2021 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival – Review: The 31st Annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival – FAQs – Food

By Betty Freeman Last updated Oct 30, 2021

[ad_1]

Scenes from the 2019 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival at Fiesta Gardens (Photo by John Anderson)

frequently asked Questions

Are there parking spaces on site?

On-site parking with 150 spaces is available in the Far Out Lounge at 8504 S. Congress Ave. If possible, please take public transport, form car pools, park remotely, arrange a ride, a ride or ride your bike! You can view the city’s trail directory at austintexas.gov/page/trail-directory.

We recommend taking Bus 801 or Bus 10 from Capital Metro to get to the festival, which runs every 15 minutes and departs near the festival. If you want to park in the neighborhood of the festival, please pay attention to the driveways and parking signs of the residents.

What COVID precautions are you taking?

It is very important to The Austin Chronicle that the Hot Sauce Festival take the proper precautions to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance. We will limit the number of participants in order to reduce the rush. All tastings, vendors, and live music performances take place outdoors. All guests must practice social distancing and respect other guests.

All guests must wear a mask when not eating, drinking or social distancing outside. All participants are asked to answer a health questionnaire (query about symptoms and previous contact with infected people).

In addition, all salespeople, Chronicle staff, and bar staff will wear masks and practice social distancing whenever possible.

Hand disinfectants are available at the entrance and on the entire festival site. Soap and hot water are available in the bathrooms for frequent hand washing.

All employees wear masks / face protection. In addition, employees regularly wash their hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.

We also strongly encourage our guests to follow Travis County’s Level 5 COVID guidelines.

Fully vaccinated people should:

• Consider avoiding large gatherings if the underlying conditions put you at high risk.

• Encourage unvaccinated friends and family to get vaccinated.

Partially or unvaccinated people should:

• Get a full vaccination.

• Stay home and avoid gatherings.

Your health and safety are our top priority and we do everything we can to protect you during your visit. By attending this event, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.

Not part of it, but still want to help end hunger in Central Texas? Please consider making a direct donation to the Central Texas Food Bank.

How much does the entry cost?

Presale tickets are $ 10, with $ 5 of each ticket going to the Central Texas Food Bank. Tickets can be purchased at austinchronicle.com/hot-sauce. Box office tickets cost $ 15.

Can I bring water, snacks and my cool box with me?

Bottled water available for purchase. No cool boxes and no outside food or drinks are allowed.

Are dogs allowed?

We love dogs! But unfortunately dogs are not allowed on the festival site.

Are children allowed?

Yes this is a family friendly event but please be aware that it is very hot and plan accordingly. We recommend that unvaccinated children and children under the age of 12 stay at home.

How is the situation in the bathroom?

ADA accessible bathroom and outdoor portable toilets available.

Do you accept credit cards?

Some providers accept credit cards, and we also accept credit cards at the door and at the Chronicle merchandise booth.

When will the winners be announced?

September 12th around 8pm at the festival, and then live on our website. Don’t hesitate to post about your winnings and use #HotSauceFest.

How does the competition work?

At the heart of the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is the competition itself. The blind tasting competition for restaurants and commercial bottlers is run by food writers, restaurant professionals, and hot sauce freaks. They take hot sauce seriously, and so do most of the people who walk in.

The competition has two competition classes: restaurant and commercial bottlers. This gives us a good chance of spotting salsas made fresh daily in restaurants, those for the shelves of grocery stores and independent bottlers. The categories in each class are red, green, pepper, and special variety and are designed to leave enough room for a variety of styles. In the past, sauces included fruit salsas, dried pepper salsas, and even a purple sauce.

On the grounds of the Far Out Lounge, commercial hot sauces are available for the public to taste and vote for “People’s Choice”. The voting takes place on tablets at the merch booth. One vote per person for each bottler category (red, green, specialty and pepper).

[ad_2]