For the second year in a row, residents will get the chance to learn about one of the most beloved Mexican pastimes: tamale making.
Long Beach Living, in collaboration with KCRW, Lola’s Mexican Cuisine and Long Beach City College, will host a fiesta fit for the masses—and the masa—on Dec. 4 for the second annual Long Beach International Tamales Festival. Residents will be able to enjoy various Latin inspired dishes and drinks, tequila tastings, live music, performances, arts and crafts and more.
Sal Flores hosted his first festival catered to Latin Americans during the pandemic, in a socially distanced taco festival. Following the success of the event, Flores’ husband suggested they take it a step further and expand to tamales.
The plan was to host a traditional tamale festival where the community is invited to try various flavors and learn of their cultural significance. The Instagram post where Flores announced the event quickly gave him another idea.
“People came posting all, ‘Well you have to try my mom’s tamales, they’re the best.’ And it just went on and on, you know everybody’s mom’s tamales come out the best,” Flores said, laughing. “Which they are, you know, my mom’s tamales are definitely the best. So we’re like, ‘Oh, this could be fun and make it a competition.’”
Last year’s event not only celebrated the beloved Mexican food, but made a point to educate residents on the history behind tamales and include children and families in Mexican crafts.
To the surprise of Flores and everyone waiting in line the day of the first tamale festival, tickets quickly sold out and the event hit capacity. People waiting in line were upset they wouldn’t be able to participate, which only pushed Flores to create an even bigger event this year.
“The biggest thing that we learned from last year was [it was] needed … it was something that the community wanted,” Flores said.
This year’s festival will be held at Long Beach City College in order to host double the amount of people as last year, almost 5,000, according to Flores. The location was a welcome change, he said, since most of the community surrounding the college are Latino.
“We want this to live as a Long Beach tradition. We need a Latin festival that is for the Latin community here in Long Beach,” Flores said. “We’re the highest concentrated minority here … and we don’t have our own thing. And so we’re hoping this turns into something that is for all of us, and to teach other cultures what we’re all about.”
The tamale competition will be judged by local foodie celebrities including Brian Addison of Longbeachize, James Tir of LB Food Coma and others. Due to health regulations from the City, participants in the competition will be invited to cook their homemade tamales in a commercial kitchen in the days leading up to the event.
Contestants who are making tamales will have their stories told through a video documenting all of the participants, their families and how they got into tamale making. The videos will be shown at the event.
“It’s my culture, right? It’s my tradition, it’s something that I grew up with,” Flores said. “So it matters and it should matter and so that’s why we want to make sure education is a big part of it.”
This year’s festival will include an artistic component that residents can compete in: a piñata making competition that will benefit Long Beach-based nonprofits. Ten groups will create their traditional Mexican pieces from scratch, using cardboard and newspaper, then decorate them as they see fit in hopes to create a “learning experience” out of the traditional decoration.
“Piñatas are a big part of spiritual and Mexican holiday tradition,” Flores said. “It’s not only just for birthdays, but for Christmas and yet it’s a big thing in Mexican culture.”
Residents hoping to enter the piñata making competition must fill out an online form explaining their vision for their artistic creation. Entries must be family-friendly to be considered.
Attendees will be able to view and vote on their favorite piñata by donating $1 to their hopeful winner. Every dollar spent as a vote toward the competition will be donated to a local nonprofit of the winner’s choosing.
“This is about engaging the community and to be able to raise a little bit of money for something that is going to do good for all of us, not just somebody,” Flores said. “So we think it’s a great way of giving back.”
There will be workshops hosted during the festival teaching residents how to create their own piñatas from scratch, hosted by the Museum of Latin American Art.
“Education is a big part of what we want to be,” Flores said. “It’s not just about selling tamales, it’s not just about a party. It’s about honoring traditions. It’s about educating people and it’s about being respectful of other people’s cultures, and also introducing other people’s traditions to other cultures that have never heard of it.”
The second annual Tamales Festival will be held at Long Beach City College, at 1305 E Pacific Coast Hwy, on Dec. 4 from noon to 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at an early bird discount for $15 at www.lbtamalesfest.com.
