Labor Day weekend in Hatch, New Mexico
The Hatch Chile Festival
Dates, schedule, directions and what to buy — from a family that has farmed this valley since 1917.
- When
- Labor Day weekend — September 5 and 6, 2026
- Where
- Hatch, New Mexico
- Attendance
- Over 30,000 visitors a year
What the Hatch Chile Festival is
The Hatch Chile Festival is the Hatch Valley's harvest celebration, held in the village of Hatch, New Mexico over Labor Day weekend every year. It began in 1971 as a modest gathering of local farmers marking the annual chile harvest, and now draws over 30,000 visitors a year.
Two days of chile roasting, live music on two stages, a parade, eating contests, food trucks, craft and produce booths and a carnival — in a village small enough to walk end to end.
The parade
The festival parade runs the Franklin and Hall Street route. In 2026 it steps off at 9:00 AM on Saturday.
Two stages of live music
A Main Stage and a Second Stage run both days — bands, mariachis, ballet folklorico and a live auction.
Eating contests
Watermelon, chile and ice cream eating contests on the Second Stage. Entry is free.
The carnival
The Hatch Carnival sets up behind Village Market at 101 School Street.
Selfie contest
Take a selfie next to all the icons of Hatch. The best photo wins $100; judging starts at 4:30 PM.
Rock hunt
Find one of the themed festival rocks hidden around town and turn it in at the Hatch Chile Festival booth for a prize.
2026 schedule
As published by the festival organizers. Times change; check the official site the morning of.
Saturday, September 5, 2026
Main Stage
- Parade — 9:00 AM
- Opening Ceremonies — 11:00 AM
- 1st Armored Division Band — 11:15 AM to 2:15 PM
- Chris Baker — 2:30 to 4:30 PM
- Tudy Romero & The Silver Bullet Band — 4:45 to 7:30 PM
Second Stage
- Music — 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
- Hatch Little Cheer Team — 11:30 AM
- Elementary Ballet Folklorico — 11:30 AM
- Author Rachel Bates and other authors reading — 12:00 PM
- Eating contests (watermelon, chile, ice cream) — 1:00 to 3:00 PM
- Live auction — 3:00 to 4:30 PM
Sunday, September 6, 2026
Main Stage
- Ballet Folklorico — 11:00 AM
- Mariachis — 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
- Ballet Folklorico — 12:30 to 1:00 PM
- Mood Swing — 1:15 to 3:15 PM
- Suthern Blend Band — 3:30 to 6:30 PM
Second Stage
- Music — 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
- Friendship bracelet craft — 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
- Eating contests (watermelon, chile, ice cream) — 1:00 PM
- Book readings — 1:15 to 2:15 PM
- Hat decorating craft — 3:00 to 5:00 PM
- Music — 4:00 to 5:00 PM
Getting to Hatch
Hatch sits in the Rio Grande valley in southern New Mexico. The festival organizers publish these routes:
- From Albuquerque (north): I-25 south toward Las Cruces, Exit 41 (NM-26 toward Hatch/Deming), then NM-26 west into Hatch.
- From Las Cruces (south): I-25 north toward Truth or Consequences, Exit 41 (NM-26 toward Hatch/Deming), then NM-26 west into Hatch.
- From Alamogordo (east): US-70 west toward Las Cruces, merge onto I-25 north, Exit 41, then NM-26 west into Hatch.
- From Deming (west): NM-26 east directly into Hatch.
The parade runs the Franklin and Hall Street route, and the carnival sets up behind Village Market at 101 School Street.
Admission and parking
The festival organizers do not publish an admission price or parking details on their site. We are not going to guess at either one. Check the official festival site or the organizers' Facebook page for the current year before you drive out.
Check the official Hatch Chile Festival site (opens in a new window) ↗ before you drive out — the festival organizers are the only source we treat as authoritative for the current year's details.
What to buy while you're there
Festival weekend is a buying weekend. The organizers publish their own vendor list, festival booth list and food truck list, and that is the accurate source for who is selling what in any given year — we are not the organizers and we do not keep that list.
What people usually come home with: sacks of fresh chile from valley growers, chile roasted on the spot in a rotating drum roaster, ristras, salsas, local produce and pecans.
Two practical notes if you plan to haul chile home:
- Fresh chile is perishable. Get it cool the day you buy it, and roast or freeze it quickly. Our roasting guide covers blistering, the steam-and-peel step and freezing in flat labeled portions.
- A hot car is not storage. A freshly roasted sack sweats; plan a cooler if you have a long drive.
The Hatch Chile Store does not run a retail storefront in the village. We grow chile in the Hatch Valley and ship it — our packing shed and our Deming kitchen are working facilities that are not open to the public.
Can't make it to Hatch? We ship.
Hatch chile travels. Fresh green chile leaves our Hatch Valley farm on Wednesdays during the season, in 5, 10 and 25 lb boxes and in Mild, Medium, Hot and X-Hot. Flame-roasted chile is frozen at peak season and ships on dry ice all year, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Festival dates, schedule, directions and history on this page come from the official Hatch Chile Festival site, hatchchilefestival.com (opens in a new window) ↗ . The Hatch Chile Store is not the festival organizer. Last checked September 1, 2026.