Wabash Valley Pepper Fest & Hot Sauce Expo
A full-day festival packed with spicy food, hot sauce, pepper growers, food vendors, craft & specialty vendors, live entertainment, DJ music, live music, community fundraising, eating competitions, CAPS Awards, a Jeep Show with vendors, and family-friendly fun.
What to Expect
More than a hot sauce festival — 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 & Entry Forms
Think you can handle the heat? Six contests, every heat level, multiple ways to make your mark. Entries are open — and bragging rights are waiting.
🔥 League of Fire — Professional Pepper Eating Belt Match
International-level heat comes to Terre Haute. Elite pepper-eating competitors face off in a professional League of Fire competition on our main stage. The headliner of the day — and the moment everyone will be talking about.
🔥 League of Fire — Amateur Hot Pepper Eating Contest
A brave-public pepper eating competition. Step up, test your limits, and be part of the action at one of the festival's most crowd-energizing contests.
Amateur Entry Form →🌮 Taco Takedown — Hot Taco Eating Contest
A fiery taco-eating showdown for brave competitors with big appetites and a crowd that loves a spicy food challenge.
Taco Takedown Entry →🍗 Champions of Fire — Hot Wing Eating Contest
Wings, heat, speed, and bragging rights. Serious crowd energy and plenty of spicy action — this contest brings the house down.
Champions of Fire Entry →🍹 Bloody Mary Hot Shots Contest
A progressive spicy Bloody Mary challenge — each round gets hotter and hotter until only the strongest competitors remain.
Hot Shots Entry →🍲 Cajun Cook-Off — Supporting CODA
Cajun flavor meets festival energy — and every entry helps raise money for CODA, Council On Domestic Abuse. Our 2026 goal is $10,000.
Cajun Cook-Off Entry →One unforgettable day in the Wabash Valley.
CAPS Awards
The CAPS Awards 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 in front of festival attendees and the spicy food community.
Sauce makers and salsa makers — this is your chance to compete and get noticed.
CAPS Awards Recognizes
Vendors Wanted
Accepting vendor applications for 2026. Hot sauce makers, pepper growers, food trucks, craft vendors, specialty products, Jeep & automotive vendors, local businesses, and community organizations — all welcome.
🌶️ Sauce Vendors
Hot sauce makers, spicy food brands, seasoning makers, and sauce companies ready to share their product.
Apply Now →🍔 Food Vendors
Food trucks, restaurants, caterers, and food creators ready to feed a fired-up crowd all day long.
Apply Now →🎨 Craft Vendors
Artists, makers, handmade goods, festival merchandise, and creative vendors of all kinds.
Apply Now →🛍️ Specialty Vendors
Unique specialty products, local brands, services, and businesses that fit the festival vibe.
Apply Now →🌶️ Pepper & Vegetable Vendors
Pepper growers, produce vendors, vegetable growers, and farm-market sellers of all sizes.
Apply Now →🚙 Jeep & Auto Vendors
Jeep, off-road, detailing, parts, accessories, automotive, and outdoor-lifestyle vendors.
Apply Now →Jeep Show with Vendors
A dedicated Jeep Show and vendor area joins the festival for 2026. Jeep owners, off-road enthusiasts, custom-build fans, automotive vendors, parts suppliers, detailers, accessory companies, and local businesses all have a place to show off, connect, and be part of the action.
Expect custom Jeeps, off-road builds, vendor booths, automotive products, and a fun community atmosphere woven right into the festival experience.
DJ & Live Music
Music and energy from open to close — DJ entertainment and live music are woven throughout the entire event. From stage energy between contest rounds to live performances that keep the crowd engaged, the atmosphere will be pumping all day long.
Sponsors & Local Businesses
We are building sponsorships for 2026. A premier opportunity for businesses to connect with 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, a contest sponsorship, vendor presence, or a way to support a growing local event — we want to talk.
Support CODA
Giving back is at the core of this festival. We are proud to support CODA — Council On Domestic Abuse — an organization doing vital work in our community.
Help us reach our goal for CODA through festival-related fundraising, community donations, and the Coins for CODA campaign.
💜 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.