Garlic Festival: same place, two very different days

Our first visit was hot and so crowded that moving a big stroller through the festival was hard. This year was cold and rainy, with far fewer people. Walking and using the Tushbaby worked much better for us, and so did sticking to savory foods we knew we would enjoy.

Crowds vary Stroller vs. carrier Music + performances Garlic salt potatoes

Liz and Isamu with the floating garlic above the festival entrance on last year’s sunny visit

First visitHot, packed, big stroller

Return visitCool and rainy, Tushbaby + walking

Best biteGarlic salt potatoes

Beyond foodStrong music and arts performances

Last year: heat, crowds and a stroller

We arrived ready to sample the novelty and sweet garlic treats: garlic beer, ice cream and chocolate. It was so crowded that it was hard to move, especially while maneuvering our large stroller. A festival that looks fun on paper can feel very different when every path is full.

This year: a simpler plan

Cold rain likely kept some people away, and we found the crowds much easier to handle. We left the stroller behind, walked when Isamu could, and used the Tushbaby when he needed carrying. We focused on savory food and fresh produce we knew we would like instead of trying every unusual garlic dessert.

What we would eat again

Garlic salt potatoes were the sleeper hit. They tasted great and were easy for me to offer Isamu, who needs help eating. The famous garlic knots were just okay for us: messy and a little tough to chew. That made the potatoes the much easier festival snack.

More than a food market

There is a lot of food, food, food, but the music and arts performances are genuinely good. On a manageable day, stopping to watch them gives the visit a different rhythm from going stall to stall.

Liz and Isamu beneath the garlic-topped festival entrance on a sunny visit — Our first, much warmer visit.

Crowded festival walkway with a costumed garlic character — Moving the stroller through this crowd was hard.

Food held up in front of Isamu in his stroller — Sampling novelty treats the first year.

Garlic knots at a festival food stall with Isamu in a carrier — The knots were messy and tough to chew.

Isamu bundled up near a picnic table on a cool festival day — Layers and space to pause on the return visit.

Isamu examining decorative cornstalks at the festival — Little things to explore between food stops.

Fresh garlic, potatoes and other produce brought home from the festival — Fresh produce was the smarter purchase for us.

Performances worth stopping for

One of the things we liked beyond the food.

Live music on the quieter day

We could actually stop and take it in this time.

Bottom line for autism families

Our two visits felt like different festivals. A stroller was difficult in the hot, packed crowd; walking and a carrier made the cooler, less crowded day much easier for us. We would go for the savory food, fresh produce and performances, and keep a flexible exit plan if it is busy.