Indio is Desert Cool Alternative to Palm Springs, Magazine Says

INDIO — Long known as the City of Festivals, this growing community is now being described as a “World-Class California City” which is “A Youthful, Hipper Palm Springs” with a Year-Round Festival Lifestyle, according to Islands magazine.

Despite being founded in 1876, Indio is experiencing a revitalization and has become a booming community, welcoming over 1.4 million visitors to its multiple annual festivals, according to the magazine.

For starters, Indio is desert cool for being home to the Coachella and Stagecoach Music and Arts Festivals.

This year the festivals showcased Lady Gaga while in Palm Springs, Nancy Sinatra is used as the drawing card to reopen the Plaza Theatre and lead 85th Anniversary Classic Car Parade. 

Different strokes for different folks. Each city caters to a different demographic.

Two other major annual festivals making the city desert cool are the Indio International Tamale Festival and the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival, which are held each February at the Riverside County Fairgrounds, located on Highway 111 in the heart of Indio. Since 1947, this festival has celebrated the date fruit crop of the Coachella Valley.

The Tamale Festival is held each December on the streets of Old Town Indio and holds one Guinness World Record as the largest tamale festival (120,000 in attendance, Dec. 2–3, 2000) and once held the record for the world’s largest tamale, [over 1 foot (0.3 m) in diameter and 40 feet (12.2 m) in length], created by Chef John Sedlar, but that record has since been surpassed.

Indio is also a short 30-minute drive to Joshua Tree, one of California’s best national parks, for an escape into nature, according to the magazine. The city also has an epic year-round festival lineup, hip restaurants, and accommodations to boot. With nearly 350 days of sunshine per year and a fully packed schedule of events, Indio is the perfect desert destination with a youthful, creative edge.

While Palm Springs is known for its mid-century retro feel, Indio offers a new, trendier vibe with its fresh venues and community-centric retail experiences, the magazine states. Urban Donkey is a vintage shop in downtown Indio with various unique vintage finds. Indio offers more hidden gems than its vintage finds, though. The city also has public art installations, murals, and sculptures.

So, if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, check out Indio, the new “desert cool.”

 

Image Sources

  • Indio Art: City of Indio