Winter Meltdown Spicy Food Festival

The Winter Meltdown Spicy Food Festival

The Ultimate Winter Heatwave: Spicing Up the Community at the Annual Meltdown Festival

Winters in the scenic town of Glens Falls, New York, are always picturesque—but they’re about to get a whole lot hotter. It’s that time of year again when spicy food fans, lovers of art, and the local community come together to celebrate at the Winter Meltdown Spicy Food Festival. This event isn’t just about sizzling on the Scoville scale; it’s a blend of flavor, culture, and community spirit that leaves everyone warm, satisfied, and eagerly anticipating the following year’s offerings.

A Mouthwatering Affair for Heat Lovers of All Kinds

The Winter Meltdown is where you truly experience how the diversity of spice can bring harmony to our taste and togetherness. Savor the flavors of local food trucks, which turn up the heat with dishes ranging from tangy buffalo wings to volcanic chili. Sample from a selection of spicy hot sauces crafted by artisans who’ve mastered the alchemy of peppers and seasonings, or treat yourself to some of the best smoky  BBQ to cross your lips!

But don’t think this is all about extreme heat. Even if your palate isn’t accustomed to the inferno, there are milder options too. It’s an event where everyone can find something to enjoy, whether you’re testing the boundaries of your tolerance or simply dipping your taste buds into the world of spice.

Giving Back, One Fiery Bite at a Time

The festival isn’t just a celebration of food but a demonstration of the powerful way community events can give back. A portion of the proceeds from the Winter Meltdown go towards the Mural Garten Project, an initiative that’s as visually stunning as it is vital to the local community. Mural Garten unites residents around the creation of art, using the universal language of visual expression to promote unity and civic pride.

The Winter Meltdown’s focus on philanthropy is evident in every steaming cup of chili and every dab of hot sauce. By participating in this event, you’re treating yourself to an array of spicy delights and contributing to a lasting legacy of public art that benefits everyone in Glens Falls.

More Than Just Food: A Festival of Arts and Crafts

Beyond the culinary adventures, the Winter Meltdown Festival is a creative paradise with various arts and crafts vendors. Browse through handcrafted ceramics, paintings, and jewelry. Stop by the Sensibiliteas, in Studio 106, for a Shirt Factory 25th anniversary t-shirt or to enter the spicy raffle basket, both of which also benefit the Mural Garten. These unique items are more than souvenirs; they’re a way to take home a piece of your fantastic day and keep supporting your community, one purchase at a time.

The Winter Meltdown Spicy Food Festival’s diverse offerings set it apart and make it an integral part of the Glens Falls community calendar.

Prepare for an Unforgettable Winter Meltdown

To ensure you don’t miss the fun, mark your calendars, tell your friends, and plan your visit to the Winter Meltdown Spicy Food Festival. The event, which takes place in the historic Shirt Factory, is a perfect blend of warmth, flavor, and community spirit— a recipe for a memorable day out in the chill of winter.

Whether you’re a local looking for something exciting to do or a visitor eager to experience the unique culture of Glens Falls, the Winter Meltdown Festival is a must-attend event. With the promise of heat, flavor, and fun, this festival will surely leave you counting down the days until next year’s fiery extravaganza.

Now that you’re all set to welcome the warmth of Glens Falls’ spicy culture this winter, there’s one more critical step. Support the Mural Garten Project by getting your raffle tickets at the event in studio 106 and spreading the word to your local and virtual communities. Together, we can turn up the heat and positively impact our community through memorable experiences and meaningful contributions.

Come and enjoy the best of winter, spiced just right!

Embrace the chilly weather this winter as we spice things up at the Winter Meltdown Spicy Food Festival! The festival pays homage to all things spicy, featuring an array of fiery hot sauces and tantalizing chili peppers. Whether you’re a seasoned heat-seeker or just looking to add some zest to your palate, you’ll find something to indulge in at this event. From homemade dishes to uniquely crafted condiments, plenty of spicy treats satisfy your cravings and bring a little warmth to your winter season.

However, the Winter Meltdown Spicy Food Festival is more than just a food festival – it’s a way to give back to the community. Proceeds from the event benefit Mural Garten, a local organization committed to creating a community around public art. So, while indulging in delicious, fiery foods, you’ll contribute to a worthwhile cause and positively impact your community.

With year-round studios, vendors, and food trucks scattered throughout the Cooper Street parking lot and inside the building, the festival is a perfect way to enjoy the end of winter. Be sure to bundle up and bring your appetite as you explore all the deliciously spicy offerings available. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to add a little spice to your life while supporting a tremendous endeavor – mark your calendars for this exciting event and be prepared for an unforgettable experience!

