The I Like It Hot! Festival is returning for its 26th edition on September 12 and 13, 2026, at England Brothers Park, 5010 Dave McKay Way in Pinellas Park. Per the organizer's Instagram, it is Florida's longest-running hot sauce festival. Hours run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, with no charge for admission or parking.
This year's edition moves to England Brothers Park, which the announcement identifies as a new venue for the event. The outdoor public park setting accommodates the two-day format's mix of a vendor marketplace and a full slate of competitive programming.
The vendor floor will feature hot sauces, seasonings, and salsas. Competitions across the weekend include wing-eating and pepper-eating contests, a barbecue competition, and a salsa showdown. The Lolli Lick-A-Thon — a recurring fixture described by the organizer as a Scoville endurance test on what is billed as the world's hottest lollipop — is confirmed on the schedule. Organizers describe the overall setup as family- and pet-friendly.
No vendor count or competitor list has been published ahead of the September dates, and the announcement does not name a promoter or producing organization. The organizer's Instagram post is the current source of record; a full lineup is expected in the weeks leading up to the event.
Free admission over two full days at a public park places the festival outside the ticketed specialty food event model and removes parking as a cost variable — a combination that typically broadens the walk-up audience. For a festival in its 26th year, the sustained run is the organizer's primary marketing claim, and it is foregrounded in the current announcement accordingly.
The move to England Brothers Park is the defining operational change for the 2026 edition. Watch for the vendor and competitor roster from the organizer in the weeks ahead of September 12.
