Garlic Fest, a two-day festival full of “amazing chefs,” live cooking competitions and music, is one of Easton’s most popular annual events, and the city is preparing for its downtown take-over this weekend.

More than 90 food and merchandising vendors will crowd around Centre Square to showcase the pungent flavors of garlic. Local restaurants and bakeries such as Sweet Girlz Bakery, Mesa Modern Mexican, The State Cafe, and many more will be offering their take on garlic infused delicacies to tourists and locals. 

Jo Moranville is officially the chair of the festival, but she jokes that she likes to call herself the “Tsarina of Garlic.”

“[Garlic Fest] shows off the culinary expertise of the chefs in town. We are a true foodie town, and we have dozens of amazing chefs,” Moranville said. “And also because it is on the street, it shows off how beautiful the historical buildings are and how nice it is to come and enjoy Easton.”

Zoey Hoffman ‘22, who attended last year, said he enjoyed Garlic Fest. He added that the festival “had really good garlic knots and we took a picture with a giant garlic,” he said. 

There will also be live cook-offs throughout the weekend, according to Moranville.

“If you like watching cooking shows, you’re going to have a blast. There are four different chef cook-offs, and one of them is [Easton’s] mayor against two other local mayors,” Moranville said.

There will also be live music throughout the day on three stages: the School of Rock Stage, the Sizzlin’ Hot Latin Music Stage and the Stinkin’ Beer Tent State. The stages will be spread throughout Easton, featuring a diversity of sounds from local musicians and DJs.

While Garlic Fest is mainly about the celebration of food and the city of Easton, it equally emphasizes the intersection of food and sustainability.

“Scrappy Scrapper” compost stations will be placed throughout the event where local volunteers, given the name of endearment “Stinkin’ Volunteers,” will help to organize garbage, recycling and compost.

The compost collected from the event is then matriculated into the Easton Compost Program, which is dedicated to making the city more environmentally conscious.

Garlic Fest has food and entertainment for everyone, even those who are “simple food kind of” people like Moranville, who nonetheless said she loves the garlic pierogies and garlic bread.

The festival will be happening all weekend from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A full list of details can be found on the festival’s main website.