Indio International Tamale Festival to return in December

The Indio International Tamale Festival will return after a two-year hiatus.

The city announced that the festival is set to be held on Saturday, Dec. 4 and Sunday, Dec. 5 at 100 Civic Center Mall in downtown Indio.

The Tamale Festival was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. The festival typically attracts nearly 100,000 people for a weekend of entertainment, food, and games.

Admission is free and parking is available at the County's Administration Building, Larson Justice Center, on the corner of Highway 111 and Oasis Street. Free shuttles will be provided.

Festival organizers are currently accepting food, retail, and entertainment applications. To apply as a vendor, go to
indiotamalefestival.com/vendors. Applications to participate are due by Friday, November 12th at 5 PM.

For this year's festival, the city of Indio is partnering with CUSP Agency and its founding producer, Gopi Sangha, as part of an effort to "elevate and enhance Tamale Festival through 2023."

City officials say that the partnership and joint-investment into the community experience will bring the festival a fresh creative vision spanning: branding, décor, musical bookings, food and beverage curation, attractions and more.

Sangha has experience with producing several music festivals nationally and in the valley over the past 15 years, including Coachella, Stagecoach, Tachevah, and Splash House. 

“The return of the Indio International Tamale Festival to the center stage of the desert shows our desire to bring world-class events into our local community,” said Indio Mayor Elaine Holmes. “We are excited to take this year’s event to another level.”

Sangha commented on the historic festival:

“It is an incredible honor to produce for the residents of Indio and the Coachella Valley. A community which ignited and inspired our careers in producing major festivals. We are enthusiastic about reestablishing the Tamale Festival as a marquee cultural event in the region and using it as a platform to highlight local creators.”

This year's Indio International Tamale Festival will continue to feature old favorites such as handmade tamales, competitions for best tamale and tamale eating, carnival rides, and a car show.

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New festivities include curated food areas featuring Tamales, Signature Cocktails and Micheladas.

Musical bookings will span English and Spanish language performers, featuring both touring favorites and local features.

A new Mercado will bring handcrafts, merchandise, art and a farmers market to the event.

There will also be family-friendly attractions, including luchador wrestlers and “The World's Biggest Bounce House” by Big Bounce America.

"The Tamale Festival will continue to provide a rich multicultural and multi-generational experience complemented by holiday shopping for a  wonderful day spent amongst family and friends," reads an announcement by the city of Indio.

The Talame Festival has been held every year in the city of Indio since 1992. It features the widest variety of handmade tamales to be found anywhere in the world.

In December 2000, the festival made the Guinness Book of World Records for its record attendance of 120,000 people. Voted as one of Food Network’s Top 10 "All-American Food Festivals," the much-loved event is a favorite of locals and tourists alike.

For more information on the festival, visit: indiotamalefestival.com