Local food vendors represent the culture of the Coachella Valley during Coachella fest weekends—but one of those vendors offered food that goes beyond the sandwiches, burgers, pupusas and other fast fare.
Thermal’s Aziz Farms has been involved in the festival for years—and had their produce showcased in a brand new way in 2026.
Outstanding in the Field offers an elevated dining experience to Coachella attendees. Guests can enjoy a seated, four-course dinner from notable chefs along a long, winding table. Everything served is farm-to-table, and every year, local farms provide produce to be used in these special festival meals.
During a recent interview with Mark Tadros, the owner of Aziz Farms, he discussed how Aziz was invited to participate in Outstanding in the Field about six years ago.
“A friend of a friend, Eden Reilly, was the one who was heading it up, and Eden reached out and said that she was looking for some more hyper-local farms,” Tadros said. “They were looking to expand their offerings from folks who are right here. … They have been giving what we have to offer as a list to their chefs, and then their chefs will order for the meals that they’ve created.”
Hungry-fest goers then learn that the food they’re enjoying features ingredients grown just a few minutes away from the festival grounds.
“They call it out on the menu, and then at the (meals) I’m able to attend, they’ll ask either myself or my wife to walk around the table and talk a little bit about our farm, where we’re located, and everything from our education initiatives to how we farm, which is unique,” Tadros said.
Tadros explained what makes Aziz Farms different.
“We practice something called regenerative farming, which means that we don’t use any chemicals on our property at all, so we don’t use any herbicides or pesticides, and we don’t even use any fertilizers,” Tadros said. “We talked to the guests about that, and we talked to the guests a little bit about how farming in the Coachella Valley works and how prominent it actually is.”
Tadros said he always encourages festival-goers to explore the desert beyond the Empire Polo Club.
“Those festival grounds is about where everybody stops,” he said. “They never go further east or further south, and we’re five minutes away, and so is a lot of other farm land. I always encourage people to make that extra effort and travel a little further just to see it firsthand, because it’s just a little bit different when people make their way to our side of the tracks.”
At Coachella 2026, Aziz Farms helped provide another treat besides food … butterflies!
This year’s fest featured the debut of the Farmers Market by Flutterby Ranch, a live butterfly encounter and fresh produce market located in the camping area. Attendees could enjoy a seven-minute, immersive experience with California’s native butterflies, and then check out a farmers’ market with produce Aziz Farms.
“One thing I will say about Goldenvoice is they really, really want to use as much local product as they can,” Tadros said. “One of the things they asked of this person that’s setting up this particular activation is, ‘Hey, find some local product; make sure it’s local; make sure it’s very high quality; make sure it’s very fresh.’ He reached out to me, and I have this tendency to say yes to just about everything.”
Visitors to the market learned that the fresh produce comes from plants that were pollinated by the same species of butterflies in the experience. The produce was available for purchase—marking a relatively rare opportunity for the public to directly purchase food grown by Aziz Farms.
“We have partnerships with restaurants and country clubs here in the area, and then we do deliver to school districts, but for the general consumer, it’s not like they can walk into a grocery store and say, ‘We want the Aziz Farms product that you’re carrying,” Tadros said.
The dual butterfly exhibit and farmers’ market allowed for, in Tadros’ words, “fun full-circle moments.”
“Any of the fruits and vegetables that may have been sitting out all day, and they’re not going to look good for tomorrow, they’ll actually put them to feed the butterflies,” Tadros said.
Tadros said more local representation at the festival will lead to more attention for the desert beyond Coachella and Stagecoach weekends.
“The festival has done incredible things for our economy here in the Coachella Valley, and without it, I don’t think we have the same kind of infrastructure that we have in some of the areas,” Tadros said. “It’s given people heightened focus on the Coachella Valley, and it’s created a brand for the Coachella Valley. When I was growing up, I used to tell people I was from Palm Springs—and now I tell people I’m from Coachella.”
