Sydney Chilli Festival

Overview

Spring has sprung and the weather's only looking up from here on out. But if you fancy getting things moving a little faster, you can go ahead and spice up your life at this weekend's annual Sydney Chilli Festival.

Heating up Parramatta's Albion Hotel on Sunday, September 8, the fiery festivities are back for a second year, promising a day of spicy fun that'll raise much-needed funds for drought-affected farmers through Buy A Bale. Entry is by gold coin donation and you can also buy tickets for a raffle that'll be drawn throughout the day.

Taking over the pub and its outdoor carpark from 11am, you'll catch a huge array of market stalls slinging top Aussie chilli products, from barbecue rubs, to hot sauces, to chilli beer. Taste, browse and buy, and make sure you visit one of the event's cool-down pit-stops, like Underground Coffee, Mr Whippy and the bar. There'll also be live tunes and a program of food competitions, including the 2pm Chilli Chocolate Challenge. Careful, though — this one's so intense entrants will need to sign a death waiver.