Welcome to the 40th Anniversary of CHILLIFEST 2025
The 2025 Taylorville Chillifest, held on Saturday, October 4th, and Sunday, October 5th, was an overwhelming triumph.
The festival was a vibrant showcase of community spirit and culinary passion. Attendance was high, reflecting the success highlighted across local marketing & social media.
Sponsorship: The event received incredible backing, notably from Sparklight, which served as the prominent Ghost pepper sponsor, helping to make this year's festival memorable. Be sure to explore ALL of our sponsors on the Chillifest page.
Chili and Cookoffs: Chili enthusiasts flocked to the popular Chili Tent sponsored by Illinois Beef, which served as a central hub for tasting and discussion. The annual Chilli cookoffs were spirited and highly competitive, featuring top-notch contestants whose culinary creations drew rave reviews and made for an exciting cookoff weekend.
Commerce: The economic impact was highly positive. The vendor market was described as exceptionally bustling, with vendors reporting excellent sales throughout the weekend. Furthermore, the shops on the square fared wonderfully, seeing significant foot traffic and increased business, making the festival a huge win for local merchants and supporting the mission of The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce.
Pageants: The weekend's community focus culminated with the much-loved Chilli Pepper Pageant. Posts from the pageant's social media celebrated the high level of participation and the glamour of the event, showcasing the talent and enthusiasm of all contestants and adding a sparkle to the weekend's festivities.
The 2025 Chillifest successfully blended thrilling competition, strong local commerce, and vibrant community engagement, earning it praise as one of the best years of the festival yet.
There is so much fun to be found everywhere at Chillifest...so come on and Chillifest with us!!!
To stay up to date on all things CHILLIfest, like & follow our Taylorville CHILLIFEST Facebook Page
To stay informed on the Chilli Pepper Pageant and Royalty, like & follow our Taylorville Chilli Pepper Pageants Facebook Page and the pageant page, right here on the website
To become a CHILLIfest Vendor and for all information on the CHILLIfest Vendor Market, join the Taylorville Chillifest Vendors Facebook Group the vendor page, right here on the website.
To enter to compete in the ICS Sanctioned cook offs register as an ICS Member and choose the cook off/s you want to enter. Check back here for more information on the Chili Cook Off page.
