Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival

Photo Credit: Mitchell Sussman

 
Annually each February, the Riverside County Fair and Date Festival is one of the biggest events of the year in the California desert that consists of Palm Spring and its neighboring desert resort communities.

This annual event, which takes places in the city of Indio, has much to offer the entire family. Fantastic food, exhibits, carnival rides, a midway, an arcade, camel races and exciting live entertainment. It's a ten - day event filled with fabulous fun.
Located in the California desert, approximately 130 miles east from Los Angeles; Indio is one of the largest commercial date-producing area in the western hemisphere.
It wasn't until the early 1900's that dates became a known commodity in the California desert. Originally brought over brought over and transplanted in the California desert from the middle east, by the early 1920's there were sufficient dates planted that date gardens became a significant Coachella Valley tourist attraction.

As a result of the popularity of the date gardens the idea of an annual Date Festival was conceived. The first festival was held in 1921 in Indio's city park. The following year a second Festival was held. Unfortunately, attendance at the second festival was lacking and interest in putting on a festival abated.

It wasn't until 16 years later that the third Date Festival was held this time under the name of Riverside County Fair and the Coachella Valley Date Festival. The festival was at that time run by the city of Indio under contract from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.
The third attempt at an annual festival was a success, with almost 100 exhibition booths and attendance in excess of 5,000. The third festival took on a western themes complete with cowboy hats, and rodeo events. Also held that year was a street parade which has since become a National Date Festival staple.

In the early 40's Riverside County bought some 40 acres of land in Indio which is the site of the present fairgrounds. Today as a result of additional land purchases by the county, including the purchase of a neighboring date grove, the fairgrounds cover about 120 acres.
After WWII the county constructed a series of Arabian themed buildings on the site. As a result of the Arabian theme of the surrounding structures the event took on an Arabic theme, complete with an Arabian nights pageant and Queen Scheherazade contest.
Today the event is visited by 70,000 people annually. Some of the special attractions and events that comprise the ten - day event include Camel and Ostrich Races, the Queen Scheherazade Scholarship Pageant, Bull-O-Rama, The Presidents' Day Grand Parade, the Motorsports Monster Trucks, WGAS Demolition Derby, Daily Petting Zoo, World Power Wrestling and carnival rides, games and fair food. There is also nightly headline entertainment making the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival a must see on your next vacation to Palm Springs and the California desert resort communities.

Mitchell Sussman has been a television producer for the past twenty five years. In that time he has produced adventure travel programming for such networks as Travel Channel, PBS, Fox Sports Net, Star TV and many others.

About the Author: Mitchell is also a contributing editor to a website that provides information about and is a portal to hotels, golf, attractions, restaurants and events in Palm Springs and the California desert resort cities http://www.palmspringsvacationdiscounts.com

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