President’s Message
On behalf of the more than 4,000 community volunteers who make this event possible, I’d like to welcome you to the 36th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival!
Great Food & Fun for the Whole Family
The Gilroy Garlic Festival truly has something for everyone: great garlicky food, of course, plus live entertainment on three stages, cooking demonstrations and competitions all three days, arts & crafts vendors, fun activities for kids and teens, and much, much more. We throw one heck of a party for our 100,000 guests every year on the last full weekend in July!
Rooted in History
Thirty-five years ago, founders Dr. Rudy Melone, Don Christopher, Val Filice and many volunteers hosted the very first Gilroy Garlic Festival. The year was 1979, and their hope was to draw a few thousand visitors to enjoy garlic. Well, let’s just say that first festival drew a few thousand more than expected. Since that time, over 4 million guests have attended the annual festival, which is now recognized as one of the world’s greatest summer food fairs.
Giving Back to the Community
The Gilroy Garlic Festival was established “to provide benefits to local worthy charities and non-profit groups by promoting the community of Gilroy through a quality celebration of Garlic.” Over the last 35 years, The Gilroy Garlic festival has given back over $10 million to local charities and non-profit groups. A big thank you goes out to the thousands of volunteers who pitch in every year to support the festival. We could not have done it without you.
Hope to see you here July 25, 26, and 27, 2014!
Vito Mercado, President
2014 Gilroy Garlic Festival
Attending the 2014 Gilroy Garlic Festival? Don’t forget to download the Garlic Festival app for iPhone and Android so you don’t miss one second of the summer’s hottest event!
