The AVA Amphitheater at Casino Del Sol is hosting the 14th annual Tucson Tamal & Heritage Festival from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 1.

This festival comes at the right time as the holiday season coincides with the cravings for tamales, but perhaps the biggest gift of all is the fact that the event is totally free.

Everyone’s invited to celebrate the rich tastes, scents, and the vast variety of tamales from the Southwest and Mexico. For weeks, tamale aficionados have been crafting the perfect tamale to enter in the contest, which gives everyone an opportunity to raise funds.

Now, it’s too late to join the contest, but you can still attend and eat plates upon plates of tamales. I mean, you’ve got to try all of them in order to decide who’s offered the best, right?

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There is also going to be a lot of fun at the festival with live and local entertainment for families, and farmers market vendors with tamales, tacos, fry bread, desserts, aguas frescas, roasted corn, and more.

Additional stands will feature artisan goods such as art, jewelry, and beadwork.

Casino Del Sol’s AVA Amphitheater is located 5655 W. Valencia Rd. For more information, call (520) 838-6400 or visit casinodelsol.com.