15th Annual Charlotte Harbor Chili, Beer, & Music Festival
Presented by The Florida Outdoor Education Foundation & Big Star Special Event Services
The aroma of freshly cooked Chili will fill the air in downtown Punta Gorda on January 31st, 2026!
That’s when the Chili, Beer, & Music Festival comes to Laishley Park in Punta Gorda.
Up to 15 Chili Teams will set up their booths in Laishley Park in an effort to persuade the judges and the general public that their Chili is King!
The teams may consist of friends, family, service organizations, clubs, non-profits, businesses, or just about anyone who has the desire to make great Chili.
Download Chili Team registration forms online at www.puntagordachilifest.com
Chili will be the focus of the day and it will be scored by a panel of judges that will taste test samples from each of the teams.
Judges will score Chili samples on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
There will also be an Award for People’s Choice – Best overall Chili. Each attendee will receive a voting token when they enter through the main gate.
Collect as many of those voting tokens from people visiting your booth as you can! The Team with the most tokens wins the coveted People’s Choice Award!
People’s Choice Tokens will be collected at 5pm with the winner announced at the Award Ceremony at 5:30pm on the main stage.
If you are interested in competing in the Chili cook-off, an entry form is available on the website.
What goes better with Chili than an ice cold beer? At the festival, thirsty attendees will have an opportunity to sample different beers from small breweries not always readily available in our area. The Beer Tasting Pavilion will now feature 30+ different craft beers from Micro-Breweries around the country to satisfy your thirst.
Specialty beers will be available by samples or by the bottle.
In addition to the Chili & Beer, a Full Bar will be available.
Merchandise vendors will be on hand as well as other food vendors when you’re ready to take a break from Chili.
Gates open at 11:00am
Chili & Beer Samples available
Live music begins at Noon- DEB & the DYNAMICS
Followed by SW Florida Favorites- MIKE IMBASCIANI & his BLUEZ ROCKERZ
Closing the ChiliFest by popular demand- The EVAN TAYLOR JONES BAND
Limited VIP Tables are available online now at www.PuntaGordaChilifest.com
General Admission is $5.00 and available the day of the event at the front gate- (cash or card accepted)