6th Annual Festival del Nopal

It is nearly 2,200 miles from the home of El Nopal in neighboring Mexico to Santa Cruz County. Yet, those who love this essential ingredient of Mexican cooking need not book an airplane flight or pack themselves into the family car to experience the culture and culinary wonder of nopales. Lovers of the prickly cactus need only travel to downtown Santa Cruz this July to celebrate this native food.

Now in its sixth year, Festival del Nopal is held in downtown Santa Cruz, appropriately enough on the site of the weekly Farmer’s Market. Once again, people will travel from all over the Central Coast to dance to the bandas, enjoy the folkloric, laugh with the clowns, enter their own family recipes in the cooking contest and applaud the crowning of the Queen of the Festival.

But what makes Festival del Nopal truly unique is the opportunity it provides to experience a Mexican heritage and culture that is such a vibrant part of life on the Central Coast. Festival organizers are justifiably proud of the contribution this event makes to community building and cultural understanding in our home region. They believe that the richness of our ethnic diversity can be celebrated through the mutual enjoyment of dance, song and food.

This truly community building event awards scholarships to youth of color and supports local nonprofits. Anyone interested in volunteering for the event can contact Steve Pleich at 831-466-6078

So come join the family of El Nopal in downtown Santa Cruz on Sunday, July 26th from 10-6.

Viva Nopales!