Delta Hot Tamale Festival

Set in downtown Greenville, the Delta Hot Tamale Festival celebrates the Mississippi Delta's signature hot tamale, with dozens of vendors serving countless tamale varieties alongside live music, a parade, cooking and eating contests, and literary events that reflect the region's culture. A ticketed highlight is "Flavors of the Festival," a sit-down tasting where a selection of vendors' tamales is expertly paired with craft beers. Special events such as Flavors of the Festival require an Eventbrite ticket or a VIP sponsor pass, the latter worn around the neck in place of an armband.

The festival has earned national recognition, with USA Today readers voting it the best specialty food festival in the country in 2026, and attendees describe it as huge fun, praising the tons of food and vendors and the chance to sample countless styles of Delta tamale in one place.