DINGE are set to get vuurwarm this weekend as the Festival of Fire launches its League of Fire Chilli Festival for the first time on African soil.
On Saturday, The Ostrich Cape Town will become a battlefield of heat and endurance, where you have to put the world's hottest chillies where your mouth is.
Braving the challenge are 15 courageous mense, who will have to bek themselves to prove they can handle the heat in Africa’s first-ever League of Fire ranked championship.
Judy Smith, Co-Founder of Festival of Fire, says: “Cape Town was the obvious choice. It’s a city that thrives on bold experiences, diverse flavours, and world-class events, making it the ideal place to host Africa’s biggest-ever chili showdown.”
“Now, by partnering with the League of Fire, we’re taking competitive chili eating to the global stage.
"The League of Fire is the world’s official competitive chili eating ranking platform, hosting extreme spice challenges and championships in countries across Europe, North America, and beyond.
“By hosting these official matches in Cape Town, we’re not just growing the sport locally, but giving African competitors the chance to compete on an international level.”
The rules are simple, competitors must consume progressively hotter rounds of extreme chilies and spicy products. No drinking or cooling relief is allowed.
Each round must be completed in full before moving on and any contestant that vomits or that spits out any contents in their mouth during the contest will be disqualified. Once all rounds are finished, the afterburn period begins, testing pure endurance. The last competitor standing wins.
Also on the line is the chilli-eating world title.
Hosts South Africa will take on the USA in a one-on-one showdown, with die Kaap se eie Gary "Scorpion Slayer" Concar and Stephen Curgan going head to head to see who can handle the searing heat.
Gary is a 53-year-old veteran of slukking the spiciest chillies around and is ready to show the world that chowing a monster rissie is no sweat for him.
He said his love for chillis started 20 years ago and has since won multiple chili eating competitions including the Festival of Fire twice in a row in 2023 and 2024.
Gary tells the Daily Voice: “I’m extremely excited about this upcoming competition. Preparation starts months in advance, just like any other competitive sport. I eat chili products all year round, mostly craft hot sauces and proper super-hot sauces.”
“When I know a competition is coming up, I start eating fresh chili pods. From mid-December, I begin my prep—eating fresh chili pods daily, the hotter, the better, for breakfast, lunch, and supper.
"As my tolerance builds, I gradually increase the number of chilies in each meal. About a month before the competition, I take it up a notch.”
It is all going down at The Ostrich so make sure to get your tickets at festivaloffire.co.za starting from R250.