It's a beautiful day to be outside sample Chili and listen to music! I will say the Tito's Experience tickets are a waste of money. They advertise they are close to the stage so you can watch the bands, but they have no tables & chairs. We had our wristbands on but the girl still wouldn't give us the sunglasses because we didn't bring our receipt!! Seriously, I had to have the barcode to get the wristband- did she wAnt my credit card receipt? The MillerLite ticket gets you drinks, food & goodies. Guess what I'm buying next year? But there was plenty of chili to try from veggie to bison and mild to hot- you could even get a free shot of bourbon if you voted for one certain chili. (Is that bribery?) not as many food trucks, for those that don't like chili, and less vendors, but the music was great, the people fun and the chili was a hit. Guess I'll be back next Year read more

Orlando Chili Cook-off - The Wilted Chili's are awesome - Festivals Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Orlando Weekly has perfected the art of hosting food and drink related events. They generally offer 2 kinds of tickets. General admission to get in and VIP which in this case meant a swag bag(ceramic mug and tshirt,) 4 complimentary drinks at a special bar. Seated VIP area are near the stage and and BBQ pork slider buffet. The all important dedicated bathrooms. Even if you did not get all the perks, this was a great time. It was fun to walk around and meet chili chefs to taste a wide variety of chili offerings. There was tilapia, venison, beef, chicken, pork, veggie many variations. The businesses were offering freebies so that was a fun benefit. They had good entertainment at the stage and the VIP area had seats in the shade. We enjoyed the VIP serve yourself pork sliders with slaw and I was able to make mine without the bun. Upon admission each entrant got a chili guide, a koozie and a coin to vote for your favorite chili. I have to admit that I dropped mine in a booth with an animatronics deer (like they used to have at Chuckie Cheese.) I did really like the chili they served and the goofy talking deer put them over the top for me. There was a lot of booths and I did not make it around to all the spots. I planned to spend a couple hours there but I ended up staying a little longer and if I had brought some antacid I think I could have hit them all. Orlando Weekly had a photo booth and you could review your photo online the next day. I purchased tickets for their next event, United We Brunch, at this event. VIP of course. read more

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This is a fantastic event. Being a self proclaimed super chili lover, this was my go time. They have two types of tickets, like many other Orlando Weekly events, general admission and VIP admission. We were lucky enough to land some VIP tickets that had a special area with drinks, a small buffet, and dedicated restrooms. Additionally, there's a goodie bag with a nice T-shirt and mug. The chili event was open to both ticket types and there was definitely some good eatin here! I enjoyed all the various chili competitors' creations for 2018. This is the 9th annual cook off so there were plenty of booths with chili variations! Hope to come back next year! It was super fun. read more

Orlando Chili Cook-off - VIP swag! - Festivals Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Pros: The Orlando Chili Cook-off is an excellent event. You can sample an amazing selection of chili and other yummy treats all day. Cons: The parking situation is a bit inconvenient. The restrooms get really gross as the day progresses. People: Good Process: Good Product: Good Quality: Good Quantity: Good Value: Fair Cleanliness: Good Ambience: Good Timing: Good Attention To Detail: Good read more

Orlando Chili Cook-off - Festivals Near Me - Orlando, Florida

I finally attended this event and this year the weather was absolutely perfect! On way in I was fortunate enough to cross paths with a couple ladies leaving and they graced me with a number of beverage tickets. score! It was a great day to get out and sample the variety of chillies while indulging in a Titos spiked lemonade. During my leisurely stroll around the event, I was able to visit each vendor and learn a few things while collecting information. Many vendors had neat giveaways and I'm looking forward to checking out some of these places in the future. I enjoyed listening to the live band and watching the eating competition. Kudos to those that do this because I became full just watching them! There was a decent number of people out but not overly crowded. There was plenty of parking nearby - I saw signs for $10 but if you were savvy you could find a free spot to park. On my way out, I had a few drink tickets left so I shared. Good karma. Overall a good event and a good way to spend a nice ready outdoors. Definitely mark yoyr calendar to check it out next year. read more

