Grab your spoons, along with your costumes.

This year’s Oct. 15 fall festival in Patchogue Village is being rebranded as the Chili & Chowder Festival.

Close to a dozen restaurants are perfecting their recipes in anticipation of the big cook-off, all designed to impress you: the tasters.

Update: Pumpkin Beer tasting added to Chili & Chowder Festival

Aside from hot food in bowls, there will also be the Halloween costume parade, fall-oriented vendors, free pumpkin decorating outside Patchogue-Medford Library and more.

The parade starts at 2 p.m.

Why the change from Fall Festival to Chili & Chowder?

“We recognized that so many communities have a fall festival, and since the chili and chowder contest is such a popular aspect of our festival we thought by changing the name it would distinguish us from the others,” said David Kennedy, executive director of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, which runs the event.

“But nothing else has changed, and we expect people to know to dress up,” he added.

The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on East and West Main Streets, and the chili and chowder contest and beer tastings start at noon.

contest details

Here’s how it works: Participants should can roll up to the Chamber of Commerce booth at any time and, depending on the number of participating restaurants, will pay between $10 and $15.

That will get the participants tickets to try chili and chowder at each of the restaurants involved.

The tasters will then cast their vote for the best in each category.

Ballot boxes will be station in each restaurant, as well as the Chamber of Commerce booth, which will be set up near W.M.J O’Neill’s, near East Main Street and North Ocean Avenue.

‘We’ll be handing out a menu with a map that shows where all the restaurants area,” Kennedy said.

“They will all be within the footprint of the festival, or close to it.”

Visit our calendar for more upcoming events!

http://patchogue.greaterlongisland.com/2016/10/14504-pumpkin-beer-tastings-added-to-patchogues-chili-chowder-fest/