„"The Big Hot Bite": let's set a world record together!

Before the grand finale, on October 3, Sofia Chilli Fest will do something that has never been done before, not only in Bulgaria, but also in the world - an attempt to set a record for the most people biting into a chili pepper at the same time.

This year marks the third edition of the Sofia Chilli Fest, traditionally held at the Chilli Hills farm in the village of Lozen. On October 3 and 4, the biggest names in chili culture will gather again to witness the League of Fire World Finals – the most prestigious international hot pepper eating competition. Homegrown contender Nikolay Filipov will face off against reigning world champion Steven „Fiery Redd“ Kurgan (USA) to fight for the world title.

„"We will make history together! Right before the League of Fire finale, we will gather as many brave people as we can in one place. Each participant will receive a fresh hot pepper provided by us. At a certain point, all participants will raise the peppers above their heads, and after a signal from the host, they will take a bite at the same time. This will be our way of supporting Niki Filipov before his most important competition. The more of us there are, the greater the heat will be," shares Alexander Kyurkiev - Sando, creator of Chilli Hills and organizer of the event.

How are we going to set the record?

All interested visitors who have registered in advance in the record zone can participate in the attempt. Each participant will receive one pepper, and the number of participants will be officially registered and counted before the start of the attempt. The event will be held in the presence of League of Fire, an official partner of Sofia Chilli Fest, who will officially register this attempt for a world record.

And that's just one of the reasons to come.

During the two festival days, visitors will be able to meet Bulgarian and international producers of hot products, try a variety of sauces, pastes, fresh and dried peppers and specialties, participate in tastings and challenges, and discover new flavors in the food and beverage areas. The program will be complemented by musical performances, activities for the whole family, demonstrations, meetings with League of Fire participants and other special festival experiences.

This year's edition of Sofia Chilli Fest is supported by Olympus, Philips, Biroterapia and myPOS, and tickets are now on sale.

On October 3, however, the focus will be on one scene and one question:

Will Nikolay "Papaworm" Filipov be able to defeat the world champion and win the League of Fire belt for Bulgaria?

League of Fire World Title Belt Match

Stephen “Fiery Redd” Curgan 🇺🇸
vs.
Nikolay “Papaworm” Filipov 🇧🇬

Sofia Chilli Festival 2026
📅 October 3–4, 2026.
📍 Chilli Hills Farm, Lozen village

Follow Sofia Chilli Fest and Chilli Hills for all news, participants and upcoming announcements.

Official website Sofia Chilli Fest 2026

Sofia Chilli Fest 2026 Facebook page

Event Sofia Chilli Fest 2026