Second generation date farmer Mark Tadros has a passion for the crop grown at his family-owned and operated date farm Aziz Farms.

“Dates are an important part of our history, they’re an important part of our valley, they’re important here in the Coachella valley and they should be celebrated as such,” says Tadros.

Tadros has known for years about the fruit pro tennis player Novak Djokovic uses to fuel his game, “This is a superfood, you get more potassium in dates than you do per serving in a banana, this food is designed to fuel your body.”

And it also helps fuel the state’s economy, generating nearly $100 million, most of the crop is grown in the East Valley. The crop is a labor of love that only gets harvested once a year, but the date and growers are often overlooked.

So he says he and his graphic designer, Michelle Tully, had an idea, “An actual festival that celebrates the dates and the harvest of the dates so farms small to large can participate and really go out and show their fruit to the masses.”

And in just a few months, their idea: Date Harvest Festival is a go. It will happen on November 9, 2019, at Rancho Las Flores Park in Coachella. Los Lonely Boys is headlining, plus they’ll have celebrity chefs from the food network doing cooking demos with dates, vendors, family activities and of course, dates.

“Dates, dates, dates and even more dates everywhere and anywhere and people will really get a chance to experience it all of it firsthand,” says Tadros.

They’ve received support from the City of Coachella, the California Date Commission. They hope this evolves into a two-day festival and becomes a beloved, yearly, valley tradition.

“This really is something that we can all be proud of for years to come,” says Tully.

They’ve received support from the City of Coachella, the California Date Commission.

It’s on Veterans Day weekend, so veterans will get in free. Also, date farmworkers will be given free admission. Tickets are now on sale, they’re $20 pre-sale, and a family pass for two adults and two children is $30, prices will be higher at the gates.

For every ticket sold, they will donate five meals to FIND Food Bank with a goal of donating 50,000 meals.

Click here for more info and tickets: Date Harvest Fest.

Inaugural Date Harvest Festival a Go in Coachella