Gilroy Garlic Festival
The Gilroy Garlic Festival was a food festival in the United States, held annually from 1979 to 2019 at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, California, on the last full weekend in July. After its cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a drive-through festival was held on July 23–25 and 30–31 July and August 1, 2021. In April 2022, the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association announced the indefinite suspension of the traditional large-format festival, and that it would instead host smaller individual events. In May 2022, the festival was canceled permanently.
| Gilroy Garlic Festival | |
|---|---|
| Status | Ceased |
| Genre | Fairs |
| Begins | Last Friday in July |
| Ends | Following Sunday |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Christmas Hill Park |
| Location(s) | Gilroy, California |
| Coordinates | 36°59′52″N 121°35′7″W |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 1979–2019, 2021 |
| Website | gilroygarlicfestival |
An annual three-day event, the Gilroy Garlic Festival was one of the country's best known food festivals, drawing visitors from across the nation. Located about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of San Jose, Gilroy is home to about 60,000 people, and the city is a major producer of garlic. The festival was Gilroy's top fundraiser, staffed with volunteers to raise money for nonprofit groups including clubs and schools.