The first annual Garlic Festival event was held in Gilroy, California on August 4th and 5th in 1979. Subsequent events have taken place on the last full weekend in July at Christmas Hill Park. The annual multi-day event is one of the country's best known food festivals, drawing visitors both from across the country and internationally. Located about 30 miles southeast of San Jose, Gilroy is home to about 60,000 people, and the city is a major producer of garlic, even going so far as claiming to be the 'Garlic Capitol of The World.'