Located halfway between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara is probably the most unlikely place to find a live salsa festival, but every year the downtown plaza in Oxnard, California is transformed into one of the biggest salsa events in Southern California, with one of the biggest floors around. 

   This year Oxnard celebrated its quinceaño at this year’s 15th annual Oxnard Salsa Festival.

   The Oxnard Salsa Festival is all that and a bag of chips, literally. The event combines both salsa music and salsa with chips with an annual salsa-taste contest.  Local competitors combine their best recipes in a variety of categories such as hottest, sweetest etc.

   I was worried that the Chilie Man, the Oxnard Salsa Festival mascot had been recalled by the FDA, along with the other jalapeños. But, fortunately he turned up along with all the wonderful salsa performers.