NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival

08/27/2026

The 20th Annual North Carolina Hot Sauce Contest & Festival is almost two weeks away!

Spice up your Thursday with a blast from the past. Add these songs to your playlist to get prepared for the festival! 🔥🎶

08/20/2026

Festival day essentials: phone ✔️, sunglasses ✔️, sunscreen ✔️, water ✔️ and, of course… your official NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival merch!

Get ready for the 20th Annual North Carolina Hot Sauce Contest & Festival before festival day arrives. Official festival merchandise is available for presale now through Winks Design Studio, including apparel, hats, bags and more.

Shopping early means one less thing to worry about when you get downtown, just grab your hot sauce, enjoy the festival and have some fun!

Shop online at NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival Merch or visit Winks Design Studio at 100 Main Street, Oxford, NC 27565.

Tell us in the comments what’s the one thing you NEVER forget to pack for festival day?

NCHotSauceFestival

08/20/2026

NEW THIS YEAR: THE ONE WING CHALLENGE! 🔥🌶️🆕

We’re celebrating 20 YEARS of bringing the heat, and this year we’re turning it up another notch!

For the FIRST TIME at the NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival, we’re introducing the ONE WING CHALLENGE! 🍗🔥

Think you can handle the heat? It’s ONE wing. ONE challenge. Serious bragging rights.

And we’ve brought in an incredible culinary team to host the challenge:

👨‍🍳 Chef Marc Cavanaugh — Executive Chef, Verdigris Restaurant
👨‍🍳 Chef Kyle Wilkerson — Program Head & Instructor, Vance-Granville Community College
👨‍🍳 Chef John Boretti — American Culinary Federation

They’re bringing the culinary expertise.
We’re bringing the HEAT. 🌶️🔥
You just have to bring the courage.

📅 Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 3pm
📍 Bailey Farms, Inc. Stage at 3pm
🌶️ 20th Annual NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival

So… ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE? 👀🔥

Tag the friend who claims they can handle ANYTHING spicy. We’ll see if they’re still saying that after one wing! 😂🌶️

08/20/2026

We’re turning up the volume at the 20th Annual NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival with TWO DAYS of live music in Downtown Oxford! 🌶️🎸

Whether you’re ready to dance, sing along, or just kick back with some great music while enjoying all the festival has to offer, we’ve got an awesome lineup waiting for you!

🌶️ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
🎤 5:30–7:30 PM | Elijah Harris
Start your festival weekend with live music from Elijah Harris!

🎉 8:00–10:00 PM | Bounce - Party Band
Friday night is about to become one BIG party! Stick around after the festival activities and get ready to dance the night away with BOUNCE! Party Band.

🔥 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
🎸 10:30 AM–12:30 PM | The Band Next Door

🎤 2:00–3:30 PM | Miss Mini and the Sunshine Band

🤘 4:00–6:00 PM | Bryan's Hill Band

From Friday evening through Saturday afternoon, Downtown Oxford will be filled with live music, hot sauce, food, vendors, contests, shopping and plenty of festival fun!

📅 September 11–12, 2026
📍 Downtown Oxford, NC

🌶️ Grab your friends, bring your dancing shoes, and come help us TURN UP THE HEAT! 🔥🎶

08/19/2026

Choose your festival fit by picking one from each row and tell us your combination in the comments. Are you going A + 2 + @… or building a totally different Hot Sauce Festival look?

The good news is that you don’t have to wait until festival day to get it. Official 20th Annual NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival merchandise is available for presale now!!!
Shop ahead at NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival Merch or stop by 100 Main Street, Oxford, NC 27565 to grab your festival favorites.

Drop your picks in the comments below!

08/19/2026

🌶️🔥 THE HEAT IS COMING TO DOWNTOWN OXFORD! 🔥🌶️

Get ready for TWO DAYS of food, music, peppers, family fun, and plenty of HEAT at the 20th Annual NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival!

📅 September 11–12, 2026
📍 Downtown Oxford, NC
🎟️ FREE ADMISSION!

🔥 FRIDAY | 5 PM–10 PM
Kick off the weekend with Hot Sauce & BBQ vendors, food trucks, the Cruz-In, Glow-in-the-Dark Putt Putt, a Laser Light Show, and live music!

🎶 Friday Live Music:
• Elijah Harris | 5:30–7:30 PM
• BOUNCE! Party Band | 8–10 PM

🌶️ SATURDAY | 10 AM–6 PM
Come back Saturday for a FULL day of festival fun featuring Hot Sauce & BBQ vendors, the Farmers Market, Kid Zones & Rides, community acts, live music, and some seriously spicy competitions!

🔥 Bailey Farms Pepper Eating Contest | 1 PM
🍗 One Wing Challenge | 3 PM

🎶 Saturday Live Music:
• The Band Next Door | 10:30 AM–12:30 PM
• Miss Mini and the Sandman Band | 2–3:30 PM
• Bryan’s Hill Band | 4–6 PM

Whether you're coming for the hot sauce, the music, the food, the competitions, or just a great weekend with the family, Downtown Oxford is the place to be!

🚗 Parking & shuttles available
🎟️ FREE admission
🌶️ Bring your appetite — and your tolerance for HEAT!

20 YEARS of turning up the heat in Downtown Oxford! 🔥

08/18/2026

Start your Saturday at the Oxford Armory Farmers Market in Old Warehouse Square, where you can shop fresh, local produce and support area farmers and vendors before turning up the heat at the 20th Annual NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival! 🔥

📅 Saturday, September 12th
🥕 Shop fresh & local at the Farmers Market
🌶️ Then head into Downtown Oxford for the NC Hot Sauce Festival
🎶 Enjoy live entertainment, vendors, food, contests & more!

Grab your produce bag, bring your appetite, and make a whole day of it in Downtown Oxford. Shop local, eat local, and then see if you can handle the heat! 🔥🌶️

08/18/2026

20th Annual Festival merchandise is AVAILABLE NOW! 🌶️
This year’s NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival is a big one, and you can start celebrating before festival day even arrives.

Shop the official 20th Annual collection now and pick out your favorite tees, hats, tanks, sweatshirts, accessories and more. Ordering ahead is the easiest way to skip the festival-day merchandise lines and make sure you get the styles and sizes you want.

Shop online through: https://winksdesignstudio.com/collections/nc-hot-sauce-contest-festival or visit Winks Design Studio at 100 Main Street, Oxford, NC 27565.
Twenty years of bringing the heat deserves some pretty great merch. 🔥

Shop Winks Design Studio's exclusive collection for The NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival Merch. Stylish apparel, durable drinkware, and unique accessories await!

08/11/2026

🔥 Don't forget! 🔥
Only one month left until a weekend filled with flavor and fire! Secure your stay for the NC Hot Sauce Contest and Festival! 🌶️