The DC101 Chili Cook-Off is an annual chili cookoff and rock concert sponsored by Washington, D.C. / Baltimore, Maryland radio station WWDC . Proceeds from the cookoff, traditionally held in Washington, D.C. in mid-to-late May, are donated to the National Capital Area chapter of the National Kidney Foundation.

The main features of the event are a chili cookoff competition and a rock music concert, although vendors and sponsors also set up booths to form a temporary marketplace.

In its earlier years, the Cook-Off was often held at the intersection of K St. and Wisconsin Ave. in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., but later moved to the intersection of 12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. After 9/11, security concerns forced the event to move to a series of nearby locations over the next several years. Recently, the Cook-Off has been held at the Center City Lot, formerly the location of the Washington Convention Center. In 2009, for the first time, the Cook-Off was held at RFK Stadium.

The 2008 event attracted a sellout crowd of 22,000 attendees and raised over $1,000,000, though past years have attracted as many as 25,000 attendees. The 2009 event attracted the largest crowd of all of DC101 Chili Cook-Offs at 35,000 attendees.

Chili Cookoff

The DC101 Chili Cook-Off is an International Chili Society-sanctioned event. The cook-off portion of the event involves a competition between 75 chili cooks in four major categories: Salsa, Freestyle, Red Chili and Green Chili. The winner in the Red Chili category goes on to that year's International Chili Society World Championship.

Music

The concert portion showcases the music of several modern rock acts, all performing on a single stage erected in a closed-off city street. Lineups for the concert are usually announced in late March or early April. In recent years, a "Last Band Standing" competition has been held to select a local group to open the show.

Some bands have performed at the festival during more than one year, including Carbon Leaf, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Chevelle and Seven Mary Three.

History

Date	Location	Musical Acts
October 4, 1980	Rosecroft Raceway /Fort Washington, MD
May 3, 1981	Rosecroft Raceway /Fort Washington, MD
May 16, 1982	Prince George's Equestrian Center /Upper Marlboro, MD	The Silver Band, Largo High School Band
May 14, 1983	Prince George's Equestrian Center /Upper Marlboro, MD
May 11, 1985	K St. and Wisconsin Ave. /Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
May 10, 1986	K St. and Wisconsin Ave. /Georgetown, Washington, D.C.	Lone Justice, Downtown
May 20, 1989	K St. and Wisconsin Ave. /Georgetown, Washington, D.C.	The T-Birds, New Potato Caboose, Bird Dog Wheeler
May 19, 1990	K St. and Wisconsin Ave. /Georgetown, Washington, D.C.	The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Steve Smith and The Nakeds, Bird Dog Wheeler
May 18, 1991	K St. and Wisconsin Ave. /Georgetown, Washington, D.C.	Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers, Downtown, Child's Play
May 22, 1993	K St. and Wisconsin Ave. /Georgetown, Washington, D.C.	Blue Öyster Cult, Child's Play, Y-Not?
May 21, 1994	K St. and Wisconsin Ave. /Georgetown, Washington, D.C.	Kansas
May 20, 1995	K St. and Wisconsin Ave. /Georgetown, Washington, D.C.	Collective Soul
May 18, 1996	K St. and Wisconsin Ave. /Georgetown, Washington, D.C.	Spin Doctors, Dog's Eye View, Seven Mary Three, Toadies, The Badlees, The Emptys
May 17, 1997	12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. / Washington, D.C.	Cracker, Cowboy Mouth, Sponge, Chalk FarM, Patti Rothberg, emmet swimming, Silverjet
May 30, 1998	12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. / Washington, D.C.	Blink182, Everclear, Smash Mouth, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Brother Cane, Mighty Joe Plum, Foam
May 22, 1999	12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. / Washington, D.C.	Fuel, Sponge, Finger Eleven, The Flys, Virgos Merlot, Bare, Jr., emmet swimming
May 20, 2000	12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. / Washington, D.C.	Goo Goo Dolls, Vertical Horizon, Our Lady Peace, Stroke 9, 8 Stops 7, Ebo
May 19, 2001	12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. / Washington, D.C.	Train, Eve6, The Go-Go's, Seven Mary Three, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Smartbomb
May 18, 2002	12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. / Washington, D.C.	Soul Asylum, Puddle of Mudd, Something Corporate, Remy Zero, Sugarcult, Carbon Leaf, Pete Yorn, 2 Skinnee J's, Welbilt*
May 17, 2003	12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. / Washington, D.C.	Third Eye Blind, 3 Doors Down, Saliva, The Exies, Cold, Theory of a Deadman, Stage, Agents of the Sun*
October 16, 2004	12th St. and Independence Ave. / Washington, D.C.	Cake, Jimmy Eat World, Switchfoot, The Donnas, Chevelle, Thousand Foot Krutch, The Speaks*
May 14, 2005	12th St. and Independence Ave. / Washington, D.C.	Papa Roach, Chevelle, Trust Company, Carbon Leaf, Tony C. and the Truth, The Dan Band
May 20, 2006	12th St. and C St. / Washington, D.C.	Better Than Ezra, Hoobastank, Bloodhound Gang, Tonic, Smash-Up Derby, Rude Buddha, Everyone But Pete*
May 12, 2007	Center City Lot / Washington, D.C.	Jet, Three Days Grace, Buckcherry, Breaking Benjamin, Silversun Pickups, The Bravery, Minus-One*
May 10, 2008	Center City Lot / Washington, D.C.	Live, Staind, Chevelle, Finger Eleven, Seether, Deaf Pedestrians, The Blackjacks*
May 16, 2009	RFK Stadium / Washington, D.C.	The Offspring, Third Eye Blind, Shinedown, Papa Roach, Puddle of Mudd, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Niki Barr Band*

* "Last Band Standing" winner

Trivia

• Security concerns resulted in the postponement of the planned 2004 event. As a result, the Cook-Off was held in October instead.

• While performing their hit song "Iris" at the 2000 event, Goo Goo Dolls lead singer Johnny Rzeznik was struck by a thrown shoe. The band stopped mid-song and left angrily. Rzeznik called into DC101's morning show a few days later to apologize and finished the song a cappella. Even so, the group did not return to the Washington, D.C. area for several years afterward.

• Jordan's King Abdullah and Queen Rania attended the 1999 Cook-Off while on an official visit to the United States.

• The 1992 Cook-Off was canceled due to rain. Jefferson Starship had been scheduled to perform.

References

1. [1]
2. Grove, Lloyd. "The Reliable Source." The Washington Post 25 May 1999, Final ed., sec. C: 03. LexisNexis. 8 Mar. 2008. Keyword: DC 101 Chili Cook-Off.
3. Schaffer, Athena. "DC101 Chili Cook-Off Raises $130G for Kidney Foundation." Amusement Business 14 June 1993: 5. General OneFile. 8 Mar. 2008. Keyword: DC101 Chili Cook-Off.