During the height of Covid, I spent long hours searching for things reasonably local to Los Angeles to do and to write about, focusing on outdoor activities. One such thing was my visit to a date farm in Palm Springs, which you can read about here. Little did I know that A would become the biggest fan of dates, and that we would regularly keep them around. (They border on the too sweet for me.)

Since then, we have tried several different varieties of dates, cooked with dates, stopped for date shakes every time we’ve passed through Palm Springs, and otherwise had dates as a regular part of our existence. So when I found that the Riverside County Fair in Indio (just past Palm Springs) was also the National Date Festival, I knew it would be something we would attend.

Indio makes for a long day trip, at roughly two hours from Los Angeles. But armed with water, snacks, driving music, some close friends, and excitement for the date-themed treats coming, we made the trip. The final few minutes spent trying to find the entrance to the fair parking grounds was a bit more challenging (hint: it is behind the entrance stated on the website, on a street parallel), but our pre-purchased tickets scanned just fine and we were inside.

Our first “lap” through the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival (yes, that is the whole name for a single entity, not two distinct things sitting side by side) was a bit disappointing. For those expecting a large visible date presence, you’ll feel the same way. This is much more fair than festival. Rides, carnival games, food vendors selling all the deep fried and unhealthy county fair favorites… those are the things that will be most prevalent. I stopped at an information booth to ask where I’d find date stuff. That was, after all, my reason for coming. I was pointed in the direction of one of the buildings that houses vendors and exhibits.

Walking in, it seemed like a museum. Here were exhibits to dates, to date farmers, and to agriculture in the county in general. But that’s pretty much all it was: exhibits. A single booth was selling dates and date products, and UC Riverside had some samples of dates at another table. What a sharp contrast to other local fairs and festivals themed around a food, like the California Strawberry Festival, where seemingly dozens of local farms are selling their wares.

But then I inquired at that single booth about other date-themed foods, and I was told that every food vendor outside is required to have a date-oriented item on their menu. I rushed back outside and to the first food tent I saw, a burger place. Sure enough, I was told that they offer bacon wrapped dates. I ordered a platter, and my day began in earnest.

Apparently, the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival used to be much more date oriented. Active for 77 years, each year has seen it become a bit less date heavy, and a bit more generic county fair. Today, the only real date presence is that single indoor area and the food requirement. But the rule that vendors must have a date item on their menus ended up turning my day into a scavenger hunt, something even more fun – although more challenging – than just having a lot of date vendors, and I found myself racing around to as many food stalls as I could, asking what date items they had available. Toffee-date iced coffee and some sort of a date cookie bar soon joined the bacon wrapped dates in my stomach.

Over the course of the next several hours, I would also consume tacos al pastor with date syrup and a date shake, as well as a date muffin. My compatriots would also add some more traditional fair fare, like a gigantic turkey leg and a huge order of shoestring fries. But for me, it was date or bust. (My only regret is not having enough room left in my stomach for a cheeseburger with date barbecue sauce.)

Fully sated, it was time to explore the rest of the place. I swung by the petting zoo, then watched local kids taking alpacas through an obstacle course competition. (This is apparently a thing, and it was pretty awesome.) I looked at some arts and crafts, and waited in vain for the pig races to open. My favorite part might have been the gems and minerals pavilion, which had some truly stunning objects and collections, as well as some of the more interesting vendors.

After about four hours, it was time to head back to the date vendor to buy some of the treats to take home. They had several varieties at $10 for a small tub, and a sampler with 1-2 of each type for $3. Well, yum. I purchased a couple things, and then it was another two hour drive back to LA.

While it would have been nice to see more date stuff at something that markets itself as the National Date Festival, I still had a great time. I was able to get my fill of date foods, and to experience some of the fun fair environment. Would I come back? I’m not sure. I think this is something one does once, and if I wanted to have more dates, I’d probably set up another farm visit. But I’m glad to have come.

This area grows 95% of the U.S. dates, and I am glad to have been able honor that industry by celebrating at the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival. And my stomach is glad to have found some new uses for the cool fruits.

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