Oxnard Tamale Festival

Congratulations to Ocho Regiones, whose Oaxacan chicken tamale earned the title of Best Tamale at this year’s Oxnard Tamale Festival-to-Go. Wrapped in a banana leaf and filled with moist chicken and a delicious mole sauce, the tamales earned the most points from a public vote of those attending all four weeks of the reimagined festival. Thank you to everyone who participated during this unusual year. We'll see you in 2021! #TamaleThursday #OxnardTogether

HoHoHoHo!! Santa has confirmed that he and his elves are on their way to Oxnard to spread holiday cheer! They’ll make their way slowly through our city streets ...starting Monday, 12/14. Maps of Santa’s expected route will be posted here everyday at 4 p.m., so check back often. Or follow Santa live on Twitter @santafloat. And remember to maintain physical distance as you enjoy the fun! #OxnardTogether See more

In a year like none before it, we thank all those who came out and tasted with us as we discovered new and remembered favorite tamales across Oxnard. Join us now as we revisit the sights and tamales of each of the four stops along our tasty detour. And, if you enjoyed this reimagined festival, stay tuned. We’re putting our creative minds together to come up with another fun foodie activity! Thanks for coming along for the ride. #OxnardTogether

If you participated in all four weeks of our reimagined Tamale Festival-to-Go, you can vote for the festival’s Best Tamale. You should have already received a voting link via email and a QR card when you picked up your sampler box today. Don’t forget to vote by Sunday evening! Let’s see who had the BEST tamale this year! And thank you for participating!

We’re here at Ocho Regiones until 3 p.m. today. Come out and try some of the most unique tamales you’ll find! A triangular cheese corunda wrapped in a corn leaf from Michoacan with mole on top (right); a Oaxacan chicken and mole tamal with red salsa wrapped in a banana leaf (front left); a Cubano with ham, bacon, chorizo, and chicharron with green salsa; and a delicious strawberry tamal. You don’t want to miss this final stop on our tasting tour. #TamaleThursday #OxnardTamaleFestival

REMINDER: Orders close tomorrow!

Our tasting tour of Oxnard tamales took a rest over Thanksgiving week, but we are back in full force on December 3 for this final stop of our reimagined Oxnard Tamale Festival-to-Go. Our sampler packs that day will come from Ocho Regiones, and they promise to be the most unique tamales of our moving festival. Watch our interview with Christina Vega de Carvajal at her Cooper Road restaurant as she talks about tradition and explains what makes her tamals so different. Then pu...rchase your four-tamale sampler pack by going to oxnardtamalefestival.com and following the link. Thank you to our sponsors: Lazer Broadcasting and JW Home Care. #TamaleThursday #OxnardTamaleFestival

This week’s featured Oxnard Tamale Festival-to-Go vendor is Me Gusta Gourmet Tamales. Lines at their festival booth are always long. And for a reason. They are past winners of multiple Best Tamale awards. In this year’s reimagined festival, their sampler pack will include pork, hatch chile and cheese, elote, and strawberry tamales. But which one is the new one they have created just for us? Watch today’s video interview with Xochitl Ortega, one of six siblings involved in the family business. And don’t miss out. Order your tickets for at least their pack by this Thursday! Or order all four weeks at once and save, then vote for your choice of best tamale at the end of the festival. #TamaleThursday #OxnardTamaleFestival

Tired of turkey yet? Bet you will be by the middle of next week! And do we have a tasty diversion: the final stop on our reimagined Oxnard Tamale Festival to-Go! Let us tempt you with the unique flavors of Ocho Regiones. Located in La Colonia, this little restaurant will take us on a tour of treats from the Oaxacan and Michoacan regions of Mexico, as well as a Cubano tamal of ham and bacon. Think rich dark mole and wrappers made of banana or corn leaves. A strawberry tama...le representing Oxnard finishes the sampler pack. Save your taste buds from another day of turkey! Pick up your ticket for this December 3 tasting at OxnardTamaleFestival.com. #TamaleThursday #OxnardTamaleFestival Thank you to this year’s sponsors: Lazer Broadcasting and JW Home Care.

The world has changed and so we adapt. Join us at a new, reimagined 13th Annual Oxnard Tamale Festival, renamed this year to Oxnard Tamale Festival-to-Go! Our tasty detour features a different Oxnard tamale vendor offering a four-tamale sampler pack each Thursday, November 5 to December 3 (skipping Thanksgiving). Purchase a tasting passport each week or buy all four weeks at once for a discount and the opportunity to vote for this year’s best tamale. The health pandemic may h...ave changed our ability to gather, but, heck, it’s tasting time, so hop on board and get ready for a sweet and savory journey. Purchase tickets at OxnardTamaleFestival.com and get a headstart on deciding where you’ll buy your most delectable tamales in December. Sampler packs must be purchased at least one week prior to pick-up date at the vendor location. Times to pick up your tamales vary according to vendor hours. Our first vendor is Me Gusta Gourmet Tamales. They tell us they are working on a special, never-before-offered tamale just for you! To learn more about Me Gusta, their interesting history and maybe an idea of that special tamale, watch our video interview with them here on Sunday! Then buy your tickets! Thank you to this year’s sponsors: Lazer Broadcasting and JW Home Care. #TamaleThursday #OxnardTamaleFestival

Oxnard’s traditional Tamale Festival 2020 is cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. In its place this year, we are planning the Oxnard Tamale Festival-To-Go, a delicious detour and unique tasting experience. Stay tuned as we roll out the details in early October!

Have you heard the latest BUZZ? The second annual #OxnardInsectFestival will return to Plaza Park (500 S. C Street) on June 6! The event will take place from 10am to 4pm. Entrance and parking to the festival are free, and there will be lots of unique opportunities to learn more about the world of insects. All ages are welcome. See you there!

Check out this video from Trendi Eats about our festival. Mark your calendar now for the 2020 Oxnard Tamale Festival on Dec 5. It's always the first Saturday in December.

The 2019 Oxnard Tamale Festival is a wrap! The rain stayed away until the last 30 minutes. Thank you to our sponsors, vendors and all of you who ignored the weather predictions and came out. It was another good year.

It's dancing time!

What are you waiting for? Come on down!

Congrats to our winners!

Thank you for being our judges for the Best Tamale Festival!

The Best Tamale Contest is underway. Wonder who the winners will be this year!

Selfies! Tag us!

Everybody loves a good tamale!