It’s time for the 77th annual Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival, held at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio. The event is a celebration of the end of the annual harvest of a product that’s intertwined with the desert. The region produces more than 35,000,000 pounds of dates annually. The festival has grown over the years and now welcomes more than a quarter of a million visitors each February. Presented by Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, the festival offers 13 days of fun, food, vendors, games, rides, exhibitions, and performances, and features more than 40 unique date treats. The delectable date palm fruit has many uses, from shakes and smoothies to baked goods, energy bars, and haute cuisine.
One local date business owner says, “The Date Festival has a long, rich history with the city of Indio, more of a county fair; it gets very busy, but is lots of fun. We typically have a Hadley Date Gardens display/exhibit in the Taj Mahal building, along with many of the other date ranchers.”
The annual extravaganza runs from Feb. 13 to March 2. The fair will be closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, except for Presidents Day. General admission tickets are affordable; veterans and first responders can access free tickets through VetTix.org. Admission for children age 12 and under is free each Thursday and season passes are available for purchase. Visitors must pay separately for carnival rides and parking. For more information, visit datefest.org.
