Coachella’s First Date Harvest Festival Kicked Off

The first Date Harvest Festival happened Saturday.

The running theme throughout the entire festival were dates. Plus, some date inspired jokes were posted around the venue.

So News Channel 3 decided to go around the festival and ask attendees their best date joke.

Stuart O'Keefe, a chief and author, was quick to respond.

"Why the... won't you just date me and I am like really? Thats it," said O'Keefe.

While others went blank including Isabella Diaz from Indio, who attended the festival with friends.

" Yikes… oh I don't know any date jokes… none. I don't know any," said Diaz.

Saralyn Delk, owner of Regulus Date Ranch, explains that dates are more than just a dry fruit.

"They are not dry. they are dried fruit not a dry fruit," said Delk.

She said she has learned a few things from growing dates on her ranch.

"Talk to them. My manager, Alfredo talks to them in Spanish and I talk to them in English." said Delk. "We planted 1,500 dates and lost 8 which I don't think any farmer in the valley can do better than that."

The festival showcased more than 20 types of dates and some were amazed with what can be made with dates.

Ester Lemus-Romero describes the food and drink combinations she tried at the festival.

"I just had a Mojito with a date in it and it was really good. Its really interesting that everything here is around the dates," said Lemus-Romero. "So if you have a rib, the sauce is going to have date in the sauce and that was pretty neat."

The one day event was what the festival co-owner, Mark Tadros, envisioned.

"" I wanted them to walk in and say who this isn't what I imagined at all this is so much better than I thought and that is what everyone keeps telling me all day long," said Tadros.

He told News Channel 3 that he plans to have the festival next year.