Beloved Gilroy Garlic Festival Canceled Amid Rising Costs, Pandemic Uncertainty

GILROY (CBS13) -- The Gilroy Garlic Festival won't be happening this year - or even the foreseeable future, officials say.

Organizers cite rising costs and insurance premiums as part of the problem.

But the main issue: Having to bus in people to Christmas Hill where the event is held, Gilroy's mayor says.

"The truth of the matter is the development around Christmas Hill Park is what was eating at the Garlic Festival Association's reserves, and they were barely able to keep that going," Mayor Marie Blankley said.

The popular festival operated as a drive-thru event last year and was canceled the year before, all due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019, the festival was the scene of a mass shooting that left three people dead, plus the suspect, and 17 others hurt.

Organizers say they are trying to re-imagine the annual festival, looking at bringing it back as a much smaller version. Initial plans could be for a 5,000-person event, if organizers can find a new venue.