The calendar
Where the pots are.
The big championships, the qualifiers and the festivals for the season, from every sanctioning body. Each one links to its organizer. Dates marked unconfirmed come from last year's pattern.
November 2026
November 3, 2026 to November 7, 2026
59th CASI Terlingua International Chili ChampionshipTerlingua, TX. Five days of open contests at Rancho CASI de los Chisos end with Saturday's championship, open only to cooks who qualified on CASI points.
CASI · championship
November 4, 2026 to November 7, 2026
59th Original Terlingua International Championship Chili Cook-OffTerlingua, TX. The Frank X. Tolbert and Wick Fowler memorial cook-off, known as Behind the Store, raises money for the ALS Association.
Tolbert · championship
December 2026
December 12, 2026
CASI Florida State Chili ChampionshipHomosassa, FL. Listed by CASI under a new date at Nature's Resort as an automatic qualifier for the 2027 Terlingua championship.
CASI · qualifier
January 2027
January 9, 2027
43rd Tri State OpenAmarillo, TX. Cooked indoors at the Tri State Fairgrounds; the top three chilis and the first-place showmanship team qualify for Terlingua 2027.
CASI · qualifier
January 16, 2027
CASI Louisiana State CookoffShreveport, LA. Louisiana's CASI state cook-off, listed as an automatic qualifier for Terlingua 2027.
CASI · qualifier
February 2027
February 25, 2027
National Chili DayNationwide, US. An informal food holiday observed on the fourth Thursday of February; it is not a proclaimed federal day.
Observance · observance
October 2027
October 2, 2027 to October 3, 2027
3rd Annual Redneck Riviera Chili Cook-offPort Aransas, TX. Two days of CASI cooking at Pioneer RV Beach Resort; the 2026 edition gave $1,500 to the Port Aransas Animal Shelter.
CASI · qualifier
October 22, 2027 to October 24, 2027
CzhilispielFlatonia, TX. A Czech and German heritage festival started in 1973 with a chili contest at its heart; 2026's ran 23 to 25 October.
Independent · festival · unconfirmed
Date to be announced
April 2027, dates not yet announced (the 2026 festival was 10 to 11 April)
Chilifest Music FestivalSnook, TX. A large Texas country music festival built around a chili cook-off; the 2020 edition was cancelled.
Independent · festival · unconfirmed
Spring 2027, date not yet announced (the 2026 edition was Saturday 18 April)
CASI Texas Ladies State Chili ChampionshipSeguin, TX. A women-only state championship at Max Starcke Park that needs hundreds of volunteer judges.
CASI · championship · unconfirmed
September 2027, date not yet announced (the 2026 edition was Saturday 12 September)
Wisconsin State Chili Cook-OffGreen Lake, WI. Billed as Wisconsin's only sanctioned chili cook-off; state champions advance to the International Chili Society World Championship.
ICS · qualifier · unconfirmed
September 2027, date not yet announced (the 2026 championships were Saturday 26 September)
CASI New Mexico Men's and Ladies State ChampionshipsHobbs, NM. Paired men's and ladies' state championships, held on the same day and reported in CASI's November 2026 newsletter.
CASI · qualifier · unconfirmed
Fall 2027; date and host city not yet announced
ICS World Championship Chili Cook-OffTo be announced. The ICS held its 58th championship at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis on 16 to 19 October 2025, and the World Food Championships returned there on 15 to 18 October 2026.
ICS · championship · unconfirmed
October 2027, date not yet announced (the 2026 edition was Saturday 17 October)
CASI Arkansas State Chili Championship (Chili in the Grove)Prairie Grove, AR. Arkansas's state championship, which sends its winner and the top three Arkansas residents to Terlingua.
CASI · qualifier · unconfirmed
First Saturday of November (6 November 2027), with open contests from the Tuesday before
60th CASI Terlingua International Chili ChampionshipTerlingua, TX. CASI holds its championship every year on the first Saturday of November; its newsletter already looks ahead to TICC #60.
CASI · championship · unconfirmed
First weekend of November (championship Saturday 6 November 2027)
60th Original Terlingua International Championship Chili Cook-OffTerlingua, TX. The Tolbert and Fowler cook-off is held on the first Saturday in November and the days leading up to it.
Tolbert · championship · unconfirmed
Sources
- CASI, 2026 TICC Home Page
- Original Terlingua International Championship Chili Cook Off, home page
- Original Terlingua, "The Brief History of The Original Terlingua International Championship Chili Cook-Off"
- CASI, Terlingua Trails, November 2026 (Vol. 39, Issue 11)
- National Today, "National Chili Day"
- National Day Calendar, 26 February 2026 daily digest (National Chili Day)
- Chilifest Music Festival, 2026 home page
- Seguin Main Street community calendar, "CASI Texas Ladies State Chili Championship Cook-off" (18 April 2026)
- Green Lake Area Chamber, "Wisconsin State Chili Cook-Off" (12 September 2026)
- International Chili Society, home page
- International Chili Society, "Updated 2025 World Championship Chili Cook-off Official Schedule Posted"
- World Food Championships, home page (WFC 2026)
- Czhilispiel, official site
- Original Terlingua International Championship Chili Cook Off, "History"