The Herb and Chilli Festival

Head to the beautiful Yarra Valley in March for the hottest weekend of the year!

Get ready to turn up the heat and experience a celebration of all things hot.

Taste flavoursome dishes from around the world, compete in exciting chilli competitions, watch sizzling cooking demonstrations, groove to amazing musical entertainment, and much more. It’s a feast for your senses that you don’t want to miss!

Book online, and you’ll receive a complimentary official Herb & Chilli Festival hat upon arrival. Heat up your life and join us for our 14th Herb & Chilli Festival!

Ignite your taste buds at The Herb & Chilli Festival 2026! Explore over 80 stalls offering a wide range of spicy chilli and other great products. Sample tongue-tingling sauces, rubs, and marinades, and discover tantalizing drinks that will add an extra kick to your palate.

They sell delicious international dishes from Mexico, Turkey, India, South America, Europe, and more! Try mouth-watering chilli, Cambodian BBQ, hand-made ice cream, the freshest local berries, exotic cakes, and plenty more. We’ll serve real ales, chilli beer, fine local wines, specialty wines, superb juices, and fantastic coffee to wash it down. If you can’t find a food you like, you’re not looking hard enough!

Engage in one of our five exhilarating competitions, including Captain Chilli, Stinger Wing Challenge and Shot ‘n’ Holler. Witness live cooking demos and learn new recipes to elevate your culinary skills. Delight in a variety of delectable dishes from our mouthwatering vendors, and refresh yourself with locally crafted beverages.

They want each visitor to feel they’ve received excellent value for money and to have a great day learning about herbs and chillies, collecting plants, clothes and food products, and simply enjoying good food, wine and entertainment in a relaxed country atmosphere. We’re keen to ensure the event’s longevity and aim to make the Herb and Chilli Festival the best in the country.

Since 2012, the festival has grown to become one of Melbourne’s not-to-be-missed food and wine events. Every year, thousands descend on Wandin in the picturesque Yarra Valley, Victoria, to sample and learn about the many herb and chilli varieties and how to use them. Many return year after year to enjoy the exceptional cuisine, music and entertainment.

Beer Garden

A wide open space with plenty of seating to kick back and enjoy a range of drinks by our amazing vendors. These include local beers on tap, local packaged beer, Yarra Valley wines and gin, exotic vodkas, alcoholic slushies and sugar cane, plus a range of unusual beers from around the world. Even an alcoholic Honey that tastes like a Tequila! Several varieties of Chilli Beer are a must-try – choose your favourite and take some home!

Featuring low key live music covering contemporary songs.

Eating Comps

The competitions throughout the festival are open to anyone over 18 ( except the Kids Corn Challenge, which is 10 to 16 with a parent/guardian). Contestants must register at the drinks/information stand. This can be done at any time, from opening to just prior to the start of the relevant competition. There is a limit of ten contestants per event.

Captain Chilli has three heats (two on Saturday and one on Sunday), and the final is on Sunday afternoon. The final three in each heat will go through to the final – free entry on Sunday for Saturday winners. Each heat (and final) involves eating raw hot chillis. The heat increases incrementally until we get to our hottest chilli. Then, we move on to chilli sauces and chilli oils in ever-increasing heat levels. In the last three standing (heats), the person standing (final) wins.

Shot n Holler requires contestants to mix a shot of tequila with a shot of super hot sauce and then ‘Holler.’ The audience will vote by applause for the best holler.

The Stinger wing-eating race is in the same style as the classic food races of the USA but with the addition of a numbing hot chilli sauce. Each contestant is given five or so chicken wings covered in hot sauce. The first to eat all the meat off the wings wins! The bones must be clean of chicken!

The Kids Corn Challenge was created in response to many young people wanting to participate in the event. It consists of a race to eat two corn cobs covered with sweet chilli sauce—sweet with just a little bite. The event is open to kids between 10 and 16 years old, and they must have a parent or guardian present.

Cooking Demos

Love great food? Want to learn more about using herbs and spices (including chilli) in your daily cooking? Want to zhoosh up your meal repertoire?

You can watch them whip up their favourite dishes right before you. No ‘prepared this earlier today’ dishes. These interactive sessions will set you down the path to impressing your friends and family with your new tasty and exotic meals!

KidZone

Our huge KidZone will keep the young ones entertained for hours.

An area for kids includes Pony rides, face painting, and jumping castles. All free.

Shopping

We have lots of Herb and Chilli merchandise and a handful of vendors selling clothing, cooking essentials and much more!

Food Court

There are over twenty stalls selling hot and cold food from a range of different national cuisines. Tables and chairs are provided for people to sit down and enjoy the day.

Plant Sales

Renaissance Herbs will be selling a wide variety of plants. Many common herbs plus the largest range of chilli plants are available in one spot. All the super hots plus lots of milder but better-tasting forms—all grown just for the Herb and Chilli Festival.

Chilli Cook Off

Do you think you’ve got a chilli recipe to show off to your friends?

We have twelve teams (six each day) all ready to show you what they can do. At least one inter-family challenge is fighting for bragging rights.

Come and taste and vote to see if you like the same ones as the judges.

Families are welcome; children under 14 can enter for free with any paying adult. Travel to the festival hassle-free with our convenient Chilli Express shuttle bus service, available from Lilydale train station. It’s time to unleash your inner spice lover and experience the year’s hottest festival in the stunning Yarra Valley!

PLEASE NOTE: Online bookings close at 10 a.m. each day. Tickets can still be purchased at the gate until 3:30 p.m.