Orlando Chili Cook-off - Festivals Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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2017's Yelp 100 Challenge 48/100 This was probably the most fun I've ever had at a food competition! The chilis were so good, we sampled probably 30 little cups of chili, amazing sausages, cheeses and an assortment of beers. I even had a hard orange soda for the first time! Some of the names of the chilis were hilarious like : Netflix and chili, and not yo mamas chili, and meeting the vendors and getting the history behind the chilis was great. Especially enjoyed the live bands, and the overall community feel of the event. I will make this a yearly tradition, you should, too! read more

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My first year attending the Orlando Chili cook-off and I loved it. I enjoyed being able to sample different kinds of chili from different restaurants. Surprisingly my favorite chili was from Gators. They had a small toppings bar with cheese, and onions. Since the event I've been to Gators just for the chili. The event had bouncy houses for the kids. Also, VIP tents for Wine/Beer. Disclaimer: got complimentary tickets from Yelp Even though the tickets were free I would totally pay for an event like this one. read more

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Wow ! I enjoyed this event so much and it was a really Fantastic experience as a VIP! Shout out to being a Yelp Elite as that's how I got my entry ticket and also fellow Yelpie Erin G in whose company I walked around and got so much SWAG!! I'm especially a fan of the fabulous cups that we got as VIPs - the swag also included tons of cozies, t-shirts, candy, pen, stickers galore. The main event of course was the Chili and gosh, there was so much of it, and some great non-beef options too. My fave was actually a tuna chili by Winter Park Fish Company and then surprisingly enough, a pork chili by Tony Roma's. Also I spent a lot of time initially in the VIP tent (which had awesome food catered by Black Bear BBQ, apart from a good variety of drinks) and so by the time I actually went to out to the vendor tents, unsurprisingly enough, a lot of the chili was already over! So note to self - next year, get to the festival on time (I got there around 1pm) and hit the tents for the chili tastings first, and only afterwards go and chillax at the VIP tent. One of the other things about this festival that I really liked was the variety of vendors. I mean you had chili booths that were hosted by restaurants, but you also had booths that were for charity. And it wasn't just chili vendors, there was a healthy mix of services, artists, and event locations in the mix too. Another thing I liked was how family friendly it was, with specific breakout areas for a range of kids ages. Also, the range of food trucks was amazing! So if you didn't want any chili, there were alternative food options. Apart from sampling the food, you got to hear great local bands performing ariety of covers as well as originals and then towards the end of the day was the judging plus the chili-competitive eating contest (both of which events I didn't stay and checkout - will plan better next year!) All in all, this was a fantastic festival and I would definitely recommend coming and checking it out! Yelp 36/2018 read more

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One of my favorite events! I love the Chili cook off! They always have more places participating than I can try. I also love they have a few vegetarian options for my only vegetarian friend. They do offer a VIP ticket also that includes: private bathrooms aka port-a-pots, four drinks, and a roped off area around the stage. It's usually hot, so dress and hydrate accordingly. This year was no different, people were gathered in the shade where and when it was available. They could definately use more tents (that aren't private) for a break from the sun. They have a ticket system for drinks: soda, beer, spiked lemonade, wine, henerys hard soda. I personally don't care for this at all. They were $22/20 tickets and 6 tickets for beer except Miller was 5 tickets, so you're screwed unless drinking Miller. The chili is about as diverse and all over the board as you can get. From bland to super hot to vegetarian, chicken chili, gator, seafood, different offerings of cheese, corn bread or corn chips with the chili. You will not go hungry or be disappointed. Don't forget to vote for your favorite! The general admission bathrooms were spotless, there was a cleaning person standing by as needed, they even had a portable sink to wash your hands. Besides lacking more garbage cans, the park was very clean and spacious. I look forward to this again next year! read more

I've been wanting to check this out for years and finally had the opportunity to. It did not disappoint one bit! There was free parking at the mall nearby with complimentary shuttle service. I was able to find street parking a block away, so I opted to park and walk. The VIP ticket is an excellent value! This ticket included a swag bag with a T-shirt and a chili mug. There was a private area with shade for VIPs where we could redeem our 4 free drinks included with the ticket (yes, I said 4)!!! My favorite drink was the passion fruit hard water. There was also complimentary sandwiches and coleslaw in the private area that were delicious! So much chili! There were endless amounts of chili everywhere. Too many to try them all! My favorite was from Praise The Lard and they ended up getting my vote. I also liked the venison chili from Yes Deer. There was live music from the local band Wilted Chilis on the stage. Even though I don't have kids, I appreciated the kids zone. I thought it was thoughtful to make this more of a family friendly event. The only thing I'd like to see a change in is the amount of plastic used and disposed of. So much waste! All the chili samples were in little plastic cups with plastic spoons. I tried to reuse my 1 spoon as much as possible. read more

