Another year, another rendition of this spicy festival.

This year’s Pinellas Pepper Fest takes place on Saturday-Sunday, April 1-2 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. It’s free to attend and both child and pet-friendly.

Once again, Pinellas Park’s England Brothers Park—located at 5010 81st Ave. N—will host this massive foodie fest.

In addition to a variety of local vendors slinging hot sauces, jams, seasonings and rubs, food trucks and other small businesses will also dish out their best (and spiciest) eats.
Local bands 727band, Tommy & Mimi, Infinity Tilt and The Band Grounded will take over the England Brothers Park bandshell while the festival’s guests enjoy a wide spread of eats, family-friendly activities, eating contests and local vendors.

An organizer from Pinellas Pepper Fest told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that there will be over 30 food options at next month’s event. Although a full list of food offerings has yet to be released, guests will be able to enjoy a variety of sandwiches, barbecue, kettle corn, seafood, jerky and desserts.

And like in previous years, two of the festival’s main events include a jalapeño eating contest on Saturday and an extreme lollipop lick-a-thon on Sunday, where only the highest spice tolerances will prevail. Champions will receive bragging rights and a giant pepper-adorned trophy.

For the latest information on 2023’s Pinellas Pepper Fest, head to pinellaspepperfest.com or its Facebook page.