SeeCalifornia.com

Thanksgiving means Different Things to Different People, and for many turkey is less significant than tamales. Whether fixing turkey & dressing tamales, or skipping the turkey and having beefy tamales as your main dish, there’s no denying that in California practically half of the population sees the winter holidays as a time in which tamales are a beloved tradition.

Celebrated in festivals throughout the state, the majority take place in December–and it appears that California has the most tamale festivals in the U.S. These events are a great time to get up to speed on tamale dining as most include music, parades, contests and other entertainment providing a Total Tamale Experience.

California Tamale Fests

• La Habra Tamale Festival Nov.25, 2018 includes a contest with three divisions:
  Abuelita/Abuelito Division – Exclusively for grandparents with legendary recipes!
  Muchacha/Muchacho Division – Exclusively for youth ages 17 and under who rock the tamale!
  Senora/Senor Division – Open division for everyone else!
  There will be two categories:
  Best Savory Tamale (Meat, Cheese, Veggie, Other)
  Best Sweet Tamale (Dessert, Corn, Cheese, Other)
• Indio Tamale Festival Dec.1-2 is billed as world’s largest tamale fest
• Oxnard Tamale Festival Dec.1 is held in conjunction with the Christmas Parade themed “Making Spirits Bright” in 2018
• Placentia Tamale Festival & Las Posadas Dec.5 includes live entertainment by the Grammy Award Winning Mariachi Divas.
• Simi Valley’s Santa’s Tamale Festival Dec.8 at Simi Valley Town Center is a family event raising money for sleeping bags for homeless veterans.