2020 Tamale Festival canceled due to pandemic

City officials announced today that Indio's annual Tamale Festival will not be held this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The festival, originally scheduled for Dec. 8-9, typically attracts nearly 100,000 people to downtown Indio for a weekend of entertainment, food and games.

"The Tamale Festival is an extremely important part of what makes Indio so special," said Indio Mayor Glenn Miller. "There is nothing we'd like more than to end 2020 with such a positive celebration of our culture and history. However, we can't risk people's safety by bringing together such a large number of people when metrics in Riverside County have not been met."

Indio's 29th annual Tamale Festival is currently rescheduled for Dec. 4-5, 2021.