California Garlic Festival shuts down as Gilroy event prepares return
The California Garlic Festival, the event that arose in 2022 after a tragedy-marred Gilroy Garlic Festival ended its run, is no more.
Organizers have canceled the event’s three-year run after this year’s announced relaunch of the Gilroy festival. The Gilroy Garlic Festival was the site of the 2019 mass shooting that claimed three lives and wounded 17 others. The COVID pandemic struck the following year and that, combined with financial difficulties and insurance requirements, ultimately grounded the Gilroy event for good in 2022.
The California Garlic Festival opened in 2022 in San Joaquin County and ran a second year before moving to Los Banos in Merced County for the final two years of its existence.
The revived Gilroy Garlic Festival is scheduled for July 25 to July 27.
“Although we enjoyed a successful festival for three years, we believe it is better suited in Gilroy,” California Garlic Festival officials said in a statement announcing the decision. “We are pleased to see that Gilroy has implemented the necessary adjustments to revive their event returning to its home base.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 3:43 PM.
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