How to Visit the Indio Tamale Festival
Sample some of the best tamales in the world on a visit to the annual Indio International Tamale Festival. This small desert community attracts thousands of visitors each December to honor this corn husk-wrapped treat . You can find every kind of tamale imaginable from savory to sweet, traditional to exotic, at this weekend celebration featuring attractions, contests and other events designed to entertain the whole family. It's billed as the largest event of its kind in the world, and Food Network-TV has named it one of the 10 best "All-American Food Festivals" in the country.
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Instructions
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Travel to Indio via Interstate 10. The festival takes up several blocks of downtown Indio between Highway 111 and Indio Boulevard on the first weekend in December each year. Festival events run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free. See the Resource Section for directions, places to stay and parking.
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Dozens of tamale booths are scattered along a 4-square-block festival area. It's easy to spot the favorites as lines at some booths are more than a block long. You can find the traditional pork, beef and chicken tamales, as well as sweet corn, shrimp, fresh fruit and cream-filled varieties. Bring a cooler if you want to buy enough to take home. Event vendors also sell tacos, guacamole and chips, funnel cakes and other offerings.
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Watch the tamale-eating contest--or enter, if you're brave enough. There are also bounce houses, face-painting, games and carnival rides for children. Root for your favorite tamale makers during the various tamale judging competitions in several categories.
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Enjoy the parade down Indio Avenue and the entertainment on the four stages. Acts include bands, singing groups and dancing. Don't miss the traditional Mexican Folklorico groups.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Courtesy of www.tamalefestival.net