Event Details
Hot fresh mini donutsWaterCoffee
Homemade Chili Homemade Corn Chowder Made to order fresh Lemonade Hot Pretzels w cheese
Ales, Lagers and Stouts sourced from local ingredients and brewed at Slate Town Brewing Co, Granville, NY.
Caribbean-American Cuisine
Red and white wine by the glass and the bottle; red and white sangria by the glass
HOT Sauce 4 flavors Bread & Butter Pickles 3 heat levels
Beef Jerky in 13 flavors/2 sizes packages; Snack Stix in 4-6 flavors. Dips, Rubs, Seasoning Mixes, Baking Mixes, Soup Mixes, Pickled Eggs, Sausage, Onions, Garlic, Beets, Jalapenos. Vanilla, gift packs.
Gourmet macaroni and cheese food truck
Loaded french fries and chicken tenders food truck
all types of crocheted animals, mittens, hats, shawls, blankets, clothing for infants
I will be offering fried empanadas, provisions like Elote cups and agua fresca
hand, painted signs, decor, ornaments and crafts made with recycled, wood, and other materials. I also make Apoxsee and resin pieces, hand crocheted and knitted items and woodwork items, such as cedar and mahogany, coat, racks, candleholders and tables, etc
Craft Beer/Cider/Seltzer
Fresh squeezed lemon and limeade in a variety of all natural flavors
Custom decorated sugar cookies (focus on VALENTINE cookies) as well as other home baked cookies that may include Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Sugar, Mexican Wedding cookies, Pecan Sandies, Old Fashioned Oatmeal, Lemon, etc.)
Honey, Hot Honey, Hot Maple Syrup, hot sauce. (Promo items such as 3D printed hot sauce holsters might be used as a giveaway but will not be sold.)
Hibachi fried rice and noodles
Handmade all natural soaps scrubs and soaks
Wine & Cider, Minimal wine related retail
Free estimates for home improvements projects and free giveaways.
fresh garlic scapes (June), fresh garlic (August – September), garlic roasted salsa, hot sauce (medium & habanero), garlic stuffed olives, garlic olive oil, garlic roasted onion jam, spice blends, homemade sourdough breads, Italian bread (home processor certificate uploaded below)
Memphis style bbq
Texas style BBQ with local and international influences.
Hand linked chain maille jewelry with crystals. Chain maille necklaces, pendants, and bracelets. Men’s and women’s designs. Also offering upcycled surfboard resin pendants made from leftover resin from the surfboard glassing process.
Gourmet Cheese Spreads and Cheesecakes
Photos, metal prints, magnets key chains,postcards,tshirts (tri-county marines toy program
We are a local bathroom remodeling company offering custom designed tubs and showers. Our products are made in the USA and Canada. At events, we offer information, free in-home design consultations and exclusive savings.
Photos of wildlife, landscapes and astrophotography. Matted prints and framed.
Wood Smoked BBQ and homemade ice cream
Cheesecakes of various sizes, shapes & flavors. Other baked goods from time to time.
We offer over 50 flavors of cookies including options for dogs. We also have a assortment of cupcakes, muffins, and brownies. We do custom decorated sugar cookies using homemade royal icing.
Wood fired pizza
Pepper sauces, jellies, rubs, spice blends, pure chile powders
Meatballs with a variety of sauces with flavors from around the world Meatball Sub
We will be offering homemade bowls, soups, appetizers. For example: Bang bang chicken bowl, greek bowl, Mexican street corn and chicken bowl, chili, loaded tater tots, buffalo chicken dip with veggies and chips. We will also always offer at least...
kettle corn / Carmel corn , assorted flavor corn, would like to do cotton candy also if possible
While attending events at the Shirt Factory, come visit us for a meal or just visit with friends with some lattes and croissants. We are well-known for traditional handmade, naturally-leavened, hearth-baked breads and pastries made from scratch. But we also...
Barn and Brick Co Logo
Barn and Brick has antique, vintage, home furnishings, art, gifts and much more! We feature hand made and carefully curated items that fit in a variety of home styles from primitive to modern to farmhouse.
SensibiliTeas is a tea lover’s paradise that has earned a place in the hearts of locals and tourists alike for its exquisite loose-leaf teas. Since its inception in 2006, this cozy store has been a preferred destination for tea lovers...
Cre8ivology Logo
Art Gallery and handmade gifts store. Filled with natural gemstone jewelry, bookmarks, sun catchers and other gemstone accessories. With a variety of hand painted wooden Dream Boxes, magnets and paintings. Custom work always available.
I am a retired public school teacher who tutors preschool to grade 6. I am certified to teach Nursery, Kindergarten, and grades 1 – 6 in New York. I hold this certification in New Jersey and Florida as well. I...
Beautifully Functional Art Jessica has her original photography transformed into fabric, out of which she then creates a variety of items for you and your home. Images of nature and vintage treasures are featured on tote bags, coasters, pillows, greeting...
Offering pottery wheel classes and hand-building with clay workshops for adults.Try-it classes and private lessons are available.The Gallery features pottery for everyday use, decorative Raku and Sagger fired vessels, and fun & functional pottery.
Hub Gallery Logo
Artist-owned contemporary art gallery. Explore and purchase our creations and other guest artists. We have a new guest exhibition every two months.
LaOm Jewelry Logo
Woman owned and operated, La OM Jewelry is the namesake of designer and jeweler, Laura Ortiz McCaffrey. La OM is a bespoke brand, centered around taking old heirlooms and revamping them into daily pieces, and around colorful sapphire engagement rings....
The NCA Gallery at the Shirt Factory is now located at Suite 120, formally the Shirt Factory’s main gallery space, in the historic Shirt Factory building at 71 Lawrence Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801. NCA’s new amazing and beautiful gallery...
Interior of black walnut books with books on shelf and a plant hanging from the ceiling
Black Walnut Books is a Native and queer owned bookstore that focuses on Indigenous, queer and BIPOC authors and books. In addition to books we also carry gift and stationary items such as tote bags, stickers, pins, notebooks, pens and...
Pottery and sculpture
With a lifetime of experience, Dawn can easily repair, alter, or transform your garments. From giving wedding and prom dresses a custom fit to patching old favorites, Dawn has the knowledge and skills to do it all! In addition to...

