Tamal Festival Draws Hundreds to Playa del Carmen with Culinary Competition

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — A tamal festival in Playa del Carmen attracted hundreds of locals and tourists this weekend, featuring 60 producers from across Mexico and a culinary competition with cash prizes.

The 11th edition of the Feria del Tamal, held at the 28 de Julio plaza, includes a contest for the best tamal, with 40 of the registered producers participating. The event concludes on Monday, coinciding with Candlemas Day.

Héctor Escobedo, president of the Playa del Carmen Chefs Association and the festival’s organizer, highlighted the debut of tamales under the “Hecho en Playa” (Made in Playa) brand. He noted strong community turnout, particularly at stalls offering samples of green, red, sweet, and chipilín tamales.

“Over these 11 years, the festival has become a must-attend event at the start of the year in the city,” Escobedo said.

He mentioned that the strangest tamal presented in the festival’s history was one made with pejelagarto (a type of fish). The competition will narrow down to 10 finalists after Sunday’s preliminary round, with winners announced on Monday based on flavor, texture, and presentation.

Prizes include 15,000 pesos for first place, 10,000 for second, and 5,000 for third. The Playa del Carmen Institute of Culture and Arts has scheduled musical performances, including a mariachi band, for Sunday and Monday.

Escobedo encouraged the public to attend, saying, “Come on down, especially with this cold weather—it’s the perfect time for a good tamal, a champurrado, a guajolota (tamal sandwich).”