Indio's Traditional Tamale Festival On Hold

Press release from the city of Indio: With the California Department of Health still assigning Riverside County in the “Widespread” tier for COVID-19 risk, officials at the City of Indio made the difficult decision to delay the upcoming Tamale Festival to 2021.

The annual festival, originally scheduled for Dec. 8 and 9, 2020, typically welcomes 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 and 5, 2021. However, the City continues to recognize its 90th Anniversary this year, and alternate dates and locations are being considered for a creative way to celebrate these two important events together before next winter.

This press release was produced by city of Indio. The views expressed here are the author's own.