The Brooklyn Botanic Garden will host its annual Chile Pepper Fiesta—celebrating the harvest,culinary use, and cultural significance of the Chile Pepper with a sizzling weekend of music and dance performances—on Saturday and Sunday, October 2 and 3 from 12 noon to 5:30 p.m.

By popular demand, the festival has been expanded into a fiery two-day extravaganza for “ Chileheads ” of all ages. Enjoy hot musical performances and spicy dance workshops while relishing the tangy zip of Chile -infused arts from around the world. Join the global dance party and get down to the percussive, peppery sounds of world beat—from Africa, Brazil, Haiti, Trinidad , Louisiana , and Texas. D iscover how diverse cultures from around the world worship the “Capsaicin god!”

Highlights of the Chile Pepper Fiesta include :

Hot Music P erformances

• Smokin' performances by Sleepy LaBeef , a genuine rockabilly and roots music legend from Texas that has influenced rock legends from the Beatles to Bruce Springsteen. Sleepy LaBeef is a lso known as “The Human Jukebox” for his encyclopedic knowledge of over 6,000 songs !
• The stage will explode with the music of legendary Haitian dance-band Tabou Combo , whose lively 13-member cast will have the audience on their feet .
• Trinidad heat comes to BBG with steel pan performances by the award-winning Brooklyn-based youth ensemble C.A.S.Y.M Steel Orchestra .
• Ghanaian master drummer, formerly a Royal Court Drummer of Eastern Ghana at age seventeen, Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng and his band take to the main stage performing Afropop rhythms with an infectious spirit.
• Guy Davis - Delta blues singer and guitarist Guy Davis is at the forefront of the new generation of country blues artists.  In 2004 he was nominated for the prestigious W.C. Handy Blues Awards for "Best Acoustic Artist" and "Best Acoustic Album." According to the San Francisco Chronicle .   "Davis' tough, timeless vocals blow through your brain like a Mississippi dust devil.”  
• From Lafayette, Louisiana the Lost Bayou Ramblers blaze onto the Garden's main stage with spirited rhythms that will have the whole family two-stepping to their Cajun roots sound . 
• Stephane Wrembel's Hot Club - Performing red hot gypsy jazz in the style of legendary performer Django Reinhardt, virtuosic French guitarist Stephan Wrembel and his trio work to fuse Indian and North African influences into a unique musical style.
• The WIYOS - Delivered with smoky original flair, this spellbinding acoustic trio blends vintage Delta blues, New Orleans swing, ragtime, and old time string band sounds into their own brand of "Oldturnative Music". With a hint of Spike Jones and Buster Keaton, the band incorporates vaudevillian humor into their unique show.
• Paprika - As its name suggests, this all women band serves up spicy flair with their platter of Brazilian, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Near and Far Eastern, and African dance rhythms.
• Shane Henry - Explosive Blues-Rock Prodigy! With his precocious, broken baritone and muscular guitar histrionics, Oklahoma City's Shane Henry is already a musical marvel at just 21 years of age.
• Maracatu New York makes Afro-Brazilian rhythms come alive with the folkloric songs of Northeastern Brazil, once used in ceremony to crown the African Kings of Congo and Africa .
• The Off-Broadway hit show Cookin' is the longest running show in the history of Korean performing arts . T raditional Korean instruments have been replaced with ordinary kitchen utensils—knives, cutting boards, pots, pans, chopsticks and woks—presenting a fast-paced kitchen show that will have the whole family toe-tapping and in stitches laughing!
• The Hi-Risers - This trio delivers "red hot roots rock" that NY Rock magazine called, "a sizzling collection of rock and roll, including rockabilly, surf instrumental, garage band, and other influences that literally leap out of the speakers and make you grin."

Chile Culinary Art

Pick up some piquant kitchen skills and learn the legacy of spicy food across the world at one of the many demonstrations offered during this two-day extravaganza.

• Watch food transformed into edible masterpieces at Chile Pepper Sugar Art with Max Kitano , “ Some Like It Hot”: Entertaining Edible Sculptures with Sidney Escowitz , and Thai Fruit and Vegetable Carving – Courtesy of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
• Folklorist and Cajun culture expert Ryan Brasseaux gives a multi-media presentation about South Louisiana's rich musical history, Cajun and Creole cuisine, and 20 th century Louisiana, accompanied by musical examples performed by The Lost Bayou Ramblers .
• E xpand your cooking repertoire by attending the “Salsa Mexicanas” Cooking Demonstration with Chef Roberto Santibanez of Rosa Mexicano restaurant and the “ Mole Negro de Oaxaca” demo with Chef Barbara Sibley of La Palapa restaurant­­– – presented by The Mexican Cultural Institute of New York .
• Sample JD's South Phily HaHa Hotsauce !

Visitors can get their chile pepper fix at the Terrace Café, which will be serving up spicy food from around the world a long with cold beer , in addition to its regular mix of gourmet sandwiches and beverages. Hot food and cold beer will also be available at the Cherry Esplanade.

Chile Fun!

·         Learn the art of the "Two-Step" with The Cajun Chile Hotsteppers!

·         Bring “ burning chile pepper questions ” to The Chile Goddess, the expert behind the website www.chileplants.com , the largest Web site for chile plants in the world.

• Discover The Art of Mexican Fiesta Flags – Presented by Kate's Paperie

Children and Chile!

·         K ids will enjoy the chile pepper-inspired crafts, activities, workshops and the Chile Pepper Fiesta tattoo parlor.

·         Children and families participate in the hands-on exploration workshop : “ Make your own Spicy Seasoning Mix! ” to learn more about peppers — both sweet and hot!

Check their website www.bbg.org or call the Public Programs Hotline 718-623-7333 for the most current schedule of performances and activities. The Chile Pepper Fiesta is free with the price of Garden admission and takes place rain or shine.

Founded in 1910, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is an independent nonprofit institution committed to education, research and the display of horticulture. BBG serves communities in New York City and internationally through its world-class gardens, extensive research collections and numerous educational and community programs. Situated on 52 acres in the heart of Brooklyn, the Garden is home to over 10,000 types of plants and hosts more than 750,000 visitors annually.