According to L.J. Harris, author of The Book of Garlic, which now unfortunately is out of print, the first known public garlic "event" in the U.S. was held at the Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, CA on 4 July 1976.

The first civic festival, the Gilroy Garlic Festival, was first organized in 1979. It has since grown to major event. Held on the last full weekend of July, well over 150,000 devotees of the "superb herb" descend on the sleepy little town south of San Jose, California. They have a very good time indeed, eating garlic sushi, garlic beef sandwiches, drinking garlic wine, and scarfing down garlic ice cream and garlic escargot - sometimes in that order, depending on which way you tour the booths!

But Gilroy is not alone. We have links to a number of other festivals that are popping up all over the country, dare we say world. If you see one that interests you, give it a click:

This list was prepared with help from our friends at The Garlic Press of the Garlic Seed Foundation We update each year as organizers alert us to their new dates. The most recent available is listed below. Organizers: Please send us your updated information.

If you're going to Eastern Europe, you might want to join the more than 120,000 people who went to the Romanian Garlic Festival in Copalau (near Botosani in Northern Romania) to get their garlic fix last year.

The World's 6th Annual Elephant Garlic Festival

FEBRUARY 13-15, 2009
10th Annual Delray Beach Garlic Festival
Delray Beach, FL
561.274-4663
www.dbgarlicfest.com

MAY 2-3-4, 2004 (latest date available)
GARLIC FEST
Fairfield, CT
Father Bill, Notre Dame Catholic School
203-372-6521

JUNE
The ARC Restaurant in Oysterville, Washington,
on the Long Beach peninsula

JUNE 17-18,2006
26th ANNUAL NORTHWEST GARLIC FESTIVAL
Ocean Park, WA
Diana Thompson
360.665.0102
888.751.9354
www.opwa.com

JULY 22, 2004 (latest date available)
GARLIC & HERB EDUCATION DAY AND POTLUCK
Little Falls, NY
Frank Boepple
315.823.4588
GARLICELI@aol.com

JULY 22, 2006
4th ANNUAL CALVERAS GARLIC HARVEST FESTIVAL
is held at the historic Table Mountain Ranch, Murphys, located in the Foothills of the Sierra Nevada. An all day event featuring 15 varieties of locally grown gourmet garlic; wine tasting; local food booths; live salsa music; children's activities; garden tour; and more.
209.728.9112
tablemountain@goldrush.com

JULY 23, 24 and 25, 2004 (latest date available)
1st Annual Columbia River Garlic Festival
Woodland, WA
Erica Vossler
devossler@aol.com
360-750-4839 or 360-909-2882
www.columbiarivergarlicfest.com

JULY 27-29, 2008
GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL
Gilroy, CA
Gilroy Garlic Festival Association
408.842.1625
www.gilroygarlicfestival.com

AUGUST 5-8, 2004 (latest date available)
Feria del Ajo
Las Pedroneras
La Mancha
Spain

AUGUST 5-6
FOX RUN WINERY GARLIC FESTIVAL
670 Route 14
Penn Yan, NY 14527
Susan Salloum
315.536.4616
info@foxrunvineyards.com
www.foxrunvineyards.com

AUGUST 3, 2004 (latest date available)
THE GARLIC FESTIVAL
Sow Love Reap Joy Farm
Manorville, NY
Tom Stock
symptoms@aol.com

AUGUST 8-9-10, 2004 (latest date available)
LOVE ISRAEL 14th ANNUAL GARLIC FESTIVAL
Arlington, WA
360.435.8577
www.garlicfestival.net
beauty@garlicfestival.net

AUGUST 18, 2007
The 2nd Annual MINNESOTA GARLIC FESTIVAL
Time:  10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Fees:  $5 for adults, $3 for kids under 12.  $1 parking .
Location:  Wright County Fairgrounds, Howard Lake, MN
Contact:  Jerry Ford, 320-543-3394, jerry@marienne.com
Website:  www.sfa-mn.org

AUGUST 10, 2007 (12-11 PM)
AUGUST 11, 2007 (10-11 PM)
AUGUST 12, 2007 (10-6 PM)
10th ANNUAL NORTH PLAINS ELEPHANT GARLIC FESTIVAL
Jessie Mays Community Center
30955 NW Hillcrest
North Plains, OR 97133
www.FunStinks.com
503-647-2619

AUGUST 12-13, 2006
6th ANNUAL CARP FARMERS' MARFKET GARLIC FESTIVAL
CARP Fairgrounds
Near Ottowa, Ontario, Canada
Jim Craig
613.591.0769
www.carpfarmersmarket.com

AUGUST 12, 2006
WESTERN NEW YORK GARLIC FARMERS MARKET DAY
Portillo's Restaurant
Batavia, NY
Ed Fraser
585.350.8295

AUGUST 11-12. 2007
8th ANNUAL SOUTH CARIBOO GARLIC FESTIVAL
Forest Grove, B.C., Canada
Gail Szolosi
250-397-2540
www.goodnessofgarlic.com

AUGUST 12-13, 2006
7th ANNUAL PERTH GARLIC FESTIVAL
Perth Fairgrounds.
Perth, Ontario, Canada
613.267.5322
877.268.BUDD
www.perthgarlicfestival.com

AUGUST 20, 2005
5th ANNUAL COUNTY GARLIC FESTIVAL
Picton, Ontario, Canada
Christine Kosman
613.476.5943
rosarugosa@sympatico.ca

3rd ANNUAL GARLIC IS GREAT FESTIVAL
County Heritage
Parkmilton, Ontario, Canada
Gary Johnson
905.726.3356
888.307.3276
www.garlicisgreat.ca

