Terlingua International Chili Championship 2026

Terlingua International Chili Championship 2026 runs Nov 3–7, 2026, in Terlingua, Texas.

Terlingua, Texas (Rancho CASI de los Chisos).

Nov 3–7, 2026.

Best categories: rv, towable, trucks-vans, off-road. Every first week of November, the ghost-town country between Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande fills with rigs for the Terlingua International Chili Championship — the 59th edition runs November 3-7, 2026 at Rancho CASI de los Chisos, the Chili Appreciation Society International's own ranch off FM 170. This is the rare festival where the RV is not logistics but the point: the ranch is a primitive desert campout — no hookups, no water, no shade beyond what you bring — and thousands of cooks and campers build a temporary town of rigs, flags and cook stoves under some of the darkest night skies in Texas. Tuesday through Friday layer in bean, salsa and wings contests plus live music before Saturday's championship judging. Come fully provisioned: Study Butte has limited fuel and groceries, and the nearest real resupply is Alpine, 80 miles north. Terlingua's famous quirk — two rival chili cookoffs run the same week on opposite sides of town, a schism dating to the original 1967 shootout — is half the fun of asking locals for directions. Tack on Big Bend: Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive is 40 minutes from your campsite.

Recommended lead time: 8 weeks. Event windows book up early, so search and lock your dates as soon as your plans firm up.

Camping on the ranch is the event — primitive desert camping with no hookups or water. Self-contained RVs are the standard way people do it: arrive with full fresh tanks, empty holding tanks, and every gallon of drinking water you'll need.

November 3-7, 2026 — Tuesday through Saturday, with championship judging on Saturday — at Rancho CASI de los Chisos near Terlingua, Texas. The dates are published by CASI, the sanctioning organization.

It's the natural pairing — the ranch sits under an hour from Big Bend National Park's western entrances. Many crews camp the cookoff midweek, then move into the park or Terlingua-area campgrounds for the following week. Book any hookup campground in the area far ahead; November is peak Big Bend season.

Remote desert dry-camping: haul in all water and fuel, expect zero hookups and no cell coverage pockets, and keep a sober driver — the two-lane roads out of Terlingua are dark, shoulderless and shared with wildlife at night.

Position your rig's door to the east: dawn over the Chisos Mountains from your own camp chair is the single best free show of the week, and the November desert drops to the 40s overnight — pack for real cold.