Back before Christmas I spent a few hours at the Tamale Festival in Indio, CA. Officially known as the Indio International Tamale Festival, the event features midway rides, displays, entertainment, colorful folk dancers, Mexican wrestling, and, of course, all kinds of tamales. This was the 32nd year for the festival which takes place at a park in downtown Indio.
Entry to the event is free, which of course is the right price for me. It definitely is a family outing with a number of midway rides available.
Click on any of the photos below to open a larger version.
Something new to me was the Mexican wrestling. While the colorful masks were interesting to see, I’m not a fan of wrestling, so watching one match was more than enough for me. But certainly there were many there who were entertained by the wrestling: booing or cheering their favorites. It definitely drew a crowd.
Throughout the day, the main stage featured folk dancers of all ages with their colorful costumes. Of course the young ones stole the show every time!
A Tamale Festival wouldn’t be complete without a strolling Mariachi band.
And of course there were tamales. A long row of booths served tamales of all types to satisfy your taste buds.
All-in-all it was a fun way to spend a few hours. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the Coachella Valley in early December. Be sure to take your appetite as the tamales are delicious!
Wind At Your Back 
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