Chill out and enjoy a chile-filled weekend at the Hatch Valley Chile Festival in Hatch, New Mexico

Known as the “Chile Capital of the World”, the village of Hatch might not be a vacation hotspot but it will heat you up with its hot and unique chiles!  A home to more than 1,500 inhabitants and cover a total area of 3.0 square miles, Hatch was named after Edward Hatch, an Indian fighter who was a commander of the New Mexico Military District. The village is so small that it only has a few restaurants, four banks, a pharmacy, two grocery stores, and a small number of retail stores. The chile industry begun in 1954 when Dencil and Mary Gillis started farming in Hatch, and produced a chile with a unique flavor. Aside from chiles, the town’s farm produce include onions, cotton, alfalfa, sweet potatoes, lettuce cabbage, corn, and a number of experimental crops. The village of Hatch is about 40 miles from Las Cruces and 98 miles from Silver City, both in New Mexico, and 86 miles from El Paso, Texas.

There is nothing much to see in Hatch but it sure lights a fire during the Labor Day weekend when the annual Hatch Valley Chile Festival is held. The festival attracts about 30,000 visitors annually from across the country who are lured by the “Hatch Chile” which will warm you up while chilling out! The festival features a parade, carnival, Crown Hatch Chile Queen, chile and jalapeno eating contest, watermelon eating contest, dance night, chile roaster garden, beer garden, a ristra demonstration, live entertainment, magic shows, horseshoe tournament, vendor booths, and lots of chiles! If you have not packed your car with chiles and want to buy more, you can visit the Hatch Chile Sales or the Chili Willie's Chili Store, where you can buy souvenirs and more chiles!

A small town with a big chile attitude, Hatch, New Mexico, is the place to be during the Labor Day weekend.  Consult your travel agent for more details. 

by Sunshine Silva on 12/07/2015 in Local Events

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