Indio, California, is a
U.S. city located in the
Coachella Valley of Southern California's
desert region.The city is located in Riverside County, 26&_160;miles (42&_160;km) east of
Palm Springs, 70&_160;miles (113&_160;km) east of
Riverside, 83&_160;miles (134&_160;km) east of
San Bernardino, and 125&_160;miles (201&_160;km) east of
Los Angeles. The population was 49,116 at the 2000 census, but Indio has experienced fast-growth as many
exurban other cities in
Southern California have. According to the book
History of the Coachella Valley Water District, the word
indio is Spanish for
Indian. Indio sits on an earlier site of a
Cahuilla village,
Teikweit before the 1880s.
[citation needed]There are two major regularly-scheduled festivals held in Indio. Among them are the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival held each February in the Date Festival/Desert (county) Fairgrounds has been known internationally as the celebration of the area's main harvest time for date fruits. And the city's own world-famous Indio International Tamale Festival held each December. The Tamale Festival has earned two Guinness world records one for the largest tamale festival and the other for creating the world's largest tamale which was by Chef John Sedlar (over 1&_160;foot (0&_160;m) in diameter and 40&_160;feet (10&_160;m) long). Also in the 2006 Guinness Book of World Records states the Tamale festival is the world's largest cooking and culinary festival.[citation needed]
Indio has been the location of the world famous Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival since 1999 at the Empire Polo grounds. Rolling Stone magazine called it one of the most beautiful festival sites in the world.[citation needed] Expanded to 3 days for May 2007, the festival has also announced that an all-country weekend will be added, featuring performances by Willie Nelson, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Lucinda Williams, Sugarland and others yet to be named. The Date festival/county fairgrounds' Shalimar Stadium is the site for live music concerts (mostly amateur bands), 4x4 monster truck rallies, rodeo or horse riding events and world-famous camel races during the National Date Festival.
There are other festivals and special events within Indio and the chamber of commerce created Indio's official nickname "The City Of Festivals." Indio is also the site of the annual Southwest Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, the Cabazon Indian National Pow Wow in November at Fantasy Springs Casino, the Palm Springs Kennel Club's annual dog show at Empire Polo held in January, the Family Motor Coach Association's annual western region RV rally at the Date Festival grounds in January, and the U.S. Field Hockey Association's annual Hockey Festival held at Empire Polo in every November. In nearby Coachella, the city holds an annual Cinco de Mayo event and the Mexican Independence Day parade represents the area's largely Hispanic culture.
