BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The SouthSide Arts District will hold its 30th annual ChiliFest on Saturday, Oct. 17, from noon to 5 p.m., with local restaurants and businesses competing for awards decided by festivalgoers and a panel of local celebrity judges, the district said.

Passports to the crawl-style tasting event are $35 and include a 2-ounce sample of every competing chili along the trail plus a commemorative spoon marking the festival’s 30th anniversary, according to the district’s ChiliFest page. Tasting stations will be set up at venues along South Bethlehem’s Third and Fourth streets.

The 2026 participating locations will be announced in the coming weeks, the district said. Last year, 24 locations competed.

“Going feels like a warm hug on a chilly day — if you’ll pardon the pun,” said Erin Zebertavage, downtown manager for the SouthSide Arts District. “But you have to come hungry. There’s a reason we call it ‘the ultimate chili challenge!’”

Winners receive Glass Pepper Awards handmade at the ArtsQuest Glass Studio by artist Dennis Gardner and his team, the district said. Categories include Judges’ Choice, scored on taste, texture, aroma, color and aftertaste on a 50-point scale; Best Presentation; and a People’s Choice prize, this year called the 30 Year Golden Pepper Award. The 2026 champions will be announced at 5:30 p.m. on the main stage on the South Bethlehem Greenway between New and Adams streets.

Passports are sold on the district’s website and must be picked up in person at the district office, 324 S. New St., on Oct. 15 or 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or on Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. An official 30th anniversary T-shirt is planned, with preorders opening online later and pickup on the day of the event, the district said.

Attendees who drop off a nonperishable donation for the Bethlehem Parking Authority food drive benefiting the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley food pantry, at the district office from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., will receive two hours of free parking in the New Street garage.

Live music is scheduled from Dear Anna, Melody Cruz, The Billy Bauer Duo and Seth Witcher. The district said the event is supported by Lehigh University, the Bethlehem Parking Authority, ArtsQuest and Wind Creek Bethlehem.

The festival began in 1996 as a chili taste-off within the “Spring on 4th, What’s on 3rd?” community festival and was “built entirely by a group of local volunteers and small businesses,” the district said in an Aug. 13 post on Facebook. The SouthSide Arts District is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit program of the Bethlehem Economic Development Corp., established in 2015.

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