Not So Hot: Hot & Spicy Fest Day 2 Canceled

The Beijingers | May 15, 2021 7:59 pm | Add a comment | 3760 reads

It's with a heavy heart that we must announce the cancellation of day two of the Hot & Spicy Festival.

Despite mass vaccinations, it seems we’re not totally out of the woods when it comes to Covid-19 just yet. Friday’s news about an infected resident of Anhui passing through Beijing via train has set off a new wave of concern about making sure this doesn’t turn into an outbreak.

After discussion with venue authorities, it was decided that it would be best not to continue the festivities.

Fortunately, some memories were made on day one: spicy food was chomped, booze was quaffed, and folks mingled, making new friends and reacquainting with old, and good times were had all around.

And in our annual chili pepper eating contest, nine contestants matched iron wills and iron stomachs in a knockout battle. The competition amongst the international field was fierce, with almost all of them chowing through the first six rounds. Things got rough by the seventh, and by Round 9 when the Ghost Peppers came out, we had but three contestants left.

Gao Lin from Shanxi was our champion with the runner-up Andrew from South Africa. Andrew could have easily continued, but diplomatically stepped aside as the last round featured multiple sudden death rounds that stretched far longer than expected. When all was said and done, they all rose a glass of Wild Africa Cream, sponsor to the contest.

We will be processing refunds for early bird ticket buyers that were not able to make it to the festival beginning Monday. In the meantime, take a look at the pics below! And of course, a special thanks to our sponsor JSS Delivery.