Tamal Fest Will Bring Home-Cooked Latin American Food And Crafts To Hermosa

HERMOSA — Tamal Fest is making its return to Hermosa later this month after a pandemic-era hiatus.

The second iteration of Tamal Fest is set for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Armitage and Keeler avenues.

This year’s festival will feature more than 30 local vendors serving food from all over Latin America, including tamales, arepas, empanadas and pupusas.

Fest-goers will also get to shop for handmade crafts, or artesanías, from the group Mujeres Artesanas con Carrillo, and enjoy live painting and art workshops from EXPO Collective.

Credit: Provided

Kids at the 2019 Tamal Fest.

Like in 2019, when the first Tamal Fest was held, the one-day festival is being put on by Palenque LSNA, formerly Logan Square Neighborhood Association, and neighborhood partners like Mujeres Artesanas con Carrillo.

Norma Rios-Sierra with Palenque LSNA said this year the organization helped all of the food vendors get ServSafe certified, which is significant because most of them are home cooks.

“We are hoping for a big turnout so they have a lot of success,” Rios-Sierra said.

The festival is free, but organizers are selling a limited number of T-shirts and posters at the event to support Palenque LSNA’s youth program. Donations can also be made online.