Home Slice will give away 10 years of pizza in a raffle at this year’s Carnival O’ Pizza.
Here is a prize that members and fans of the Austin culinary arts scene are certain to love: Attendees at this year’s Carnival o’ Pizza, hosted by Home Slice Pizza, will have a chance to win free pizza for 10 years. The 10th annual Carnival O’ Pizza will take place Saturday, November 14, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
In past years, the carnival held raffles offering only a single year of pizzas. However, Home Slice co-owner Jen Strickland said a decade of history for the website called for a more dramatic gesture.
“Ten years is a big deal and we wanted to raffle a prize as special as we feel about our history on South Congress and about getting to this milestone,” Strickland told Austin 360. “Spreading the love through great food and hospitality is what Home Slice is all about, and we hope this raffle prize embodies that spirit.”
The pizza at stake is no average takeout pie: Home Slice’s New York-style hand-tossed pizza topped the Austin American-Statesman’s list of the best pizza in town. Restaurant critic Matthew Odam described the crust as “firm and tawny with a crunchy edge,” adding, “aged provolone lends a sharp bite to the cheese mix.”
Other raffle prizes include two tickets to Austin City Limits, coolers and other merchandise from Yeti, and dinner for 12 at Otoko, an exceptionally small fine-dining restaurant set to open this summer.
In addition to the raffle, the event will feature family friendly entertainment like carnival games, music, dance and face painting. Adults can choose from a selection of beers and Italian wines.
Fragile Rock will kick off the carnival at noon. This puppet band, operated by six puppeteers and featuring three live musicians, plays a humorous take on emotional indie rock. Later, the 25-piece Minor Mishap Marching band will bring its New Orleans-style brass and raucous energy to the stage.
The crowd can also take part in several pizza and food-themed competitions, such as dough-tossing and pizza-eating contests. Someone who is not lucky enough to win the raffle still has a chance at nabbing a year’s supply of free pizza by being the last one with his or hands on an eggplant sub sandwich.
Admission to the Carnival O’ Pizza is free. The raffle tickets cost $5 in advance at either the Home Slice or More Home Slice location, or $10 on the day of the event. Proceeds from the carnival and raffle will benefit the Austin Bat Cave, a nonprofit tutoring and writing center for children and teenagers.
