Chilifest spices up the Southside [Video]

The Southside is home to a diverse selection of cuisine, but once a year vendors focus their culinary efforts on chili. 

Locals and visitors from out of town roamed Bethlehem’s Historic Arts District to try the different twists on a classic fall dish on Oct. 19 for this year’s 28th annual Chilifest. 

Seventeen local restaurants and businesses served homemade chili at the sold-out event, welcoming visitors to walk around East 3rd and 4th Streets from noon to 4 p.m. to try a sample at each location and vote for their favorite. 

While most of the sampling areas were outside and accessible to the public, ticketed participants showed their chili passports to access the samples at each location. Tickets also included a reusable spoon to reduce waste.

The Southside Arts District organized Chilifest, and downtown manager Erin Zebertavage has been in charge of the event for the past three years. 

She …