Chile and Frijoles Festival brings thousands to Pueblo

One of Pueblo’s biggest events came to a close Sunday.

The 20 th annual Chile and Frijoles Festival brought in nearly 100,000 people to the Union Avenue Historic District.

While the festival has established itself as a local favorite, many people travel from across the state to taste the chilies.

“We came all the way from Denver, and it’s always a great time,” Joann Cortez said. “You can’t miss it. It signifies the end of summer and the beginning of fall.”

Some of the visitors said they wanted to see what all the hype was about.

“We’ve never been to the festival before, so we thought we would drive down from Colorado Springs,” Angie Carlson said. “We just bought a bushel of some Pueblo chilies. We’re looking forward to going home and making some salsa.”

The festival has a reputation for selling some of the freshest chilies on the market, which keeps people coming back year after year.

“When you come to Pueblo, everything’s fresh. It’s right off the farm, and you can’t beat it,” said Pueblo resident Nick Mihelich.