The festival is always held the last full weekend in September.
In 2008, it will be held September 27th and 28th.
The hours on Saturday are 10 a.m. 'til 6 p.m, and on Sunday it's 10
a.m. 'til 5 p.m.
2. Where is the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival
held?
The festival is held at Cantine Field in Saugerties, New York.
Saugerties is nestled in the Hudson Valley, 100 miles north of New
York City and 50 Miles South of Albany. Saugerties' Esopus Creek joins
the Hudson River at a point 8 miles north of the Kingston-Rhinecliff
Bridge and 12 miles south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge on the west
bank of the Hudson River. Saugerties is accessable via the New York
State Thruway (Exit 20, Mile Marker 101). NY State Routes 9W, 212
and 32 all meet in the Village of Saugerties. The days of the festival,
the police will provide plenty of help to get you to a parking spot.
For a handy map of Saugerties that shows parking locations as well
as locations where you can board a free trolley that will take you
to and from the festival, click on Maps/Directions.
3. How much are tickets and where can I buy them? Are tickets good for a particular day? Both days?
In 2008, tickets are $7 at the gate. (No senior or discount tickets will be available at the gate.) A ticket is good for entry for 1 person, and is good for Saturday or Sunday, but not both. Children under 12 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.
Advance discount tickets will be available
by approximately June 1st for $5. Online ticket sales from
this Web site began in June. Sunday, Sept. 21st will be the last day for online ticket sales.
We will announce the businesses
that will be selling advance discount tickets. Like last year, People 65 years or age or older can purchase special advance tickets
for $3 apiece (limit 2 per customer), if they can show proof of their
age at any of the businesses selling advance tickets. We will identify which businesses offer advance discount tickets later this year.
The regular $7 tickets are always available at the gate.
When tickets are ordered online, they are mailed within a reasonable amount of time and should arrive no
later than 2 weeks after the order was placed.
4. Can I bring a pet?
We all love our pets . . . however, for the enjoyment of all
festival attendees, we ask that you make arrangements for attending
the festival without your pet. Thank you for your consideration on
this point.
5. I want to be a vendor. How do I do that?
In general, if you are considering becoming a vendor, please
ensure that what you are offering has a garlic affinity. (It *is*
a garlic festival, after all.) And please understand that there is
tremendous interest in being a Hudson Valley Garlic Festival vendor,
and thus submitting an application is not in any way a guarantee that
you will be selected. If you want to be a vendor in 2008, keep an
eye out on this site during April, May, and June. You will
be able to download, print, fill out and submit an application. The
application deadline is July 1st, 2008 and vendors will
be notified of whether or not they are accepted as soon after
August 1st, 2008 as we can manage.
6. I want to be an entertainer. How do I do
that?
Practice, practice, practice. (Sorry.) We have a long list
of entertainers who want to be part of the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival
. . . to the point where we have a temporary moratorium on considering
new acts. We will update this Web site once that situation changes.
7. Where does the money from the festival go?
The Kiwanis Club of Saugerties sponsors the Hudson Valley
Garlic Festival, and Kiwanis members and others volunteer donate many
hours of time to make the festival happen. No member receives compensation
for his or her time. The money received from the festival goes back
to the community in a variety of ways. Examples are:
- Scholarships for students who serve their communities
- Donations to non-profit organizations within the Hudson Valley,
including programs such as the Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts of
America, Coats for Kids, Girls Scouts of America, Historical Society,
Seamon's Park, Saugerties High School Key Club, Saugerties High
School Scholarships, Special Olympics, Kamp Kiwanis, Karing for
Kids, Saugerties Library, School Supplies for Kids, Ulster Literacy,
Toddler Town, Ulster Crime Victims, Seamon's Park Holiday Celebration
and various sports teams.
- Assistance with the purchase of community quality-of-life-enhancing
facilities such as an ice skating rink, purchased in February of
1998, to better serve the communities' diverse sports and other
life interests.
8. What is the schedule of events?
There will be a schedule of events for 2008 added to this Web site as we get towards
the festival's September date. In the meantime, to give you an idea of the
kinds of entertainment and lecture events that occur
at a typical festival, you can take a look at the 2007
festival schedule by clicking on 2007 Schedule of Events.
9. Is it true that "USA Today" named you a
top festival?
Yes. The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival was the lead festival
covered in USA Today's April 12, 2002 edition, covering the
Top Ten Regional Food festivals in the USA, in their opinion.
Here is what they said about us:
''This is a paradise for garlic lovers. Well-known chefs give cooking
demonstrations, and people can sample Cajun garlic shrimp, fried dough
with garlic and garlic pickles. There's even garlic cotton candy for
kids, and garlic dog biscuits.''
We've also been honored by being included in
- One of the 16 "Tasty Reasons to Travel", in Cracker Barrel's 2005
Travel Almanac.
- The American Bus Association's 2004 Top 100 Events in North America
- The Discover America calendar's top 200 events. For more information,
contact Brian Gavigan (716-903-2936) or brian@stwadvertising.com.
10. What will the weather be like?
And will
the festival be held come rain or come shine?
Sunny and seasonable.
In the highly unlikely event of inclement weather, the festival
must go on. (We have never cancelled a Hudson Valley Garlic Festival
in the 18 years we've been hosting the festival.)
