Where: Fighting Cocks Crossroads, Bathingbourne Lane, Sandown, Isle of Wight PO36 0LU
£: Day tickets cost £12.50 for adults, £11.50 for seniors, £7.50 for children (5-15), £35 for a family and under 4’s go free. Weekend tickets are also available
What is it?
Garlic has been grown on the Isle of Wight for over 50 years, so it’s fitting that the island hosts an annual Garlic Festival, celebrating the pungent crop.
This year the festival will take place on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th August, with cookery demonstrations, garlic-themed food, garlic games, stalls, live music and a big beer tent.
Visitors to the festival can learn all they need to know about garlic, from cooking it, to the health benefits. The theatre kitchen will have cookery demonstrations and presentations from guests including Valentine Warner, and Colin Boswell, the Garlic Farmer.
There will be plenty of stalls where visitors can sample and buy all kinds of garlic-themed food, including garlic bulbs of all kinds, garlic fudge, ice cream and popcorn. The festival will have more than just garlic products, there will be meats, vegetables, cheese, honey, wine, cider and juices on offer too.
In addition to garlic, there will be family entertainment with falconry displays, garlic games, archery, and classic vehicles. Children’s entertainment will include inflatables, funfair rides, magic shows, Punch and Judy, and characters from Star Wars.
New for 2018, there will also be a Hogg Show, an extreme bike battle, a unicorn party, arts and crafts, and a mobile farm.
The Garlic Festival will also feature a live music stage and a big beer tent. This year’s acts will include punk rock band Lund Tear, Blackfoot Daisy country band, The Baggywrinkles Blues Band and The Wurzels. The beer tent will have a selection of real ales from Island Ales for visitors to enjoy; and if beer isn’t your thing, there will also be a Pimms Bar.
More info: www.garlicfestival.co.uk and www.facebook.com/thegarlicfestival