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Always a great time with great people. The chili cook off is just an excuse for adults to be big kids, and if you have kids they have you set too! At least 5 or 6 inflatables we're there while we visited. So the food obviously varies, but if you ever hear the word "chili balls" it's a good idea to check them out. There are lots of staples here are the chili cook off and they all have their own stories. It's fun to chat and hear why they did and checkout their cool tents and themes. During the festival there is usually some band playing. Last year they had the Wilted Chili's who are an amazing group. Great choice in music! To top it all off, they end the cook off with a chili eating competition. Joey Chestnut even shows up! He won the last few years but, in a huge shocker, LOST! The hype man for the eating competition was great. Overall a great time for the whole family. read more

Fun overall but a few hiccups along the way. The weather was amazing and the perfect day for an outdoor event. The setting was Festival Park right near the executive airport and there was tons of room, great setup. I was part of a team: Chili Crafters. I have to say, setting up was a little bit confusing. I even knew where my tent was and went in the vendor entrance but you just drove around, there was no clear path or anyone directing you. It was weird. We have a great area and my team cooked massive amounts of chili and we even ran out (hours after others did) before the event was actually over. I would suggest in letting each team know how much chili to make. I would suggest cutting the festival down to 3 hours max (for chili eating anyway). Also, all the teams really didn't get a chance to walk around and check out everything going on. I would suggest maybe a night before event or after event for all teams to taste each others and experience the judging. Just a thought. We had a BLAST talking to everyone that came to our tent and we loved that we had creative reign over everything. It really made for a great day. Impressive festival overall and I hope in the upcoming years it keeps improving! read more

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This was such a fun event!! There was so many chili spots to try and they give you a coin at the entrance to give to your favorite one. Even with the sample being small I left super full and happy! You're going to end up eating a lot. They had a wrestling tournament going on which I thought was so unique and entertaining. I want to go every year now! read more

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Fun day! Lots of great Orlando businesses represented... Good vibes and lots of good food!!! Bounce house and kid area we really appreciated! Cute kid bus business they could walk through with activities inside- great idea! Lots of freebies to take home, drink tickets to get refreshments were reasonably priced. I got my tickets via Groupon and will def be doing this one again next year! Music, fun, beer and chili!! read more

Orlando Chili Cook-off - Fun day! I vote for Venison chili!!! - Festivals Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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Such a fun event me and girlfriend decided that we are going to visit every year now we had so much fun trying all the chili everyone in the chili cook off was so welcoming, and they had a wrestling match going on also which I was extremely excited about. read more

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Always a great time. Lots of different chilis. Recommend going with a group to make waiting in line less boring, and dress for the sun accordingly. Sunscreen highly recommended. I voted for the butternut squash chili. Hope they'll be there next year! read more

What a fun event! The weather was perfect for this outdoor event with lots of food, activities, freebie giveaways, and not to forget live music! There were over 100 venders all over Florida showcasing their best chili. We were lucky enough to score VIP tickets through Yelp, which we got our own VIP section for seating, primo viewing area of the live stage, private bathroom area, swag bag which included 4 free drinks, an event t-shirt, a mug, and light bites (which we missed out on). They even have a kid zone to entertain the little ones. We love chili, so this was perfect for us to tryout different venders and see what they have to offer. The only thing about this event that I wish could change was parking. Free parking was available but was not on site. You could park by the LA Fitness a few blocks away to either walk over to the event site or take the free shuttle bus they offered. But overall, it was a well organized event and we look forward to coming back next year! read more

My wife and I really enjoyed the Orlando Chili Cook-off. This was the 1st time we've been. There were some really delicious chili and some not so great. There's food trucks there as well. Power 95.3 FM had a stage set up with bands playing and there were games being played. It's for all ages so I'd bring children too next year. It's a great way to spend the day with family and/or friends just eating and drinking beer. There's plenty of space to set down your picnic items like a blanket, chairs umbrella for the sun etc. if your into chili I'd recommend coming next year. read more

