SEEKING EVENT SPONSORS

We are seeking Community partners to help us execute another successful Havelock Chili Festival, Havelock’s largest annual community event.  In 2025, we were thrilled to distribute over $23,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations, middle- and high-school clubs and athletic teams, and 7 scholarships to Havelock high-school seniors.

We are in our 44th year and are working to make the festival bigger and better than ever! 

This year’s Chili Festival remains at our traditional 3rd weekend in October, being held on Saturday, October 17, 2026.

Download our 2026 Sponsor paperwork below. No-fee payments can be made online at 

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-havelock-chili-festival-registration-sponsors

We hope you will join us! If you have any questions, please contact us at HavelockChiliCommittee@outlook.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

• 141 spaces, including 96 total vendors, agencies and organizations participated with booths
• 28 were nonprofits - 16 of which were no-cost spaces for City & County agencies
• 19 total food trucks and food vendors in addition to chili cooks.
• 13 Chili cooks - 7 competed in the judged competition and all 13 were part of the People’sChoice competition.
• 23 sponsors - a combination of paid and trade, including Havelock business and Title Sponsor, Light ‘em Up, who upgraded electrical boxes at Walter B Jones Park.
• 19 separate agencies, organizations and sports teams provided between 200 and 250 volunteers.
• •Volunteer age range - from elementary school to over 80 years young.
• 3 talented musical acts provided Entertainment, plus 1 powerhouse National Anthem vocalist.
• Year 3 for the successful Shortway Beer Garden.
• $10 wristbands for unlimited Chili Sampling and People’s Choice voting. Chili lasted well into the afternoon but of course we are looking for more chili cooks to participate this year.
• 3 Main Kids Activity Areas -  Inflatables Area (thanks to Havelock business Jump ’n Thump taking on the insurance costs), Kids Games area and a Pumpkin Patch (organized by Mat Rats Wrestling), as well as the Havelock Fire Dept’s Firemen’s Agility Course for children who attended. Huge thanks to HFD for coming out!
• K9 demonstrations by Craven County Sheriff’s Dept. & HPD took place all afternoon.
• Almost 30 cars participating in year 3 for the ChiliFest Car Show
• Over $23,000 in community grants awarded to a wide variety of organizations serving our local veterans, youth, and Havelock at large, including a total of $2,000 to our Havelock-Craven County Public Library, all made possible by the success of 2025 event and our generous sponsors, vendors, chili cooks and visitors,
• 7 scholarships awarded to Havelock graduating seniors.
• Our $23,000 awarded for 2025 brings our total to over $63,000 donated to the Havelock Community from the past three Havelock Chili Festivals and $112,000 in the past 9 Festivals.