Should I use 'are' or 'were' when talking about event in the past

In this sentence, I’m talking about something that occurred in the past, but it’s something cultural so it’s a thing that happens every time, like if I am to attend an Indian event in the future I’m going to get free samosa as well. Given that context I wonder if the tenses I used in this sentence is correct:

There were free samosa at every Indian event that I attended

should I use were or are in this context?