Gilroy Garlic Festival
The Gilroy Garlic Festival is one of the largest food festivals in the United States, held annually in Gilroy, California on the last full weekend in July at Christmas Hill Park. The 2013 Garlic Festival was held from July 26–28, 2013.[1]
Past festivals
The 31st festival ran from July 24 to July 26, 2009. 108,526 people attended, sampling such diverse creations as garlic flavored ice cream[2] and garlic french fries. Attendees enjoy three stages full of musical entertainment, a Great Garlic Cook-off, celebrity cooking demonstrations, a garlic braiding workshop, a children's area, arts and crafts, and many interactive displays.
A Miss Gilroy Garlic Festival Queen is crowned yearly, chosen by a panel of five judges, based on her interview, talent, garlic speech and evening gown. Her court is chosen to represent Gilroy at festivities and "having a garlicy good time with fellow lovers of the pungent bulb." The 2012 Gilroy Garlic Festival Queen was Julia Brewka.
Over 4,000 volunteers from more than 150 non-profit groups make the festival possible, and over three million people have reportedly come to the festival since it began.
History and purpose
The festival was founded in 1979 by Dr. Rudy Melone, Don Christopher, and Val Filice, and has been a fundraiser for local charities, raising a total of about nine million dollars for assorted causes. Individual groups and charities also run booths at the festival, raising additional funds for their causes. The Gilroy Garlic Festival Association is a non-profit organization that is intended to support non-profit groups and projects in Gilroy.
| Images from the Gilroy Garlic Festival | ||||||||
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See also
References
Sources
- Gilroy Garlic Festival. Retrieved January 19, 2007.
- The Gilroy Garlic Festival, 2005.
- Garlic festival tidbits, 2006.
- The Origin of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, 2007.
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Visitor attractions in Silicon Valley
- Agriculture in California
- Food festivals in the United States
- Festivals in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Recurring events established in 1979
- 1979 establishments in California
- Visitor attractions in Santa Clara County, California
- Garlic
- Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Gilroy, California
- Annual events in California
