Cabbagetown's streets fill with chili smoke and live music this Saturday as Chomp & Stomp returns for its 2026 run, bringing a 5K race, a sprawling artisan market and a chili cook-off that has grown from a neighborhood cookout into one of Atlanta's signature fall festivals. Admission is free, but organizers warn parking will be very limited around the historic Atlanta neighborhood.
The festival began in 2003 as a small event run by local neighbors, according to Secret Atlanta, and has since ballooned into a full day of programming that takes over multiple streets in the neighborhood. The Romp & Stomp 5K kicks off the day, with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution listing the race start at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7.
Published accounts differ on the festival's exact hours this year. The official Chomp & Stomp website lists the festival running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with chili tasting airhorns sounding at 12:30 p.m. sharp, while the AJC's listing puts the cook-off and festival at 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. the same day. Either way, the chili action is set to begin at 12:30 p.m., per the official event site.
What's On Tap This Year
This year's festival features more than 100 artists and vendors across four streets and more than 30 bands and musicians performing on five stages. The chili cook-off is expected to include more than 70 individuals and 20 restaurants.
Chili counts vary depending on the source. Secret Atlanta's own headline touts more than 65 chili cook-off options, while the official festival site advertises more than 100 chilis spanning mild to wild. Those figures aren't directly comparable without more clarity from organizers, so neither should be treated as the final word on how many chilis festivalgoers will find this year.
How to Taste the Chili
Sampling the chili requires an official tasting spoon, which can be purchased in advance or at the festival itself. Presale tasting spoons are available at Little’s Food Store, Sweetcheats, Mikkelson’s Market and Emerald City Bagels.
A Festival Built From the Neighborhood Up
Chomp & Stomp's growth has been steady since its early days. A 2026 account from The Southerner Online quoted festival chair Lauren Appel describing the event as an annual tradition: “Every first Saturday of November we throw a big festival.” A music director interviewed by the same outlet recalled the festival's modest beginnings, saying, “We started with one little tiny stage under a tent in the middle of the park and now there's five stages.”
Last Year's Chili Champs
The chili competition carries its own bragging rights each year. Whoever takes home this year's title will do so in front of a crowd that organizers expect to pack Cabbagetown's narrow streets once again.
Festivalgoers planning to drive should plan accordingly: organizers are expecting very limited parking around the neighborhood, per Secret Atlanta's festival guide. And no matter how tempting it might be to bring along a four-legged companion for a day of chili and live music, pets are not allowed at the event.
