shinyribs (Kevin Russell & Keith Langford from The Gourds) 4:15-5:15pm Mike & the Moonpies 2:45-3:45pm Sauce Gonzalez & The Westside Horns 1:15-2:15pm Crooks 11:45am-12:45pm Residual Kid 11am-11:30am