Celebrate the sights, sounds, and tastes of the state of Jalisco, Mexico at the 7^th Annual Taste of Jalisco Festival, February 3 -5, 2023 in downtown Cathedral City. This annual celebration honors the 26-year sister city relationship between Cathedral City and Tequila, Jalisco (Mexico) through culture, cuisine, music, and fashion. Admission to the festival is free and open to the public.

The weekend includes a family-friendly carnival, artisan craft vendor market, tequila tastings, authentic Mexican cuisine, a car show, and daily entertainment. Festivities kick off Friday, February 3 beginning at 4 p.m. and features the raising of the flags, a proclamation reading from Cathedral City Mayor Rita Lamb, followed by live entertainment and the opening of the carnival and tequila tasting garden.

In addition to a giant Ferris wheel offering views of the entire city and surrounding area, the three-day carnival also will feature rides, amusements, and games for all ages on the festival lawn in front of City Hall. The weekend will also include a car show for auto enthusiasts with an amazing line up of high end and unique, custom created vehicles. Admission to the car show is included with $10 purchase to the Fiesta Zone. Admission to the vendor market and carnival are free; Tickets for rides and games are additional fees with pre-sale tickets available through February 2.

Attendees also will enjoy assorted crafts from a variety of artisans and a mix of gourmet food trucks. Those 21 and older can enjoy the full bar and tequila garden located inside the Fiesta Zone which features a high-end cocktail experience including tequila tastings. Admission to the Fiesta Zone is $10 each day and includes access to food trucks, beer garden, tequila bar, car show, lawn games, and live entertainment. The first 500 Cathedral City residents will receive free admission to the Fiesta Zone each day.

A highlight of the weekend will be entertainment from the Jalisco Community Stage featuring local and regional musical groups and live acts celebrating Mexican art and culture. The lineup includes multiple folklorico dance troupes; Las Tias, Dreaming of You (Selena tribute), Outlaw Mariachi, Corazon de Mana (Mana tribute) and a Saturday night headline performance by Grupo Control.

Specializing in norteño music, Control (aka Grupo Control) are a regional Mexican group based in Houston, TX, who bill themselves as Los Reyes de la Cumbia (The Kings of Cumbia). Founded by Sergio Alberto Degollado (vocals, bass) and José Guadalupe Degollado (vocals, bajo sexto) from Control, Tamaulipas, Mexico, the group made its full-length album debut in 1999 with Cumbias Sin Control. Since then, they have released eight other albums, with a series of regional Mexican chart hits including “Ella Es una Diosa,” “Llueve Sobre Mojado,” “Viva el Amor,” and “Vuela Paloma.” Advanced tickets for the Grupo concert start at $20 and can be reserved at tasteofjalisco.com.

Event hours are Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 pm. Festivities take place in downtown Cathedral City, at 68600 East Palm Canyon Drive. Parking is free.

For more information about the Taste of Jalisco Festival visit tasteofjalisco.com.

ABOUT A TASTE OF JALISCO FESTIVAL

Now in its seventh year, Taste of Jalisco Festival celebrates Cathedral City’s Sister City relationship with the City of Tequila in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. The Festival honors this relationship through music, fashion, culture, spirits, and cuisine. The Sister City relationship was first established in 1996 when the two cities entered into a formal Sister Cities agreement. Since then, exchanges between the Cities included governmental best practices, youth-focused educational opportunities, donation of firefighting equipment, firefighter training, culture, and art.