Is Gilroy Still the Garlic Capital? Fresno Says No!

As the chief producer of garlic in the United States, Fresno hopes to highlight its "garlic capital" status with an all-new National Garlic Festival and Food Expo that will occur May 13-15 at the Big Fresno Fairgrounds.

Peter DeYoung, Chief Executive of National Food Festivals, Inc., is touting the new festival as a great family event. He intends to give festival attendees a taste of more than 300 garlic inspired foods from over 80 restaurants. Live demonstrations with nationally recognized chefs will also highlight the various culinary uses of the crop.

Live musical performances, a car show, carnival rides and nightly fireworks shows will also be featured during the event.

"We are thrilled and excited with the wonderful support we've seen from the city and county," DeYoung said.

Nearly 80% of the garlic grown in California comes from Fresno County. In 2020, Fresno County farmers harvested 178,000 tons of garlic from over 24,000 acres of land. The crop that year was valued at over $396 million, making it the sixth largest crop by gross receipts in Fresno County, according to the county's annual crop and livestock report.

Along with highlighting the various consumer uses for garlic, an agricultural showcase of how garlic is grown, harvested and processed in Fresno County is also planned for the event.

The National Garlic Festival is unrelated to the Gilroy Garlic Festival which is scheduled for July 22-24.

Editor’s Take:

Sounds as though we have a little rivalry taking place in California. Fresno is definitely making a “big” move to replace Gilroy, long known as the garlic capital of the U.S. Will they successfully unseat the reigning king of garlic – we’ll see. Whatever the outcome of that friendly jousting, consumers and garlic fans everywhere are sure to enjoy the new festival. You might want to check it out for yourself by venturing to CA to see what it’s all about!