Wabash Valley Pepper Fest & Hot Sauce Expo
A full-day festival packed with spicy food, hot sauce, pepper growers, food vendors, craft vendors, specialty vendors, live entertainment, DJ music, live music, community fundraising, eating competitions, CAPS Awards, a Jeep Show with vendors, and family-friendly fun.
Terre Haute, Indiana
What to Expect
This is more than a hot sauce festival. It is a full community event built around flavor, fire, competition, local businesses, food lovers, chiliheads, families, Jeep owners, music, entertainment, and everyone who wants to be part of something unique in the Wabash Valley.
Competitions & Contest Entry Forms
Think you can handle the heat? Want to compete on stage? We have multiple contests planned for 2026, and now is the time to get involved.
🔥 League of Fire Amateur Hot Pepper Eating Contest
Step up and see how far you can go in our amateur pepper eating competition. This contest gives brave members of the public a chance to test their limits and be part of the action.
Amateur Pepper Eating Entry Form🌮 Taco Takedown Hot Taco Eating Contest
A fiery taco-eating showdown built for brave competitors, big appetites, and a crowd that loves a spicy food challenge.
Taco Takedown Entry Form🍗 Champions of Fire Hot Wing Eating Contest
Wings, heat, speed, and bragging rights. This contest is built to bring serious crowd energy and plenty of spicy action.
Champions of Fire Entry Form🍹 Bloody Mary Hot Shots Contest
A progressive spicy Bloody Mary challenge where each round gets hotter and hotter until only the strongest remain.
Bloody Mary Hot Shots Entry Form🔥 League of Fire Professional Pepper Eating Belt Match
We are bringing serious international-level heat to Terre Haute with elite pepper-eating competitors and a professional League of Fire competition.
🍲 Cajun Cook-Off Supporting CODA
We are bringing Cajun flavor to the festival while helping raise money for CODA — Council On Domestic Abuse. Our 2026 goal is to raise $10,000 for CODA through festival-related fundraising efforts.
Cajun Cook-Off Entry FormCAPS Awards
The CAPS Awards will recognize sauce makers and salsa makers for flavor, heat experience, label design, and overall excellence. This is where craft sauce makers get judged, recognized, and celebrated.
Sauce makers and salsa makers — this is your chance to put your product in front of judges, festival attendees, and the spicy food community.
CAPS Awards recognizes:
🏆 Best Overall Flavor
🔥 Best Overall Heat Experience
🎨 Best Label Design
⭐ Best in Show
🌶️ Category excellence in heat levels and sauce styles
Vendors Wanted
We are now accepting vendor applications for the 2026 festival. We are looking for hot sauce vendors, pepper growers, vegetable vendors, food vendors, food trucks, craft vendors, specialty product vendors, Jeep and off-road vendors, automotive vendors, local businesses, and community organizations.
🌶️ Sauce Vendors
Hot sauce makers, spicy food brands, seasoning makers, and sauce companies.
Sauce Vendor Application🍔 Food Vendors
Food trucks, restaurants, caterers, and food creators ready to feed the crowd.
Food Vendor Application🎨 Craft Vendors
Artists, makers, handmade goods, festival merchandise, and creative vendors.
Craft Vendor Application🛍️ Specialty Vendors
Unique specialty products, local brands, services, and businesses that fit the festival.
Specialty Vendor Application🌶️ Pepper / Vegetable Vendors
Pepper growers, produce vendors, vegetable growers, and farm-market sellers.
Pepper / Vegetable Application🚙 Jeep Vendors
Jeep, off-road, detailing, parts, accessories, automotive, and outdoor-lifestyle vendors.
Jeep Vendor ApplicationJeep Show with Vendors
We are adding a dedicated Jeep Show and vendor area to the festival for 2026. Jeep owners, off-road enthusiasts, custom-build fans, automotive vendors, parts suppliers, detailers, accessory companies, and local businesses will have a place to show off, connect, and be part of the action.
Expect custom Jeeps, off-road builds, vendor booths, automotive products, local businesses, and a fun community atmosphere built right into the festival.
DJ & Live Music
We are bringing music and energy to the festival with DJ entertainment and live music throughout the event. From stage energy between contests to live performances that keep the crowd engaged, the festival will have music, entertainment, and atmosphere built into the full-day experience.
Sponsors & Local Businesses
We are currently building sponsorships for 2026. This is a great opportunity for businesses to get in front of families, food lovers, festivalgoers, sauce makers, pepper growers, Jeep owners, automotive enthusiasts, music fans, and the broader Wabash Valley community.
Whether you want major brand exposure, contest sponsorship, vendor presence, community recognition, or a way to support a growing local event, we would love to talk with you.
Support CODA
A major part of this festival is giving back. We are proud to support CODA — Council On Domestic Abuse, an organization doing important work in our community.
Our 2026 Goal: $10,000 for CODA
Help us raise money for CODA through festival-related fundraising efforts and community support.
Donate to Coins for CODAFollow Us & Get Involved
Mark Your Calendar
Saturday, September 19, 2026 • 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM • The Meadows Shopping Center • Terre Haute, Indiana
Bring your friends. Bring your family. Bring your appetite. Bring your courage. The Wabash Valley Pepper Fest & Hot Sauce Expo is coming back hotter, bigger, and better than ever.