Date shakes, date churros, and fried dates: Date Fest will feature 40+ treats

DATE SHAKES, those creamy, rich, date-speckled, lightly spiced desert desserts, are a revered topic among Southern Californians. But dedicated date shake devotees live well beyond the region, and anyone who counts Hadley's, Shields, and Coachella Valley's excellent date shakeries among their must-stops is may be considered a date-shaker extraordinaire. But if you're seeking to up your date shake-championing bonafides, and to also get acquainted with dozens of other delectables that employ the chewy and sweet icon, you'll want to "make a date" for Indio's big wintertime bash.

THE NATIONAL DATE FESTIVAL... returns to the Riverside County Fairgrounds each February as the Riverside County Fair begins its midway-twinkly, concert-cool run. This is a special time, and place, for numerous reasons — county fairs aren't a wintertime staple, for starters — and date treats, foods, and beverages are among the event's buzzed-about stars. And if you swing by the 2025 party, which will add flavor to the second half of February and the first few days of March, you'll have a creamy cavalcade of date-centric sweets and eats to consider, from the classic shake to churros to fried dates, oh boy.

FEB. 13-MARCH 2... are the dates to date up your world, but note that the festival and fair will not be open seven days a week. Rather, you'll want to look to the weekends, and the opening Thursday fun, as well as Presidents Day Monday, to visit the large-scale celebration. After you've called upon your favorite attraction and done a bit of shopping, you'll want to plan for a date-stravaganza, and there's plenty to buy and try: bacon-stuffed dates, date cheeseburgers, date lager, date cotton candy, date BBQ sandwiches, date boba, cinnadate milk, and date cheesecake funnel cake, just to name a few fanciful selections. For all of the date deliciousness, and to get the goods on the good times set to flower at the venerable county fair, roll like a monster truck by this info-packed site.