A cast of what seems like thousands has been busy preparing for the 41st annual Mexican National Chili Cookoff, set for Friday, February 15 through Sunday, February 17 at the Tobolandia Water Park, located on the Chapala-Ajijic highway just west of the Libramiento intersection.
Gates open daily, 11 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., with ample on-site parking.
Entry costs 70 pesos (teens and children free with an adult ticket) and you’ll find more than 80 vendors selling a vast range of merchandise, plenty of great food and drink, top entertainment and local chili chefs, salsa gourmets and margarita cocktail mixologists “chili-vying” for cash prizes.
On Saturday, February 16, the colorful Chili Cookoff parade will wind its way from the Ajijic Malecon, along the highway to the Tobolandia fairground, arriving at noon.
The “Big Stage” will be alive with non-stop local entertainment throughout the Cookoff. Expect to see ballet folklorico and other dance groups, and a full range of music options, including Mexican, rock, acoustic, latin, jazz and just plain great dance tunes.
Raffle drawings for many fantastic prizes take place hourly.
The giant three-day happening is a charity fund-raiser encompassing four separate culinary contests. Friday features margarita mixing and salsa competitions, with samples ready for tasting at 12:30 p.m. above the stage area. The all-American comfort food chili-con-carne will be on the table Saturday and Sunday, same time, same place.
Daily champions will be selected by a panel of judges, with cash prizes for first, second and third place. A People’s Choice trophy goes to the entry gaining the most votes from the public, who can acquire taster kits. Winners are feted on stage at 4 p.m. each day.
The outer ring is set up as a sprawling marketplace where dozens of vendors entice shoppers with a vast array of arts and crafts, clothing, jewelry, household goods and professional services.
Apart from all the fun, the Chili Cookoff has a greater purpose.
It is lakeside’s oldest and largest benefit for well-established lakeside area charitable causes, with a record of generating hundreds of thousands of pesos through its four-decade history.