Frequently Asked Questions

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is a three-day celebration of great garlicky food, live entertainment, cooking competitions, and community pride. Founded in 1979, the event is hosted by hundreds of community volunteers who have raised millions of dollars for local schools, charities, and non-profit organizations.

The 2025 Gilroy Garlic Festival will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 25, 26 & 27, 2025. Event hours are 10:00am – 6:00 pm. Tickets are valid for one day only.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival will take place at South County Grove, a separately gated special event space at Gilroy Gardens. The address is 3050 Hecker Pass Highway, Gilroy, CA 95020.

Note that the Gilroy Garlic Festival will be a separately ticketed event, with attendees entering directly through the South County Grove entrance. There is no access between the Gilroy Garlic Festival and Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in terms of parking, ticketing, or entrances.

Tickets for the 2025 Gilroy Garlic Festival are already SOLD OUT. This year’s event is limited to only 3,000 guests per day, and there are no on-site ticket sales.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is partnering with CashorTrade to enable the authorized exchange of face value tickets. Create your CashorTrade account to be notified when tickets become available to purchase. If you already have tickets but can’t make it this year, it’s free and safe to sell your tickets on CashorTrade.

Ticket prices include festival admission, live musical entertainment, and cooking demonstrations. Festival guests purchase food and beverages (including beer and wine) from a wide variety of vendors. Parking is $25*.

*Plus processing fee

On-site parking is available near the Gilroy Gardens South County Grove. No shuttle bus is required. The parking fee is $25*. A limited number of disabled parking spaces are available. Rideshare (Lyft/Uber) drop-off/pickup is allowed.

*Plus processing fee

Yes, rideshare (Lyft/Uber) dropoff/pickup is allowed.

No, there will not be dedicated parking for RVs or large trailers. Check the Visit Gilroy website for a list of local RV parks.

For information about hotels, RV parks, campsites, and other local attractions, please go to the Visit Gilroy website or visit the California Welcome Center Gilroy (located at Gilroy Premium Outlets Building A, near Forever 21).

No. The Gilroy Garlic Festival will take place at South County Grove, a separately gated special event space at Gilroy Gardens. The Gilroy Garlic Festival will be a separately ticketed event, with attendees entering directly through the South County Grove entrance. There is no access between the Gilroy Garlic Festival and Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in terms of parking, ticketing, or entrances.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is held in an outdoor park that is mostly grass with concrete, asphalt, or paver walkways. There are natural shade trees and some shade structures with tables and benches. Prepare for lots of eating, walking, shopping, and maybe dancing!

Shirts and shoes are required at all times. We highly recommend that you:

• Wear comfortable shoes.
• Dress in layers. Mornings may be cool and foggy; afternoons are usually sunny and warm.
• Bring sun protection (hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, etc.).

It is the Gilroy Garlic Festival’s policy to provide a safe, family-friendly atmosphere for all Festival patrons and volunteers. The Gilroy Garlic Festival may refuse entry or admission to anyone wearing clothing or paraphernalia indicating or signifying membership in a gang, including a motorcycle club. This policy is applied equally to all patrons, regardless of their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability or medical condition.

Gilroy Garlic Festival rules prohibit bringing the following items on Festival grounds:

• Alcohol of any kind
• Bottles, glass and cans (except for empty reusable water bottles)
• Coolers – large or small (unless used for medications or breast milk; may be subject to search)
• Frisbees and water-projecting devices
• Pocket knives or weapons of any kind

Only animals that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines as Service Animals are allowed at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. There is a limit of one service animal per guest. Service animals must be physically controlled on a leash or harness at all times. Guests whose service animal demonstrates aggressive actions towards other guests or volunteers will be directed to remove the animal from the event.

Yes, you can bring one EMPTY, reusable water bottle which can be filled inside the festival.

No smoking or vaping is allowed at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is committed to providing a safe environment for all our guests and associates. We have implemented several security procedures at the entrance gate which may result in slight delays while entering the park.

As a part of this process:

• Guests arriving at the park may be subject to metal detection.
• All bags, purses, backpacks, waist packs, etc. may be subject to search prior to entering.
• The Gilroy Garlic Festival does not tolerate guests who fight and/or harass other guests while on our property. People who engage in this behavior are subject to being ejected, risk being potentially banned from the event, and may be subject to arrest by local police.
• The Gilroy Garlic Festival may refuse entry or admission to anyone wearing clothing or paraphernalia indicating or signifying membership in a gang, including a motorcycle club. This policy is applied equally to all patrons, regardless of their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability or medical condition.
• Small coolers and ice chests are only allowed for medication or breast milk storage and may be subject to search.
• We encourage guests to leave any unnecessary items at home or secured in your vehicle.

These items are prohibited:

• Outside food or beverages (Exceptions can be made for any dietary need: medical, religious or personal choice to include food allergies and infant food/formula.)
• Glass, ceramic, or porcelain containers of any kind (with exception of infant food/formula)
• Weapons including but not limited to guns, knives, pepper spray, explosives or fireworks, glass breakers
• Marijuana, including marijuana-enriched products, or any illegal substance. Smoking and vaping are not allowed in park.
• Alcoholic beverages
• Horns, whistles, remote speakers or sound systems
• Drones, remote controlled toys, skateboards, scooters, bicycles, or shoes with wheels. Children’s ride-on toys must be equipped with handles for parents to control.
• Balls, bats, frisbees, kites, pool noodles, inflatable pool toys, squirt guns
• Folding chairs or tent-like structures, large umbrellas