Garlic Festival returning to Saugerties this month

SAUGERTIES―For nearly four decades, an annual celebration just outside of Greene County has transformed the humble garlic bulb into an enormous weekend of food, music, vendors, entertainment and some of the strangest culinary creations imaginable.

This year’s Hudson Valley Garlic Festival will return to the Cantine Veterans Memorial Complex in Saugerties on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, with some 200 vendors expected to pack the grounds.

The official 2026 food vendor list reads almost like a dare.

Visitors can expect garlic steak sandwiches, garlic fries, garlic blooming onions, garlic hamburgers, garlic pizza, garlic bread, garlic chicken wings, chicken tikka, garlic corn on the cob, garlic potato soup, garlic fried dough and garlic desserts.

The story of the festival began in 1989 when Pat Reppert of Shale Hill Farm and Herb Gardens decided to organize a small gathering at her own property on Hommelville Road.

**According to the festival's official history, Reppert envisioned the event as a promotional gathering for her fledgling herb business and New York State-grown garlic. There was virtually no formal publicity—just her newsletter, an article in the Daily Freeman and word of mouth. The response quickly demonstrated that Reppert had stumbled onto something much larger than a farm promotional event.

The festival's early years were measured in hundreds of visitors rather than the tens of thousands who would eventually descend upon Saugerties.

By 1991, tickets had to be pre-sold to control the crowds and Reppert received more than 1,500 telephone calls from people trying to get into the event. It was apparent that a backyard garlic gathering was no longer going to be enough.

Reppert's husband convinced her that the festival needed to be turned over to an organization capable of handling its explosive growth. That organization was the Kiwanis Club of Saugerties.

The Kiwanis Club assumed operation of the festival in 1992 and moved it to Cantine Field, where it has remained ever since. What happened next was almost unbelievable.

Within three years, the festival was attracting between 40,000 and 45,000 people. The crowds became so large that traffic itself became a problem, contributing to Thruway traffic jams and an 11-mile backup on Route 9W on year. The event eventually expanded to two days and began charging admission.

The attendance record came in 2007, when a staggering 53,000 people came through the gates over the course of the weekend.

And despite its enormous size, the Garlic Festival remains a community volunteer operation. The money raised― an estimated $2.5 million, to date―goes back into Saugerties and surrounding communities through the Kiwanis Club.

Pat Praetorius, one of the festival's organizers, has a particularly deep connection to the event. She once worked for founder Pat Reppert, giving her a perspective that stretches back to the festival's earliest years.

Praetorius has watched the event change from the small gathering Reppert created to the massive community institution it is today.

“There are some old faces there that have been working and patronizing the place for 30 years,” Praetorius said. “But there are also a lot of new faces, too.”

People who attended the festival as children now bring their own children. At the same time, thousands of newcomers discover the festival every year.

For anyone who has ever visited the Garlic Festival and wondered how they were ever going to find their way back to a booth selling a particular variety of garlic, hot sauce, pottery or garlic fudge, organizers have something new planned. One of the major additions for 2026 will be an interactive online map.

According to Praetorius, visitors will be able to use the map to navigate the grounds and locate specific vendors. And there will be plenty to find.

Boy Scouts will be serving garlic corn on the cob, popcorn and chicken bites. St. Mary of the Snow will be offering garlic fried dough. Wave Hill Breads will be bringing garlic pizza and garlic bread. Wild Bill's Olde Fashioned Soda will once again provide one of the festival's more unusual beverages: a vanilla garlic soda served in a reusable mug.

Then there is the garlic ice cream.

For those brave enough to try it, the festival's unusual frozen treat has become one of its signature oddities. Guido's Frozen Desserts has been giving visitors an opportunity to discover that garlic and dessert can, under the right circumstances, coexist.

Of course there will be food that isn't necessarily built around garlic but fits comfortably into the festival's broader food lineup, including gyros, rice platters, lamb, salads, pulled pork, turkey legs, quesadillas, corn dogs, ribbon chips, lemonade and other festival favorites.

There will also be plenty of opportunities for people who want to take a piece of the festival home with them.

Rolling Rock Farm, for example, offers fresh garlic along with garlic oils, vinegars, infused salts, herbs and spices. TorchBearer Sauces brings garlic sauces and hot sauces, including its famously fiery Garlic Reaper. Udder Ideas Fudge offers more than 20 varieties of homemade fudge, including garlic fudge. Isn't It Sweet will have garlic chocolate bars, garlic creams and black-garlic chocolate cake. Saratoga Peanut Butter Company will offer a spicy garlic peanut butter.

Despite the novelty foods and enormous crowds, organizers have not lost sight of the reason Reppert started the event in the first place: garlic growers.

The festival has a marketplace for garlic farmers from across the Northeast to sell their harvest directly to the public, as well as artisans, craft vendors, chef demonstrations, lectures, and live music.

Single day advance tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for those aged 65 and older. Admission at the gate is $15 and children under 12 get in for free. Admission includes free parking, and the festival is held rain or shine.

For more information, visit https://www.hvgf.org.