Save the Date: September 4–7, 2026.
The Malibu Chili Cook-Off® is back for its 43rd year, and this year, Aviator Nation is stepping in as presenting partner.
In a powerful show of partnership, we've joined forces with the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu to make sure one of this town's most beloved Labor Day Weekend traditions returns — bigger, warmer, and more rooted in the community than ever.
A Year of Showing Up
Last year, we made a different kind of decision. The Malibu Chili Cook-Off® took a year off — not because the appetite wasn't there, but because Malibu was navigating the hardest year this community has seen in a long time. The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu never stopped. Youth programs. Mental health support. Disaster recovery. Families showing up for each other when everything else felt uncertain.
That work came first. It still does.
For us, partnering with the Cook-Off was never about putting a logo on a tent. It was about asking the Club what they needed and finding a way to back it. The answer, eventually, was simple: bring everyone back together. Give the community a reason to gather again. Make it feel like Malibu.
What's Coming
We can't tell you everything yet — but we will say this:
The judges are going to make you talk. The music is going to make you stay. And the chili — obviously — is going to make you come back next year.
Aviator Nation Dreamland is curating the music. Local chefs and home cooks are dusting off recipes. The carnival is being booked. The tents are going up on the bluffs above the Pacific. Three days. One town. One weekend that means something different this year than it ever has before.
Save the Date
September 4–7, 2026 — Labor Day Weekend, in the heart of Malibu.
Be the first to know when tickets, the lineup, and this year's program drop.
Follow along: @malibuchilicookoff · @aviatornationdreamland · @aviatornation
