57th Annual Hopkins County Stew Contest
For over five decades, the last Saturday in October has meant one thing in Hopkins County: over 150 teams gathered at Buford Park, each one stoking a wood fire under a cast iron pot of stew that might be the best in Texas.
The Hopkins County Stew Contest is one of the oldest and most respected cooking competitions in Texas. Every fourth Saturday of October, Buford Park in Sulphur Springs fills with four-person cooking teams, each one preparing either chicken or beef stew the old way: over an open wood fire, in a cast iron pot, stirred with a wooden paddle. The 57th annual contest falls on Saturday, October 24, 2026, and the event draws thousands of visitors from across the region.
57th Annual World Champion Hopkins County Stew Contest
Buford Park, Sulphur Springs, TX
Over 150 teams compete in chicken and beef stew categories, cooked over open wood fires in cast iron pots. Sponsored by Alliance Bank. Tickets available through the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce.
The tradition
The stew contest has been running since the late 1960s, and it has become a defining event for Hopkins County. Over 150 teams compete, each working from their own closely guarded recipe. The cooking starts early in the morning, with teams arriving at Buford Park before sunrise to set up their cooking stations, build their fires, and begin the hours-long process of simmering their stew. Judging takes place in the afternoon, and the winners take home the title of World Champion Hopkins County Stew.
The event is organized by the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Alliance Bank. Tickets are sold in advance through the Chamber and at local banks and credit unions. The stew is served by the bowl, and the competition is divided into chicken and beef categories. The atmosphere is pure community event: families spread out on blankets, children play on the park grounds, and the smell of woodsmoke and simmering stew fills the air from late morning until the last bowls are served.
Getting there from the property
Sulphur Springs is about 40 minutes west of the property via US-80 and US-67, an easy drive through the rolling farmland of Titus and Hopkins counties. Buford Park sits on the south side of Sulphur Springs, with ample parking for the event. For anyone on the property with an appreciation for Texas food traditions, the stew contest is a genuine local institution worth the drive, and it falls on the same day as the Mount Vernon Food and Wine Festival, giving you options for a full Saturday of community events in either direction.
Plan a visit
Walk the land, then taste the stew.
The 8 acres and Buford Park are forty minutes apart. See the property, then drive over for a bowl of Texas tradition.
Schedule a visit