Washington State Garlic Fest returns to the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds this weekend

With the Southwest Washington Fair now over, the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds will now host the 2024 Washington State Garlic Fest beginning Friday, Aug. 23 and running through Sunday, Aug. 25.

Admission is $7 per person at the gate, and the Garlic Fest opens at 11 a.m. each day and runs through 5 p.m. on Friday, 6 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Children 6 and under get in free.

In the past, Garlic Fest has featured live music, Washington farmers selling fresh garlic and more, vendors selling special garlic food and horticultural speakers giving seminars on growing garlic and other gardening topics.

Though no official event schedule has been posted yet for this year’s Garlic Fest on the event’s website, a Southwest Washington Fair representative told The Chronicle the full schedule should be posted before Garlic Fest starts on Friday.

According to the website, vendors this year include artisans selling everything from pickled garlic to salad dressings and hot sauces to infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars and more.

Other local artisan and craft vendors are also expected to be in attendance with the Halloween-themed Vampire Market, which is located underneath the grandstands at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds.

The famed garlic ice cream will also be making a return along with many other garlic foods from garlic sausage to garlic falafel.

Garlic growers expected to be in attendance include Willapa River Farms out of Raymond and Fallen Tree Farms out of Roy.

The Southwest Washington Fairgrounds are located at 1909 S. Gold St. between Centralia and Chehalis.

For more information, including the full event schedule when it’s posted, visit https://wastategarlicfest.com/ or follow Garlic Fest on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/WashingtonStateGarlicFest.