Okotoks Hot Chocolate Fest a sweet tooth's dream

February is set to be sweet with the Okotoks Hot Chocolate Festival kicking off.

Running Feb. 10-21, the festival features 14 cafes and local businesses each offering their own unique take on a classic comfort.

“The businesses are super excited, they make some really creative things,” said festival organizer Katie Fournell. “There’s things like toasted marshmallows, infused whipped cream, there’s cookies on the side.

“We have 14 locations, but we have a few more hot chocolates than that because a few of the locations have doubled up and done two different kinds of hot chocolate.

“And there’s one location that’s done a hot chocolate and a hot-chocolate cookie, so there’s different things for people to try this year.”

Four of the offerings are also take-home kits.

The event draws a significant following, and while coinciding with Calgary’s own hot chocolate festival, Fournell said there is a draw both locally and from neighbouring communities.

“Those we do see from Calgary are usually looking for the more small-town feel,” she said.

“More and more people are coming, it sounds like it’s something people are really looking forward to and are like, ‘I can’t wait for the hot chocolates to come back.'

“The businesses are doing a phenomenal job, they keep changing their drinks every year, so you get to go and try completely different things you’ve never tried before in Okotoks and won’t be able to try again.”

Businesses have reported the event as a success in past years, Fournell added.

“One business told me they sold over 300 hot chocolates in the week,” she added, stating the website had hundreds of users visiting.

Sugar fiends can track their progress and make sure they catch ’em all using an interactive map on the event’s website,

“If you make an account there then you can go rate all the hot chocolates as you try them” Fournell said. “It’s actually a lot of fun; as you rate all the hot chocolates the cups change colour so you can see which ones you’ve tried already.

“It’s going to be a blast. There’s going to be a lot of sugar.”

For more information on where to get a hot chocolate fix visit hotchoco.ktevents.ca