It's official! Garlic festival coming to Stockton in August

STOCKTON, Calif. - At last, Stockton is getting its very own garlic festival come August.

After much discussion, organizers announced Tuesday that the California Garlic Festival is coming to the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds on August 13-14.

Organizers said attendees will be able to indulge in all-things garlic, including garlic fries, garlic pesto pasta, and maple brown sugar garlic ice cream. The event also features a "Cali Garlic Alley."

"The California Garlic Festival will be a family-oriented event the whole valley can enjoy," organizers said. "We invite everyone to come out and join us as we celebrate our community, local agriculture, and fun!"

The upcoming festival is not to be confused with the famous Gilroy Garlic Festival, a 42-year-old tradition that was canceled indefinitely in April.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival Association said the pandemic and the skyrocketing insurance premiums were the driving forces to cancel the event. They said the city was requiring that the festival have more insurance than the minimum general liability coverage of $1 million. Organizers said a dispute concerning greatly increased insurance premiums after 2019’s deadly mass shooting were factors.