The Hatch Chile Festival Returns for Another Spicy Tradition

There are certain smells that instantly tell you a season has arrived. Pumpkin spice might work for the rest of the country, but around here? It's roasted Hatch green chile.

Every Labor Day weekend, thousands of people from El Paso load up the car and make the hour-and-a-half drive to Hatch, New Mexico. Some go to stock up on fresh chile for the freezer, others go for the food and live entertainment, and plenty of us go simply because it's become one of those Borderland traditions you don't really question- you just go!

With this year's Hatch Chile Festival almost here, it's nearly time for one of New Mexico's biggest celebrations and one of my favorite signs that summer is coming to an end.

The Hatch Chile Festival is a Borderland Tradition

For more than 50 years, the Hatch Chile Festival has celebrated the famous Hatch Valley chile harvest, growing into a Labor Day weekend event that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year- including plenty from El Paso.

It's one of those festivals that feels bigger than the town itself. Hatch fills with families, food lovers and anyone looking for an excuse to enjoy some incredible green chile.

New Mexico even made the smell of roasting green chile its official state aroma a few years ago and I can't think of a better choice.

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What to Expect at this Year’s Hatch Chile Festival

If it's your first trip, come hungry!

The festival features fresh roasted Hatch green chile, food vendors, live music, local crafts, carnival rides, cooking demonstrations, family activities and, of course, the famous giant chile roasters.

Watching hundreds of pounds of fresh chile roast over an open flame is part of the experience- and if the smell doesn't convince you to buy a bag or two, nothing will.

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You’ll Probably Leave With More Chile Than You Planned

Let's be honest, we all tell ourselves we're only buying one bag. Then somehow you leave with a trunk full of chile, salsa and seasonings while already planning the green chile cheeseburgers, enchiladas and breakfast burritos you'll be making at home.

That's what makes the Hatch Chile Festival such a Borderland tradition. It's not just about spending the day in Hatch, it's about bringing a little bit of Hatch home with you. And for many of us, that drive back to El Paso with the smell of freshly roasted chile in the car is the unofficial start of fall.