Festival
Join the party at the UK's biggest chilli festival. Dance to live Latin music, watch cookery and gardening demonstrations and taste delicious chilli foods 'til your tongue sizzles. Make the most of the family-friendly festival atmosphere and camp onsite with great facilities.
"Live Latin bands and dance demos, plus gardening workshops and a vintage fair mean there's plenty of fun even if your tastes are more korma than Demon Red."
What's on?
PLUS...
Cookery Theatre
See top chefs demonstrating their culinary expertise with creative chilli based recipes. Using ingredients from all over the world and ideas you can easily recreate at home, they're guaranteed to make your mouth water.
This years chefs include: Jackie Kearney, Jack Stein, Tim Anderson. Masterchef's Anthony O'Shaughnessy and Sweta Choudhury.
Gardening Theatre
Hear from a variety of experts with gardening talks and demonstrations. See the 150 chillies on display in the Glasshouses. Don't miss out on a guided tour of the Walled Gardens and discussion about growing your own chillies. Mark Diacono will be hosting the Gardening Theatre. Mark is joined by writer and journalist Lia Leendertz and Sarah Wain, West Dean Gardens Supervisor and resident chilli expert.
Browse over 140 stalls, offering a variety of quirky gifts as well as chilli foods, chilli plants, seeds and produce. The West Dean Gardens gift shop is also open each day.
All shopping stalls close at 6pm each day, but a range food and drink stalls stay open into the evening while the entertainment continues.
Food stalls
Sample spicy and exotic food from a selection of food stalls to keep you going throughout the day. There will be plenty of options for those less keen on the hot stuff and local ice cream if you need a little help cooling down! Hot and cold drinks include speciality coffees, tea, hot chocolate, fresh fruit smoothies and more.
The Gardens Restaurant
Choose from a variety of freshly prepared meals, snacks and cakes and sit either indoors or outside on the terrace. Open until 6pm daily.
Bars
Enjoy a selection of beers, ales and wines, as well as soft drinks at one of our onsite bars located close to the main stage. Bars include Los Amigos, cider bar, cocktails and the Potting Shed.
We will have a variety of chilli plants from Loco to Demon Red on sale at the Gardens Shop, and look out for the chilli plant sale carts.
There's plenty to keep children entertained at Chilli Fiesta including a vintage funfair and face painting.
Wake up in the beautiful grounds of West Dean and make a weekend or a mini break of it. Full camping facilities are available throughout the Chilli Fiesta weekend (including great showers and toilets and 24 hour shop). A limited number of pitches are available so early booking is essential, tickets are available for the full weekend (three nights) or for one night (Saturday). This year we have acoustic campsite entertainment.
"We came last year and enjoyed it so much, we said let's do it properly and camp next year."
"A weekend away with lots of chillies and dancing, lots of fun!"
Pick your camping zone (on the day you arrive):
Sadly, due to restrictions from Natural England we now have reduced capacity of caravan and campervan pitches and are therefore unable to offer these to the public for this year's Chilli Fiesta.
Here are a few of our top tips and FAQs:
Q. Is it possible to pay on the gate?
A. It is possible to pay on the gate for day tickets but campers
need to buy tickets in advance.
Q. Do I get tickets sent to me?
A. No, Chilli Fiesta tickets are now issued electronically and will
be emailed to you. Print off the email confirmation which should
show a reference number and bring it with you on the day.
Q. Can I just show you the e-ticket on my phone?
A. Yes. Please ensure your booking reference number is on show.
Q. What age range is a child ticket?
A. Children age 4 and under enjoy free entry, 5 -15 requires a
child ticket. Children are to be accompanied by a paying adult. 16+
require an adult ticket.
Q. What camping facilities are there at Chilli Fiesta?
A. The campsite is complete with showers, flushing toilets,
drinking water and a small shop for basic amenities. Showers will
operate 24hrs a day. The campsite crew will be on site
throughout.
Q. Can I get to the Chilli Fiesta by Bus?
A. By bus: the number 60 bus runs from Midhurst to Chichester bus
station (opposite Chichester railway station) every half hour
Monday - Saturday. On Sundays buses are every hour. For an
up-to-date timetable visit the Stagecoach website. You can find our location on
Google maps.
Stay up to date with our events and sign up for our West Dean newsletter.
West Dean Gardens is part of a registered charity and its upkeep and care are only possible with the support of generous donors, friends and legacy gifts.
If you share our passion for the gardens and gardening
excellence,
please find
out how you can help support their upkeep.
