Tamales have been cooking at the Indio restaurant Rincon Norteño since 3 a.m. Tuesday.

The owners and employees of the family restaurant are preparing more than 7,000 for the upcoming Indio International Tamale Festival in downtown Indio. That's 30 percent fewer tamales than last year, in case the economic slump leads to lower attendance numbers, said manager Prudencio Flores.

“But we can always make more (tamales) if they run out,” he said. According to city projections, they'll be heading back to the kitchen.

At this year's festival, the city is expecting more than 125,000 people and 70 tamale vendors, said Edith Sanchez, an event organizer. About 115,000 people attended last year.

“This festival has put our city on the map,” Flores said.

Between 200 to 250 piñatas and lots of streamers are going up all over downtown this week, said Ben Salazar, public works superintendent. The city has eight new message boards to direct traffic and get people to the right places.

Old Town Indio's Miles Avenue, which has been under construction since October, will be open for vendors so they can set up Friday, said Mariano Aguirre, city development manager. It will be open for foot traffic during the festival Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, it will reopen for vehicle traffic.