GARLIC FEST CELEBRATES 22 YEARS OF STINKIN' UP VERMONT

Every Labor Day Weekend for 22 years the Southern Vermont Garlic & Herb Festival has been stinkin’ up Vermont. It’s known for it’s cascading rows of 200 plus garlic vendors, kids activities, food trucks, beer & wine garden, and regional live bands. It’s always a good thyme!.

Garlic Fest, as it's affectionately known as for short, is held at the grounds of Camelot Village and Antique Center located at 66 Colegate Heights in Bennington, Vermont on Sept. 2nd and 3rd - Labor Day Weekend.  Gates open at 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

One of the amazing parts of this event that is often overlooked is the free parking which is available to all patrons.. Most festivals and events charge a parking fee. There are also close-by spots for handicap and motorcycles. Entry into the festival is only $6 (online through brownpapertickets.com) and $8 at the door for adults and $2 for children 12 and under. The affordable ticket cost is one of the many reasons why this festival continues to grow and reached 15,000 attendees last year. All200 vendors are listed on the Regional Chamber’s website, the organizer of the event, at www.bennington.com/garlicfest.

The kids activities also make this a great family weekend.  This year the kids activity area includesthe Gamer’s Grotto, Vermont Wooden Blocks, The Incredible Larry, and Home Depot so your kids can have fun exploring new things! The Roaming Railroad will also be circle around the grounds throughout the festival. The bounce house will be set up in the inflatable zone.Lastly, there will be face painting for all those stinkin’ kids.

The “beer & wine garden” will be organized by by local pizza shop Ramuntos and they will have some giveaways and fun speciality drinks to try. Garlic Margarita anyone?!?!

The dates and thymes for the live music are: Saturday,Sept. 2nd: Blue Jazz (10:00-11:30), Hill Hollow (11:30-1:00), Julie Shea (1:00-3:00), and The Legato Blues Band (3:00-5:00). On Sunday, Sept. 3rd Ray Gifford (10:00 11:30) will open up the day followed by: Carma (11:30-1:00), Roadhouse (1:00-3:00), and Beard and Glasses (3:00-5:00).

There will be demonstrations throughout the festival as well for example  Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Olive Oil, Cocktail Demonstration and Tasting, How to Make Homemade Garlic Powder and more (see the full list/schedule at www.bennington.com/garlicfest).

“This is a magnet event for the region and the Northeast.  We have people come from all over the world, but especially our weekenders from New York, New Jersey, the Capital Region, the Berkshires and Connecticut,” Matt Harrington, executive director of the regional chamber says.  “Now in its 22nd year, we really see returning visitors both in vendors and attendees that have been enjoying southern Vermont for many years because of Garlicfest.  We’ve created a good base over time and now Vermont’s Garlicfest in Bennington is seen as one of the best in the world.  Our members - dining, lodging, retail -  see a jump in sales across the board because of this event.  Our employers continually comment that events like this help them attract young talent to the area and creates a sense of community. We believe Garlicfest is a good economic development driver.  People come here to Bennington and instantly fall in love with the lifestyle of southern Vermonters.”

Garlic Fest is run by The Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce serving The Shires of Vermont.f you have any questions you can contact Marie at marie@bennington.com or call 802.447.3311. You can also explore places to stay, eat, and play at www.bennington.com.