Gilroy Garlic Festival 2026

Garlic ice cream is on the menu, and against every instinct you will end up recommending it - that's the kind of place the self-proclaimed Garlic Capital of the World turns into for three days. The centerpiece is food laced with garlic in every direction: garlic bread, garlic fries, garlic-infused calamari, and yes, the ice cream. The Great Garlic Cook-Off pits local and visiting chefs against each other, multiple live music stages run classic rock, country, and regional acts all weekend, and arts and crafts vendors, cooking demonstrations, and a kids zone round it out. Since 1979 it has pulled hundreds of thousands of visitors from across California and become one of the most recognized regional food festivals in the country. Gilroy is about an hour from San Jose and roughly two and a half hours from Los Angeles - many SoCal attendees make a weekend road trip of it, folding in stops through the Santa Cruz Mountains wine region. Parking at the venue with shuttle service. Single-day and weekend passes at the gate and online. July 24-26, 2026, at the Hecker Pass Outdoor Events Center in Gilroy, California.