I've never been to the annual Chili Cookoff before, but after hearing from friends that go every year it was time to give it a try. Parking can be crazy, there are lots nearby that offer parking for $10 or you can park at the Fashion Square Mall and be shuttled into the event. We opted to park at the giant shopping plaza nearby (for free) and walk it. The lines for most of the chili samples were pretty short, only seconds to a few minutes for each. There was one that was ridiculously long and they were serving up deep fried chili, of course anything tastes good if it's fried, so it wasn't anything I felt I needed to wait for. For drinks - you purchase tickets that you can then redeem for a drink. An annoying process for sure, just let me buy what I want for the price listed and be done with it. I don't understand this process and can't think of any good reason for it. Another issue was their garbage can placement. All garbage cans were placed in between every other food stall, so you had to get back up through the line of people to throw your sample cups away. I understand having some up there for the cooks to use, but as they were every other stall - even they couldn't use them all as they couldn't reach them. There were no garbage cans to be found across from the food areas where most people took steps back to eat out of the way of those in line. Poor planning there. I'm not sure what the entry process was, but there were some chili's that tasted as if they were straight out of a can, or worse. Yes, worse. As if they opened the can and then proceeded to suck out all of the seasonings and then add water to the leftover mixture. Ick. I wish I could remember the name of the company with the chili cookies because they were amazing. Chocolate chip chili cookies and cornbread chili cookies that were the perfect mix of heat and sweet. Bad Ass Sandwiches was the winner for the four of us - their chili was flavorful and memorable. read more

Pretty cool event! Had a great time with my friends and family. Beautiful day out, location was clean and safe. The vendors were all friendly and excited to be there. A lot of Chili! It was awesome to be able to sample so many different kinds of Chili. The Tito's and Lemonade drink was my favorite!! And we really enjoyed taking photos in the Snap studio booth! Love when they are present at an event. read more

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IT DID NOT RAIN! I've stayed away every year because of the weather. Almost stayed home this time because the clouds were ominous. However, we scored Yelp VIP Tix, and damnit, we were going to make it! I'm glad we did! We parked a few blocks away and walked over, just as we did for Veg Fest recently. Entry was smooth and painless. We got our stamps and VIP vouchers and proceeded across the park to the VIP area where we got our wrist bands and drink tickets. The beer selection here was meh. I guess I should not expect much. But for those paying for VIP, I would suspect you'd want more than Miller Lite, Coors Lite and Blue Moon, right? Or am I too much of a snob? It took a while for me to get served. The bartenders were busy at first but then it slowed down. I must say, each time we went up, they seemed like they could care less and were annoyed. I know it's outside, it's warm, you're hustling, but at least seem polite and pleasant. The music was a cover band. They were good. I hate cover bands for the most part, but I mean, what the heck are you gonna do? Unless this is a major national band playing, you're going to get covers. They were talented if not typical. I'm most disappointed that when we got there (around 3pm) most of the chili vendors were totally sold out. I only tried three samples and they were all mediocre. We had fun. We met a really awesome family who also brought their two toddlers. So, our little guy had someone to play with in the VIP area. And then we took him over to the kid zone, which was across the street. He had a blast there. We'd do it again for sure, and next time go earlier I suppose. read more

The Orlando Chili cookoff for 2013 was located in the Festival Park, at the intersection of Livingston and Maguire near the executive airport. I was part of a group who participated by cooking chili in 2 categories, so my experience was pretty different than someone attending. We arrived early to set up and get cooking, the group cooking next to us arrived about the same time, but only had one pot they were reheating for the open category. (Which they took home, congrats!) Our group had a line 95 feet (not people, that would be about 150-200 people+) long from the time we opened, to the time we ran out of chili. Attendees were very fun, complimentary and enjoyed the day and our booths offerings. We had a blast, but learned later that we should have been hustling for peoples choice coins, like other booths were. My constructive comment to organizers would be to level the playing field by instituting some minimums on the amounts of chili that chili contestants should prepare. Our group was serving chili nonstop from opening until almost 4PM, we were one of the last booths sampling. It doesn't seem right for other contestants to cook a small amount of chili to enter a contest, but only serve the public for an hour of an event that runs from 12-6pm. Part of the reason our line was soooooooo long towards the end of the event, was booths around us had run out of chili so quickly. We heard from many people who arrived at the event at 1 and 2PM that booths were already out. That said, our group had a great time and enjoyed meeting lots of great chili fans! www.facebook.com/chilicrafters please like us and we'll see if we'll do this again! read more

