There’s a world cheese dip championship?
Why yes, yes there certainly is! It is an annual event held in the fall in Little Rock, Arkansas.
NOTE: This festival used to be held in the fall. However for 2025 they are changing the date to June 7th. It will also be combined with a craft beer festival. The location will be Dickey Stevens Park in North Little Rock. It should be a great time!
Arkansans take their cheese dip seriously, y’all. You can read all about the best cheese dips in Little Rock here. If you are going to be in town you will definitely want to try a few of these!
We proudly proclaim that cheese dip was invented here back in 1935 and that the inventor also owned the first restaurant to ever serve the creamy, melty, spicy goodness. Now MANY restaurants in Little Rock and Central Arkansas serves it.
It isn’t just Mexican restaurants that offer cheese dip…I’m telling you…the stuff is everywhere! We also have a restaurant that claims to have been the first to serve the now-popular white cheese dip.
It was even mentioned in the Wall Street Journal that Arkansas is the king of cheese dip.
Apparently this was confusing to Texans, but, hey, we aren’t talking queso here. It’s definitely not the same thing.
We also aren’t talking about that Velveeta and Ro-tel concotion. (Although there’s nothing wrong with that!)
We are talking cheese dip. It’s a whole different thing. And you had better believe it has been elevated and refined in Central Arkansas to the point of fine dining. It is not only a staple of the dining scene, it is also an important part of the culture.
Therefore, it just makes sense that the The World Championship Cheese Dip Championship is an annual event right here in Central Arkansas.
The festival was originally held in a parking lot near the Clinton Library, but this year (2025) it will be held at Dickey-Stephens ball park in North Little Rock.
They are also going to be moving the date from fall to early summer.
It will be held on June 7, 2025 and combined with Foam fest – a craft beer festival.
The competition has both professional and amateur divisions. You are given two voting tokens with your admission and can vote however you want.
PRO TIP: Bring along a muffin tin to hold your cups of cheese dip so that you can compare and contrast before you vote.
Bags of tortilla chips are handed out as you enter. You can buy your tickets online ahead of time or at the gate.
The cheese dip from both amateurs and professionals is very good!
I highly recommend attending the World Cheese Dip Championship. It is a fun, unique and delicious event!
I do believe that if the rest of the world gave cheese dip a try that they would be as smitten as the Arkansans are.
For another food-centric festival in Little Rock check out the Main Street Food Truck Festival.
Thanks for stopping by!
