37th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-off Festival

Thanks to everyone who made the 37th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off Festival a success! Mark your calendar for the 38th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off Festival on June 24, 2017!

The 37th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off Festival offered attendees eclectic fun in the sun for all ages. Attendees joined more than 70,000 visitors from 10am to 8pm on Saturday, June 25, 2016, for tasty festival nosh, art, beachfront entertainment, shopping, and more. Entry to the Street Fair is always free! The Chili Competition featured tastings from amateur entrants competing for the titles of Hottest Chili, Judges' Award, and Grand Prize: People's Choice Award. Attendees of all ages took part in creating the annual Street Fair Community Mural. See photos from the 2016 Street Fair.

Check out more details about all the great features of our signature annual event below!

About the 2016 Street Fair design

The 37th Annual Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off artwork that appears on our event t-shirts and promotional materials is based on an original watercolor painting by late Ocean Beach artist David Linton, who passed away in early 2015. Well known for his depictions of the Ocean Beach Pier and other scenery in the OB/Point Loma area, David worked in oils, watercolor, acrylics, pen and ink, and pastels. In his own words:

I guess it all started when I was twelve years old and I was drawing and learning about color and using the walls and ceiling of my bedroom as a surface to paint on, my mother took one look at it and said get your coat on we are going to Sears Department Stores where she purchased my first painting set with canvases to paint on. So began a new world for me and my mother was happyshe had an artist for a son who was painting on canvas and not the walls. Growing up as an artist was not easy; you were given this talent but there was no instruction book to help guide you through this path of your life. --David Linton

We are grateful to David's wife Carol for granting permission to share David's work through this year's Street Fair design. Learn more about David Linton.

Attractions

Five Stages of Continuous Music

There were five stages of nonstop music throughout the day at the 37th Annual OB Street Fair. Music genres included acoustic, rock, blues, alternative, Americana, and more. The audiences were entertained by musicians from everywhere - including right here in our own backyard.

Chili Cook-Off - 11:00 AM

The Chili Cook-Off competition was held in the grassy area between Newport Avenue and the Pacific. Competitors showed off their chili cooking chops by competing for great prizes... not to mention the satisfaction of winning! Is eating (rather than cooking) delicious chili more your speed? Visitors could put their tastebuds to the test and cast a vote alongside the judges! Chili tasting begans at 11am.

Artists Alley

Visitors perused handmade items from local and regional artists and crafters in this special section. They enjoyed shopping for artists' handcrafted and unique items along with their entertaining art demonstrations!

Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off Festival Beer Garden

Beachside Beer Garden

Beachside Beer Garden The Beachside Beer Garden was rockin' all day at the 2016 festival for guests 21+ looking to enjoy an ice cold brew with an ocean view. It was right next to the main stage with live music from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Also, there was a Bloody Mary contest, the Hodad's Burger Eating contest, and the Chili Cook-Off winners announcement. Both beer and mixed drinks were available. Bloody Mary Competition (Photo by Troy Orem)

Rock & Roll San Diego

Rock & Roll San Diego returned for the 37th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off to reprise their experiential music area. Visitors had the chance to channel their inner rock star and learn how to play a song in just 15 minutes!

Community Mural

Join in the fun and paint a square of the mural. Children and adults of all ages are welcome in creating these masterpieces! The squares sell out very quickly, so come early to buy your space. Squares are $10. You will receive a palette of paint along with your square.

FREE Trolley & Bike Valet

Ride to the festival for free! Visitors could go green and avoid the hassle of parking by riding a bike or taking a trolley to the 2016 OB Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off Festival. We offered a free bike valet, courtesy of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, as well as five free trolleys from our friends at Old Town Trolley. They were running continuously so no one missed any of the fun! Trolleys Avoid the hassle of parking and ride to the festival for free! Park near Robb Field or on Sea World Drive (at Pacific Highway) from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Trolleys run every 1/2 hour on the 1/2 hour from Robb Field and every hour from Sea World Dr.

Wonderland Fun Zone

Named after the first amusement park in Ocean Beach, the Wonderland Fun Zone at the 37th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair was tons of fun for the whole family! We had a 20-foot slide, OB Express Train Ride for the little ones, Zip Line, Zorb balls, Hop ‘n Rock, laser tag, kids' games, and more! Wonderland is located in the parking lot adjacent to US Bank near the corner of Newport Avenue and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.

Photos from Past OB Street Fairs

The Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off Festival has been an OB tradition since the late 70s. Check out Photos from past Street Fairs!

Videos of the Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off

Experience the fun of recent Street Fairs with these cool videos! View Street Fair Videos

Official T-Shirts & Merchandise

Eager for this year's new t-shirt design? Looking to purchase a shirt from one of the previous Street Fair & Chili Cook-Offs? Look no further! Click Here to View All Merchandise.

History of the OB Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off Festival

In 1984, Ocean Beach had its first Chili Cook-off Festival with Mike Akey, current board of directors member of the OB MainStreet Association, as its founder. Back in the 1970s, Mike and his father Angie Scaramuzzo were chili enthusiasts and often traveled to chili cook-offs in the likes of Las Vegas, Balboa Island, Cabo San Lucas, and Guadalajara, just to mention a few. Mike’s dad once went to the world competition in Rosemond, California (a ghost town), to compete with his “Scaramuch Chili.” Angie also founded the Lake Havasu City Chili Cook-Off which is still going on today. Mike thought about starting a cook-off in OB and made the decision to do so in 1984...