Every year more than 30,000 raving chile fanatics converge on the tiny village of Hatch (increasing the population by nearly 28,000), the Chile Capital of the World, for this Labor Day weekend festival. 

2008 Festival will be August 30 and 31, Saturday and Sunday only.   Parade will be at 10:00 a.m. in town on Saturday the 30^th and all other activities will be held at the Chile Festival Grounds (which is also on the Hatch Airport grounds) about 1 mile west of Hatch on Hwy 26 toward Deming.

Events include a chile cook-off, chile roasting, a parade culminating with the coronation of a Chile Queen, chile pod competition, carnival rides and fiddling contests. Get there by 10 a.m. on Saturday or you'll miss out.  As for lodging, you might want to look into Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences, or Deming, NM,  for reservations as the village of Hatch only has 2 motels. 

More lodging outside of Hatch:  (* denotes the mileage to lodging from the Village of Hatch, N.M..)
Las Cruces, * 40 miles on I-25 south
Truth or Consequences, * 40 miles on I-25 north
Deming, * 40 miles on NM 26 west

More Info: Hatch Chamber of Commerce 505 267-5050