AUGUST 25-26, 2006
7th OKANOGAN RIVER GARLIC FESTIVAL
Tonasket, WA
Mariah Cornwoman
509.422.6940
http://www.cccoftonasket.org/garlic
garlic@cccoftonasket.org

AUGUST 21 & 22, 2004 (latest date available)
9th annual ADAMS GARLIC FEST
Adams Family Farm
360 North Anguilla Road
Pawcatuck, CT 06379
860.599.4241 (phone/fax)
Adamsgarden1@aol.com

AUGUST 19-20, 2006
MULTI ETHNIC GARLICFESTIVAL
Binghampton, NY
607.723.9419
americancivic@stny.rr.com

AUGUST 27-28, 2005
KEYSTONE STATE GARLIC & HERB FESTIVAL
Drums, PA
Paula Willis
570.788.3152
www.zanolininursery.com

27 AUGUST 2006
15th ANNUAL CANADIAN GARLIC FESTIVAL
Ukranian Seniors Centre.
30 Norte Dame Ave
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Mary Stefura
705.693.3072
www.ukrseniors.org

AUGUST 30-31, 2004 (latest date available)
8th ANNUAL SOUTHERN VERMONT GARLIC AND HERB FESTIVAL
Beaver Brook Field, Wilmington, VT
Joy Powell, Steve Wrathall
802.368.7147
swrath@together.net

SEPTEMBER 3-5, 2005
The Columbia River Garlic Festival
will be held September 3-5, 2005 from 10AM-6PM.  Vendors and volunteers will have free camping right on the Columbia River on Labor Day Weekend (we like to call it Flavor Day Weekend).In honor of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial our motto this year is,"Garlic, What a Discovery".  To enter the art contest or fishing derby, check out the website.
Erica L. Vossler Americorps Member Evergreen High School ( 360) 604-3765) devossler@aol.com

SEPTEMBER 2, 2006
POCONO GARLIC FESTIVAL
Courthouse Square
Stroudsburg, PA
Andrew Carl
570.421.7235
610.381.3303
www.poconogarlic.com
www.stroudsburg.net

SEPTEMBER 3, 2005
MOHAWK VALLEY GARLIC FESTIVAL
Little Falls, NY
Bob Yerina
315.823.1241

Taskopru International Garlic and Culture Festival, in Taskopru, Kastamonu, Turkey.
First week of September. More than 50,000 attend each year. www.taskopru.gov.tr

SEPTEMBER 16-17, 2006
2nd ANNUAL CUBA GARLIC FESTIVAL
It will be held at the historic McKinney horse stables of Empire City Farms, Route 305, Cuba, NY. This 350 ft. long beautiful stable was built in the early 1900's from individual, handmade, fire proof concrete blocks and has an eye catching brick-colored ceramic tile roof.  It sits majestically on 100 acres of pasture, woods, and farmland. Cuba is home to the famous award-winning Cuba Cheddar Cheese.  The festival will have lots of live music with plenty of garlic and farm-themed contests and activities for all ages throughout the weekend. 
Cuba, NY Chamber of Commerce 585-968-5654
www.cubanewyork.us/garlicfestival.htm
or Laurie Buzzard jlbuzzard@adelphia.net

SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 (latest date available)
6th ANNUAL GARLIC FESTIVAL & SMOKED FOODS EXTRAVAGANZA
Bar Harbor, ME
Kate Caivano, Atlantic Brewing Company
207.288.2337
www.atlanticbrewing.com/events.html
kate@atlanticbrewing.com

SEPTEMBER 17-18, 2005
The 2nd ANNUAL GALENA GARLIC FESTIVAL
At the Belle Aire Mansion on Hwy. 20, Galena, IL
Jan Harris
www.GalenaGarlic.com

SEPTEMBER 29-30, 2007
HUDSON VALLEY GARLIC FESTIVAL
Saugerties, NY
845.246.5956
http://www.hvgf.org

OCTOBER 7, 2006
OCTOBER 7-8, 2006
Tagawa Gardens
7711 S. Parker Road
Centennial CO 80015
www.TagawaGardens.com

OCTOBER 7-8, 2006
GARLIC & HARVEST FESTIVAL
Bethlehem Fairgrounds
Bethlehem, NY
Dave or Al
garlicfestival@hotmail.com
www.garlicfestct.com

OCTOBER 7-8, 2006
Cox Arboretum & Gardens Garlic Festival
Dayton, OH 937-434-9005 www.coxarboretum.org
Enjoy a variety of food featuring garlic including - garlic pork chops, chicken and ribs, soup, mushrooms, popcorn and even ice cream.  The festival will include a distinctive artisan marketplace, music and entertainment, hayrides, pumpkin carving, face painting and a whole host of children’s activities in the Monster Mash Lab. Special programs about garlic will include; history and folklore, medicinal uses, growing and harvesting of garlic, garlic braiding and cooking demonstrations. No admission charge. 
Dona Vella
Development Director
Cox Arboretum & Gardens MetroPark
6733 Springboro Pike
Dayton, OH 45449
937-278-2650
937-438-1221

OCTOBER 14-15, 2006
16th ANNUAL VIRGINIA WINE AND GARLIC FESTIVAL
Amherst, VA
Richard Hanson
434.946.5168
www.rebecwinery.com


FALL
The Atlantic Brewing Company Garlic Festival, Bar Harbor, Maine
contact: kate@atlanticbrewing.com

The Fall Garlic Festival of Hawaii JoJoR@hawaii.rr.com

If you know of others garlic festivals, send us a message and we'll see that it gets listed.

And as for lovers of the "other allium" there is the Vidalia Onion Festival in the spring in Vidalia, GA, 912-538-8687.