The 41st annual three-day Gilroy Garlic Festival will kick off Friday with cooking competitions, garlicky snacks, celebrities and music.
Gourmet Alley will return this year with a giant outdoor kitchen and "Pyro Chefs" creating flame shows while they cook garlic calamari and scampi, joined by booths serving pasta, pepper steak sandwiches and other festival favorites.
There will be live entertainment on three stages, a wine garden, children's area, and cocktail booth serving the festival's two signature drinks -- the Whiskey Daisy and the Garlic Festival Mule.
Saturday will feature a performance by singer Colbie Caillat and her band Gone West, as well as the Garli-Que BBQ Challenge and the Great Garlic Cook-Off hosted by Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio. Sunday's attractions include the professional Garlic Showdown and country music performances.
The event will be hosted at Christmas Hill Park at 7050 Miller Ave. by St. Louise Regional Hospital, which was acquired this year by the Santa Clara County health system. It runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors aged 60 or above, $10 for children aged 10-16, and free for children aged 9 or below. Parking is $15 per vehicle and gates will close an hour before closing.
Caltrain is running a specially chartered roundtrip train service to the festival. Garlic Train tickets and discounted festival tickets can be purchased on the festival's website at https://gilroygarlicfestival.com.
