Home Events July 26-28: Gilroy Garlic Festival Ready to Welcome Garlic Lovers from Around the Globe

July 26-28: Gilroy Garlic Festival Ready to Welcome Garlic Lovers from Around the Globe

by ECT

Gilroy, CA: Festival organizers and volunteers are already hard at work at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy preparing to host the 41st annual Gilroy Garlic Festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 26, 27, and 28.

The 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival is presented by St. Louise Regional Hospital and will feature great garlicky food from Gourmet Alley—as well as a Saturday evening concert by Colbie Caillat featuring Gone West, celebrity chefs like Tom Colicchio and Gerron Hurt, and even a new Whiskey Daisy cocktail.

The Festival kicks off Friday morning (July 26) with MasterChef Season 9 winner Gerron Hurt hosting both the Champions for Charity and Garlic Chef Jr. (for young chefs ages 9-18) cooking competitions on the Challenge Butter Cook-Off Stage. Chef Eddie G. from The Great Food Truck Race will also do a cooking demonstration on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday (July 27), Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio will host the Great Garlic Cook-Off, one of the country’s most prestigious amateur cooking competitions. Real Housewives of New Jersey star and cookbook author Teresa Giudice will prepare some of her family’s favorite Italian dishes. On the other side of the park, professional BBQ teams will battle in the Garli-Que BBQ Challenge. And that evening, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat will appear with her new band Gone West live on the Amphitheater Stage. For the first time ever, the grounds will remain open until 8:00 pm (on Saturday only) so guests can enjoy the show and all the Festival has to offer.

Photo by Glen McDowell Photography

There will be plenty to enjoy on Sunday (July 28) as well. In the Garlic Showdown at high noon, professional chefs will battle for a cash prize and ultimate bragging rights; 2017 and 2018 champion Carlos Pineda will be back to try for the three-peat. And over on the Amphitheater Stage, the Festival will celebrate 15 years of partnering with KRTY 95.3 to present exciting live performances by up-and-coming country artists.

This year will feature performances from King Calaway, Waterloo Revival, and Caylee Hammack. For full entertainment schedule, click here.

For 41 years, the heart of the Gilroy Garlic Festival has always been Gourmet Alley, the gigantic outdoor kitchen where “Pyro Chefs” put on a spectacular flame-up show preparing garlic-laced calamari and scampi in huge iron skillets while hundreds of volunteers serve up all the official food of the Garlic Festival, from pasta con pesto to pepper steak sandwiches. This year, guests will have the option to order all their Festival favorite dishes from Gourmet Alley at the same window on the Ranch Side.

Other Festival highlights include garlic braiding and topping demonstrations in Garlic Grove, live entertainment on three stages, a fun Children’s Area, an open-air Wine Garden, Garlic Mercantile stores, and a wide variety of vendor booths selling food, beverages, art, apparel, gifts, and more. Cocktail booths located near the entertainment stages will feature the new 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival signature cocktail, a Whiskey Daisy, as well as the Garlic Festival Mule (sold in a souvenir copper mug) while supplies last.

Shawn Keck, President of the 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival, said, “We are grateful for the support of our presenting sponsor, St. Louise Regional Hospital, and truly appreciate their partnership in doing great things for the local community.”

The 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival, presented by St. Louise Regional Hospital, will be held at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy.

New Festival hours for 2019 are as follows:

  • 10:00 am to 7:00 pm on Friday, July 26
  • 10:00 am to 8:00 pm on Saturday, July 27
  • 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sunday, July 29.

Admission is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors 60+, $10 for youths ages 10-16, and free for children age 9 and younger. Parking is $15 per vehicle and includes shuttle buses to and from the Festival entrance. Gates will be shut one hour before closing.

For more information, go to gilroygarlicfestival.com.

About the Gilroy Garlic Festival
Presented by St. Louise Regional Hospital, the 41st annual Gilroy Garlic Festival will be on July 26, 27, and 28, 2019, at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, California. The Gilroy Garlic Festival has been officially certified by GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® as the world’s largest garlic festival and draws thousands of garlic-loving guests from around the globe every year. This three-day celebration features gourmet garlicky food, live entertainment, cooking competitions, and fun for the whole family. For more information, go to www.gilroygarlicfestival.com.

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1 comment

Tammy Jul 26, 2019 - 11:00 pm

I can’t stand garlic.. eeeewwwww

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