Really nice event! Lots of fun for the kids and adults. Great yelp perks with VIP (thanks to the husband) absolutely worth checking out! Looking forward to next year! read more

Orlando Chili Cook-off - Festivals Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Large chili event for reasonable price for $15 in advance. Totally worth the money. Live bands, wrestling and all the chili you could ever want. Go early as they can run out of chili by 3pm. read more

I have been wanting to come to the Orlando Chili Cook Off for a while now and thanks to Yelp for finally giving me the opportunity! This was one of the coolest outdoor food events I've been to in Orlando and i was really impressed by the sheer size of the event and the number of vendors. With my VIP pass, I gained entry to a special Miller Lite VIP Zone, 4 drink tickets, complimentary BBQ lunch and a VIP swag bag, that had lots of cool items inside like koozies and a cool event T-shirt. There had to have been at least 30 different chili's to try. I definitely lost count of how many there were, but I liked how it was spaced out and there were so many options to choose from. One of the chili tents even featured 5 guys dressed up in Colonial garb and advertising their Chili under the name The Founding Fathers. They were hilarious and had great chili. They also had a bad playing live music and they were great. The only thing I think could be improved on is the timing of the event. It was 85 degrees outside, which can make it a little hot for a chili cook off. I would love to see this event moved 1-2 months earlier. read more

Magnificent event! I sampled so many chili, the good, bad and the ugly! I had a ball sampling. Parking was crazy around the event with lots nearby parking lots offering $10 or you can park at the Fashion Square Mall and be shuttled into the event courses of Greyhound Bus. I opted fo the shuttle and it was the best decision all day. Nice elite event! read more

With a complete wash-out for a day, the Orlando Chili Cook-Off started right on time. Well, the festival did. By 12:30, at least half of the vendors did not have their samples ready, asking us to come back later. On top of that, the volunteer staff were mostly a bunch of rude, cranky old women who were obviously tired of being there. No water was available without purchase, and as event serving food, I find that incredibly neglectful. Bottles of water were selling for $2.00 underneath a tent filled with people hiding from the rain. Plus, the smoke. No, not from the cookers, but from the legions of people puffing away cigarettes and CIGARS in a public park, filled with children. For the price, the event was a complete waste of money, and we left before even sampling HALF of the food-fare. The organizers really need to get their act together for next year. read more

What an amazing event this was! lots of fun vendors, great chili and music. It was so much fun to try the different styles and flavors while enjoying a cold beer and listening to good tunes. I will certainly go again next year and don't forget to visit the kids zone, my daughters had a great time and they kept it separate from the main area which was kind of nice.enjoy! read more

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This was a nice event for a great cause. I think there must have been record crowds this year, many of the vendors were out of samples by the time we arrived. We got to taste all kinds of chili recipes, including beef, pork, buffalo and vegetarian. Our own Chris R. had made an outstanding chili and provided one of the best spreads of the event, so hats off to him. read more

We go every year and love it, but this year was a disappointment. Many less chilli booths, did have other food, which would have been great if they didn't move so slow. The biggest thing was the band, they played their own songs, that no , which I assume they were promoting their album, but it was boring and no one knew their songs, so we left early this year read more

I've been to a lot of these chili cook-offs, and this one is always the best. Great entertainment, excellent venue (Festival Park was a better spot because of the grass -- not dirt -- and ample parking), and they even had the competitive eating contest with the champs! Tons of fun, great music, awesome chili! read more

Great event! So many chills to sample! I was on a mission to try them all, but really couldn't. got too full after 20 or so... there were free wine samples, cookies and other food and non-food freebies. read more

It is easy to make the best-tasting chili if you use real New Mexico Chili. Specifically, chili from Chimayo New Mexico; it is unsurpassed for quality and flavor. Not too hot, but deliciously warm with a smoky flavor. If you want to win the contest you should get some. If you can't afford the best, use Hatch chili, it is almost as good. I order all my chile online from the CHIMAYO CHILE BROTHERS...here is a link to their website: http://www.chimayochilebros.com/shop read more