If your mouth waters just thinking about roasted green chiles, then check out these three Colorado festivals that revolve around none other than the infamous green chile itself!
From the mother of all green chile festivals in Pueblo, to two smaller chile fests in the Denver metro area, here are our picks for getting your roasted chile fix this September:Nick’s Chile Fest 2017
When: Sat., Sep. 9 | 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Where: Nick's Garden Center | 2001 S. Chambers Rd., Aurora Cost: FREE [gallery size="large" ids="22431,22428,22427"] Kick off the chile season with this fun festival at Nick's Garden Center, a favorite nursery and farmer's market among Aurora locals for 30 years. You'll actually be able to smell the chiles roasting from the parking lot! In addition to all the varieties of chiles (and other produce) you can purchase, the event features live Latin music, live cooking demonstrations, Mexican food served in the cafe, and instructions on how to peel, seed, and freeze your roasted peppers for use throughout the year. Plus, a green chile cooking contest will judge contestants and award cash prizes for the tastiest recipe! Spin the prize wheel to potentially win your peppers for free. This place is always hopping -- if you haven't been to Nick's before, you're in for a real treat! Their Facebook page has even more info.Brighton Chile Fest
When: Sat., Sep. 9 | 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. Where: LuLu's Farm | Hwy 85 and 144th Ave., Brighton Cost: FREE [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="22432,22434,22435,22433"]Chile & Frijoles Festival
When: Sep. 22–24 Where: Union Avenue Historic District | Pueblo Cost: $3 daily admission (kids 12 and under are FREE) [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="22440,22439,22441,22438"] Sponsored by Loaf 'n' Jug and the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado-famous Chile & Frijoles Festival in Pueblo celebrates the city's chile pepper harvest in an epic way! Rivaling only the Hatch Chile Festival in New Mexico, the popular event lures an average of 100,000 people annually with the promise of chiles and frijoles (pinto beans) along the streets of historic downtown Pueblo. A full-fledged three-day event, the Chile & Frijoles Fest features the tantalizing aroma of fire-roasted peppers, live music, cooking competitions, eating contests, arts and crafts, and as many chile peppers as your little heart could ever desire. Their website reports that local farmers sold $50,000 worth of peppers at last year's festival alone. Take it from me: if you're a green chile fanatic, this one is worth the pilgrimage to Pueblo. Learn more on their Facebook page!
Is your mouth watering yet? Will we see you at one of these chile festivals? Is there another chile festival we should know about? Weigh in below!
