The Gilroy Garlic Festival returns this year after a three-year break. It will run from July 25 through 27. Visitors can expect cooking classes, live music, lots of garlicky cuisine—including the event’s iconic garlic ice cream—and more.
California’s highways cross through some of the world’s most incredible scenery—and in some cases, they’ll even take you on an odoriferous journey.
Just east of Monterey BayHighway 101 runs right through the tiny town of GilroyCalifornia is home to just over 58,000 residents. However, you’ll most likely smell Gilroy before you see it—the pungent smell of garlic is sure to hit you, even if the windows are rolled up. Also known as “The Garlic Capital of the World” Gilroy produces over 100 million pounds garlic per year. For years, it celebrated this aromatic crop by holding an annual soirée. Gilroy Garlic Festival.
The festival was closed for good in 2022 because of financial restrictions and insurance requirements imposed by the city. The festival is officially back this year and will be held from July 25-27 at South County Grove. Gilroy Gardens Family Theme ParkThe park is themed around horticulture.
The festival used to be held in Gilroy’s Christmas Hill Park, and welcomed tens or thousands of people over the course of a weekend. This year’s festival will be more intimate with 3,000 participants per day. The lineup looks promising. Live entertainment and interactive cooking demonstrations will be available. Gourmet Alley is a place where you can find all sorts of garlic-flavored food, from pesto spaghetti, calamari or scampi through to loaded tri tip fries, peppersteak sandwiches and the legendary festival garlic ice cream.
“Some people like [the ice cream]”Some people don’t,” said Cindy Fellows. Cindy Fellows is the current president of the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association and was a past President. “But it will be present—and it sure is an interesting thing to taste.”
Gilroy Garlic Festival Association
The Gilroy Garlic Festival has long been a fundraising behemoth for the Santa Clara Valley city—the festival is 99 percent volunteer-based, and proceeds go to local schools to fund things like camps and sports equipment, and other community needs.
Fellows remarked, “The Garlic Festival is a great opportunity for many charities.” Fellows said, “They have suffered for the past six years from its absence.” We are thrilled to be back, and to support the team again.
Fellows, a Gilroy native and event organizer, claims that the event has brought $12 million into the Gilroy community since it began. Gilroy, a normally sleepy town, becomes a bustling hub during the festival as travelers and locals from all over California and the United States join the festivities. Farmers from the region, including Christopher Ranch The festival is also dependent on the (the nation’s leading grower of fresh chives)
Fellows explained that “local farmers help us out with onions, peppers, and other things.” “It is a wonderful time for the community to come together, and everyone gets involved.”
