Gilroy Garlic Festival To Return This Summer, Dates Announced

GILROY, CA — The Gilroy Garlic Festival will return after a one-year pause under a “reimagined” format.

The annual event was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning this year will mark the first festival since the deadly mass shooting at the festival in 2019.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival Association announced Wednesday that the festival will take place over two weekends this summer — July 23-25 and July 30-August 1st — at several locations in the city.

Organizers hope to present events in both socially-distanced and virtual fashion this year, with Tom Cline, president of the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association, saying that "there is a great community desire to see the Festival come back."

"We have all been confronted with so many changes due to COVID-19,” Cline said in a news release.

The festival, typically held at Christmas Hill Park, will instead take place this year via drive-thru events at the Gilroy Presbyterian Church, a farm-to-table dinner at Fortino’s Winery and a Golf Tournament at Gilroy Golf Course.

Organizers said they are working with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department for approval for the drive-through event, which will showcase food from Gourmet Alley.

The festival has raised more than $12 million for the Gilroy community since 1979 through the association. It will have a different feel this year, with Cline adding that the festival will “seek to be more than one signature event.”

“We will continue to work to connect our community with various smaller events, educational activities, and giving opportunities throughout the year,” Cline said. “Our historic mission to strengthen the bonds within our community is an ongoing commitment."