The inaugural National Garlic Festival will be held at the fairgrounds May 13-15 featuring more than 300 garlic-inspired foods. Image via National Food Festivals.

A three-day festival celebrating one of nature’s smelliest and tastiest creations is coming to the Big Fresno Fairgrounds in May.

The inaugural National Garlic Festival will be held at the fairgrounds May 13-15 featuring more than 300 garlic-inspired foods (including free garlic ice cream), multiple performance stages with national touring acts to be announced, a carnival and midway, nightly fireworks and celebrity chefs from the Food Network.

The event being organized by Fresno-based National Food Festivals also serves as a reminder that when it comes to a one true garlic capital, Fresno County has the rightful claim to that title, said CEO Peter De Young.

“Most people don’t realize that Fresno County is the true Garlic Capital of the United States, and has been for a very long time,” De Young said in a news release. “While other communities process our garlic, our farmers grow far more fresh garlic than any other county in the U.S. It’s time for all of us to stand proud and celebrate it!”

Garlic production in Fresno County has consistently landed in the Top 10 crops, said Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. Farmers in Fresno County grow 77% of the nation’s garlic and it’s landed as high as No. 3 on the Top 10 list, Jacobsen said. Farmers in west Fresno County often use it as a rotational crop.

“There’s not a vampire to be found in Fresno County,” Jacobsen said.

De Young also hopes to unseat the Gilroy Garlic Festival’s world record for Largest Garlic Festival, with an attendance of 109,067 people recorded in 2011.

For comparison, the three-day World Ag Expo held last week in Tulare reported 98,386 attendees.

Lisa Oliviera, president of Visit Fresno County, said the economic impact could bring millions to the region.

The Paul Paul Theater will be converted into a “full-blown kitchen stadium” where attendees can enjoy cooking demos featuring a team of well-known Food Network celebrity chefs.

De Young partnered with Institute of Technology’s culinary program to have students work behind the scenes prepping food for chefs.

To document the occasion, De Young partnered with a local production company as well as JP Marketing to film the event.

“There’s so many different moving parts, let’s capture it all,” said De Young.

The event is also dedicated to health care workers, with free admission for medical personnel with a valid work ID.

Discounted resale tickets go on sale today at nationalgarlicfestival.com.

Like many events, the well-established Gilroy Garlic Festival was modified into a drive-thru food festival in 2021 due to Covid-19. It is expected to return as an in-person event in July for its 42nd anniversary after a two-year absence. The Gilroy Garlic Festival was the site of tragedy in 2019 when a gunmen killed three people and wounded 17 others.

As the founder and executive director of the California Fresh Farmers Market Association in Fresno, De Young is no stranger to food festivals. He organized Fresno’s first garlic festival in 2019, with thousands in attendance for the event at River Park.