ChiliFest - WV State Chili Championship

Chief Judge Joe Harter
Head Scorekeeper Tana Harter

Event time - 11am-6pm

Chili Sampling - noon - 4pm

This fundraising event for The Ronald McDonald House of Huntington brings chili cooks from across the East Coast and the Midwest to compete in traditional red chili, chili verde, and homestyle chili. We also encourage local groups and organization to participate in the People’s Choice category, awarded to the group that raises the most money for the Ronald McDonald House via chili sample ticket sales. We look forward to seeing our cooking teams, friends, and family come together for another year of chili, music, and community!

There is no admission fee. Chili samples tickets are $1.00 each benefiting the Ronald McDonald House.  There is a Toyota RAV4 being raffled off and given away at ChiliFest.  Beverage tent with softdrinks and beer sold; vendors for food; live entertainment on stage; Kids Corner event sponsored by Marshall Health is free for kids; Games on stage with Hot Pepper Eating Contest, Beer Drinking Contest, Shoot n' Holler Contest.  Fun throughout the day.

You must be an ICS Member to compete. Entry fees are separate per category (i.e. Red, Homestyle, Verde, etc.) and will be collected independently by the Cook-off Organizer. Please contact the organizer (info at top) for more information.

•  20x20 foot tents provided 

• Cooks must bring their own chairs and supplies - 2 tables provided

• All cooking teams should plan to arrive starting at 8:00 am, Saturday to set up. You will need to enter the cookoff area at 3rd Avenue by way of 8th Street and come to the Registration/Judging Tent to register. Please unload your equipment after registration and move your vehicle outside the cookoff area to one of the parking garages or other nearby lots. Vehicles should be out of the cookoff area no later than 9:30 am. A reminder that any vehicle parked in the Pullman Square street area is subject to towing.

Go to www.chilifestwv.com for hotel information, registration and set-up instructions.

YOUTH COOKS

Email or call organizer to register a youth for this event.

Youth Division Homestyle:

Must be between the ages of 6 to 17 years of age. This is the youths’ time to shine and make their own cooking decisions. Youth cooks must prepare their chili with adult supervision, but not adult participation. Adults cannot taste the youth’s chili, but may have other youth ages 17 and under taste their chili.

1st Place: $100 cash and representation of West Virginia at the 2026 ICS World’s Chili Championship

ALL CONTESTANTS must prepare TWO gallons of People’s Choice chili (PC).

Please note that the # of gallons of PC is per cook, not per category.   

Ronald McDonald House charities of Huntington Ronald McDonald House of Huntington