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Have a date at Riverside County Fairgrounds

Have a date at Riverside County Fairgrounds

Riverside County Fairgrounds

Image Source: https://www.datefest.org/

Every year in February, Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival are held to celebrate the Date Palm harvest. It takes place in Indio, an oasis in California, on the grounds of Riverside County. The location of these grounds is near the Coachella Valley and about 130 miles from Los Angeles. In 1940, the County bought 40 acres of land for the annual festival. This saw an increase of an extra 40 acres and the date groves. After World War II, work started again and the fair had Arabian Nights theme to represent the original land of dates i.e. Saudi Arabia. Have a date at Riverside County Fairgrounds. Moreover, this reflected the desert region and the date palm harvest. Although many community members contributed to the festival, two people should get recognition for their contributions. One of them was a writer and artist Louise Dardenelle, and the other was a retired Hollywood set designer, Harry Oliver.

Features: 

It is known to have approximately 250,000 date palms on land that extends up to 5,000 acres. The Coachella Valley is responsible for 95% of the nation’s date crops. If we’re talking about numbers, 35,000,000 pounds of dates annually is what the industry is responsible for. The Date Festival hosts more than 7000 competitions and exhibitions including this crop. Now, the festival also includes growing musicians and comedians, monster trucks, bull riding, and Date Festival Queen and her court. The fair also includes races between ostriches, pigs and camels. 

Queen Scheherazade Pageant Scholarship:

The fair also hosts a scholarship competition called “Queen Scheherazade”. Locals compete to win scholarships. This helps them in continuing their education and acting as goodwill ambassadors for the fair. One queen and two princesses are chosen to make up the court and to represent the festival. The queen and her princesses must have self-confidence, elegance, and congeniality. This helps them in developing their public developing skills and confidence. The court has to attend interviews to represent the festival throughout the year. The duties may seem very tiresome, but the advantages and the memories are worth it.

Attractions:

The festival has many attractions apart from its beautiful view and the wonderful place it is located. It includes carnival rides, animal adoptions, animal races, President’s Day Parade, Queen Scheherazade, Arabian night’s musical pageant, cooking dates, and date exhibits among many others.

Facilities Rentals:

Riverside County offers a variety of facilities that you can avail of as well. Whether it is a wedding, any exhibition, or a small get-together, you can rent out places in Riverside County. This includes their Taj Mahal Building, Fullenwider Auditorium, Queen’s gallery, Grandstand Arena, Amphitheatre Stage, and the South Parking Lot. Fairgrounds has the type of location and amenities you are looking for.

The festival is an integral part of the valley and one of their biggest tourist attractions. It is an all-in-one combination that provides an insight of history and gives us the fun and excitement we need. You can go there with your family, friends or dates. 

Take Requa Ave to Monroe St
3 min (0.9 mi)

Head north on Arabia St toward John Nobles Ave
0.4 mi

Turn left onto Requa Ave
0.5 mi

Continue on Monroe St. Take I-10 W to Wildcat Dr
10 min (6.2 mi)

Turn right onto Monroe St
1.6 mi

Turn left to merge onto I-10 W
3.9 mi

Take exit 137 toward Washington St
0.3 mi

Use the middle lane to turn left onto Varner Rd
0.2 mi

Use the 2nd from the right lane to turn right onto Washington St
0.3 mi

Continue on Wildcat Dr to your destination
59 s (0.2 mi)

Turn left onto Wildcat Dr
0.2 mi

Turn right
69 ft

Turn left
Destination will be on the right

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