Yes it is. Even though one of the parking lots is closed, there is handicap accessible parking in the 73 Lawrence Street lot.

The event is outdoors in paved lots and indoors on the first floor.

To access the outdoor portion, please use the alley between the Shirt Factory and the Shirt Factory Annex (the brick building with the green metal roof).

To browse the shops inside and the restrooms, please use the ramp next to the loading dock inside the 73 Lawrence Street parking lot.

In addition to parking on the street, there is parking in our lot at 73 Lawrence Street.

For those visiting Rockhill Bake House, you can park in the lot at 18 Curran Lane and the entrance is inside the parking lot.

Please do not park on our neighbors property or block access to their property, This includes the parking lots at Ascko, Mahoney, Glens Falls Produce and Grey Ghost.

This event is free to attend, the only cost will be what you buy while you are here! Because each shop and booth is it’s own independent business that sets their own prices, the cost of items varies from store to store and vendor to vendor, you will find something to fit almost every budget here.

The Shirt Factory is located on Lawrence Street in Glens Falls, and is bordered on one side by Cooper Street and by Curran Lane on the other.

There are four entrances to the main building, all except one enter at a landing between the Garden Level (down) and the First Floor (up). The exception is the entrance at the loading dock, found in the lot at 73 Lawrence Street. This handicap/stroller accessible entrance enters the building at the first floor, where most of the shops are located.

If you are looking to visit Sweet Side Records, Dakine Cuisine, K Fanciullo Photography Glens Falls Distilling or Rockhill Bake House, you will find them in the Annex building, the green metal roof next to the Shirt Factory on Curran Lane. The parking lot for the Annex is at 18 Curran Lane and the entrance to Rockhill is inside the parking lot.

There are seven public restrooms at the Shirt Factory. There is one on the Garden Level and two on each of the other floors.

On each floor at least one restroom is handicap accessible.

The restroom to your right after entering at the loading dock has a change table.

We try to make sure there’s at least one gluten free option at each event. We’re working with vendors to come up with a system for indicating this both online and at the event.

Several vendors offer vegan and vegetarian options. We’re working with vendors to come up with a system for indicating this both online and at the event.

Leashed, well behaved dogs are welcome, although there will be some shops that you will not be able to bring your furry friend.

We understand that not everyone likes to put their dog on a leash and has trained their dog to respond to commands while off leash. This is a busy event with lots of news smells and sounds to stimulate your pet, and not everyone visiting may be excited to see your dog there. To ensure that everyone feels safe and comfortable attending the event, all dogs must be physically under their owner’s control while here.

Both Rockhill Bake House and SensibiliTeas hold licenses from Ag and Markets which state that only trained service animals are allowed in their establishments. Unfortunately, at this time, the state does not recognize emotional support animals as trained service animals.

We get pretty excited about our events and look forward to sharing a good time with everyone. With that in mind, we also want to make sure it’s a good time for the vendors too. If we make any changes to an event, from canceling to ending early, we will post in on our Facebook page.

Our policy for canceling is two fold.

For outdoor events, we will cancel ahead of time if the forecast calls for high winds or thunderstorms. If you’ve never done it, setting up at an event is labor intensive, we want to make sure that vendors always feel like it was worth the effort! Because food vendors begin prepping their ingredients several hours before an event, this call must be made either the day before or first thing in the morning to prevent food waste. Often the forecast changes by the time we get to the event start time, but we had to make a judgement call hours earlier, by the time that forecast changes again, it’s too late for vendors to get everything ready and set up.

For indoor/outdoor events, we may cancel or end early if the forecast calls for weather that will create dangerous driving conditions. Many of the vendors come from outside the Glens Falls area, if conditions look like they’ll be bad, we want to make sure everyone is able to pack up and get on the road sooner rather than later.

Each booth and shop is it’s own independent business. Many accept credit cards and digital payments, but there are always a few that are cash only. For the best experience, we recommend coming with cash too. From folks who don’t accept cards to folks experiencing technical difficulties with their processing hardware, they’ll appreciate your flexibility with paying and it will make things much more enjoyable for everyone.

During select events, a third party sets up ATM’s at the property for the convenience of our visitor’s. Unfortunately this is not one of the events where they set up.

We have long had a focus on creating family friendly events at the property. We have several kids and recognize that for those with kids, this can be important. Just as it is important for those without kids to be able to enjoy themselves too.

Our events are family friendly, without being wholly child oriented.

Event Details