The North Carolina Hot Sauce Contest & Festival

Get ready to ignite your taste buds and heat up the streets of downtown Oxford as the 2024 North Carolina Hot Sauce Contest & Festival returns for its highly anticipated two-day extravaganza on September 6-7. As the premier event in the region, the Hot Sauce Contest & Festival celebrates all things spicy and savory, showcasing the best fiery foods, BBQ sauces, hot sauces, and salsa that North Carolina has to offer. 

Kick off the weekend on Friday evening with live music by Gump Fiction, glow-in-the-dark putt-putt, and a variety of vendors offering tantalizing treats and merchandise. Saturday continues the sizzling fun with vendors lining the streets, providing a diverse array of culinary delights and unique products to explore. 

Families can enjoy the Fiery Fun Zone all day Saturday, featuring carnival rides, a rock-climbing wall, and inflatables for kids of all ages to enjoy. Meanwhile, live bands will keep the energy high throughout the day, creating the perfect atmosphere for a day of culinary exploration and entertainment. 

Try the sauces, learn recipes, try the peppers...dare to try the peppers. One of the festival's main attractions is the Hot Pepper Eating Contest, where brave contestants test their tolerance for heat in a fiery showdown sponsored by Bailey Farms, the largest hot pepper grower on the East Coast. Cheer on your favorites and witness the ultimate battle of spicy endurance.

It's a weekend of fun and food all set in historic downtown Oxford.  And the Hot Sauce Festival is just the beginning. The fall in Granville also means music and street food at the Creedmoor Music Festival on September 21, BBQ at the Masonic Homecoming Festival on October 12, and the Granville Haunt Farm all of October.  If it’s fall, it’s fun in Granville County.