Michigan Travel · Lansing
Lansing Chili Cook-Off returns to Jackson Field Oct. 24 with unlimited tastings, a beer tent and carnival rides
LANSING, Mich. — Chili makers from around Mid-Michigan will compete at Jackson Field on Saturday, Oct. 24, when the Lansing Lugnuts hold the second annual Lansing Chili Cook-Off & Fall Festival at their downtown ballpark.
Gates open at 3 p.m. at 505 E. Michigan Ave., and the festival runs until 9 p.m., according to Downtown Lansing Inc.’s event listing. Unlimited chili tasting runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Lugnuts are presenting the event with the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Besides the chili, the lineup includes live music, a beer tent, contests, a kids’ zone and carnival rides, the listings say.
Adult tickets are $15, and children 12 and under get in for $10, according to the Lugnuts’ event listing. Admission covers entry, the unlimited samples and a commemorative tasting spoon. A $50 VIP ticket adds early access to the tasting, event swag and one drink ticket for the beer tent. Ride tickets cost extra: $25 for unlimited rides or $3 per ticket, with the number of tickets varying by ride.
The same weekend, Fenner Nature Center holds its 52nd Apple Butter Festival on Oct. 24 and 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at 2020 E. Mount Hope Ave. Admission is free, with a suggested $5 parking donation. Visitors can help stir apple butter in the kettle, cut a “tree cookie” with a crosscut saw, buy cider and doughnuts, and visit food trucks. The festival raises money for Fenner Conservancy, the nonprofit that manages the nature center with the city.
Sources:
Downtown Lansing Inc., “Lansing Chili Cook-Off & Fall Festival,” event listing for Oct. 24, 2026 (hours, address, presenters, tasting window, activities), https://downtownlansing.org/events/lansing-chili-cook-fall-festival/sat-oct-24-2026-3-9pm
Lansing Lugnuts event listing via Yodel, “Lansing Chili Cook-Off & Fall Festival” (ticket prices, VIP package, ride tickets), https://events.yodel.today/southlansing-mi/event/Lansing-Lugnuts/Lansing-Chili-Cook-Off---Fall-Festival/6ab4042dd1ec10ae20d621cc
Fenner Nature Center, “Apple Butter Festival,” Oct. 24–25, 2026, https://mynaturecenter.org/visit/festivals/applebutterfestival/
Photo: Tony Webster, “Jackson Field - Lansing Lugnuts Baseball Team - Lansing - Michigan.jpg,” Jan. 9, 2023, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jackson_Field_-_Lansing_Lugnuts_Baseball_Team_-_Lansing_-_Michigan.jpg
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