A new holiday celebration is coming to Long Beach wrapped up in corn husks and plantain leaves.
The inaugural Long Beach International Tamales Festival will take place on Sunday, Dec. 5 from noon to 8 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Events Centre.
The event, organized by Long Beach Living in collaboration with Roxanne’s Bar and Grill, will have Latino comedian Hoozay as its host.
The Tamales Festival comes at the heels of Long Beach Taco Fest in May, which served as inspiration for the holiday event.
Over 2,000 people are expected to come to the festival, according to the event’s founder Sal Flores-Trimble.
“As I started digging into putting things together, myself being a Mexican immigrant, growing up making tamales with my family, it became very clear that [the event] is going to be a much bigger deal, not only on scale, but on how we approached it,” Flores-Trimble, said.
The festival’s founder noted the event is not just about tamales, but people’s histories, heritage and culture.
“It’s not just Mexican culture, it’s all of Latin America,” Flores-Trimble said. “It’s knowing that there’s so many different kinds of tamales.”
Attendees will find tamales from various countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru and The Philippines. Vegan and vegetarian tamal options will also be available.
Students from the Long Beach City College Culinary Arts Department will also be selling their own tamales at the festival.
“It’s educational for their students, it’s real-life experience where they’re actually selling for the first time their tamales,” Flores-Trimble said. “We’re so happy that Long Beach City College jumped on board.”
A tamal contest, which was sparked by a social media post by Flores-Trimble, will also take place on-site. The contest’s five participants have already been chosen.
The day of the event, the tamales will be judged by Hotel Maya’s Fuego restaurant Executive Chef Victor Juarez, Long Beach City College Culinary School’s Executive Chef Haley Nguyen, and local influencers.
Aside from the traditional wrapped dish, attendees will also be able to find Latin American cuisine from vendors like Breaktime Long Beach (known for their tacos dorados), Camacho Bros Catering, El Barrio Cantina, Roxannes’s Bar and more.
The festival’s eclectic soundtrack will be provided by the performances of Mariachi Relampago, folklorico ensemble Relampago del Cielo, La Mera Candelaria, bringing salsa and Colombian cumbia and DJ sets by Las Chicas Tristes.
The Arts Council for Long Beach and Museum of Latin American Art will host a station for holiday-themed art projects and traditional Latin American art such as papel picado (pecked paper) and games of loteria (traditional game of chance).
A history of tamales display will be installed on the festival grounds that will provide education on the dish and its cultural significance.
As a Mexican immigrant, the event’s founder noted that it was important to not just use people’s culture but celebrate it.
“When I started to go through my rolodex of memories, I started crying because it reminded me of growing up and it was very obvious that it’s beyond food,” Flores-Trimble said. “It’s about people being together for the holidays.”
Tickets for the event are available for purchase here. General Admission is $25 + service fees. VIP tickets starting at $60 are also available. Through the support of the festival’s partners, 250 free tickets will be provided to community members in need through local nonprofits.
