More changes in store for chili and beer festival in Snowmass

The producers of last year’s Mammoth Fest are back, and they’re making some changes in their second year of putting on the long-standing Snowmass Village event.

Although Steve Gumble Productions hasn’t announced the music lineup yet — stay tuned for that in the coming days — it has set June 13 through 15 as the dates for the festival, which will be one day longer than in the past. The chili and beer festival will have more musical acts and hold some events on the mall as well as Town Park, which was the exclusive venue for the event last year.

The first day of the festival will offer two bands, a parade and a tasting of red and green chilis and salsa — all for free, and all on the Snowmass Village Mall. Beer and wine will be available for purchase.

Steve Gumble said one reason for moving the chili tasting back to the mall — the entire festival was held there for nine years — was feedback from businesspeople there who felt that the event was no longer benefiting them as it had in the past. It also lined up with the chili cooks’ desires.

Because it will be free, Gumble is assuming the first tasting will be highly attended. There also will be a competition early on the second day that the public can attend, but it will lack the fanfare of the first night.

Once the free tasting ends on the second day, the gates will open in Town Park. There will be music throughout the day and a longer beer tasting than in the past.

Because there won’t be chili booths in the horseshoe at Town Park, that will free up room for a kids area with inflatable games — weather permitting — all day and a VIP seating section. VIP tickets also will offer an open bar, private bathrooms, a tent and parking passes.

It also will create more space for attendees to move about, Gumble said. He expects that to be more important as people relax and mingle during the longer beer tasting.

There will be only one beer tasting this year, something Gumble thinks people might not be used to. The third day of the festival will focus on music but still will offer food and beer for purchase.