Back in April, the Gilroy Garlic Festival gut-punched fans of their annual festival when they announced the event would be cancelled indefinitely, as reported by KRON4 last month. It would’ve closed the book on the event’s 42-year run, dating all the way back to the 1970s.
In a shocking turn of events, the festival has announced its return. With the aid of some new event organizers, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is set to happen later this year. The Noceti Group will host the event and is the same group that runs the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival taking place from May 6 – May 8 in Stockton.
More details and a date for the event are set to be released later, says the Noceti Group.
Speculation swirled that the event was cancelled indefinitely following a shooting that took place on the grounds back in 2019, but the mayor of Gilroy refuted the cause. Mayor Marie Patane Blankley noted a pre-existing financial crisis and dwindling cash reserves as the reason for the festival’s cancellation.
“It’s not that tragedy that caused the demise of a 40+ year festival that generated over $12 million for our local nonprofits,” shared the mayor. “Rather, it was the pre-existing financial crisis and spending down of reserves that left a once robust association unable to pay insurance premiums for which no one otherwise would be questioning.”
The festival has been identified as an important part of Gilroy’s heritage, and will see its return later this year