DELRAY BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — Delray Beach’s Garlic Fest is coming home. Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the 27th edition of the festival, clearing Delray Beach Arts, Inc. to bring the three-day event back to the Old School Square campus from February 28 through March 1, 2026, according to a staff report prepared for the meeting .
The resolution, labeled 209-25, authorizes the City Manager to take any steps needed to carry out the approval. The event qualifies as an “Impact Event,” in part because the promoter expects about 4,000 attendees per day, which exceeds the city’s 3,500-person threshold for additional review. That determination was made earlier this year by the Special Event Technical Advisory Committee (SETAC), which recommended approval after its September 4 review. The city’s Development Services Management Group followed with its own recommendation on September 25, according to the staff memo .
The festival’s promoters filed their special-event application on July 21, 2025. The application describes Garlic Fest as an eclectic mix of national and local musical acts, culinary programming centered on garlic, artist booths, and fundraising partnerships with six nonprofit groups that support educational and youth-focused programs in Palm Beach County. The event has contributed more than $720,000 to its partner organizations across its history, according to its filing .
Garlic Fest spent 17 of its 27 years in Delray Beach before relocating when it grew too large for Old School Square. The new version is scaled down and expected to fit within the campus without major impacts. City staff told commissioners the layout is manageable and all activity will be contained on site. No road closures are proposed, and parking operations will remain outside the street grid. Maps submitted with the application show vendor zones, performance areas, support staging inside the first floor of the Old School Square garage, and controlled pedestrian paths on the interior grounds of the complex .
The event will run Saturday through Sunday, with setup beginning the evening of February 27 and cleanup wrapping by March 2. Gates are set to open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, according to the application. Attendance is estimated at 7,500 overall, with peak crowds of about 4,000 at one time. Admission will be ticketed, with general-admission prices listed at $15–$20 and children under 10 admitted free .
Vendors will operate roughly 145 tents across the campus. Plans include onsite cooking stations, amplified music, merchandise sales, and designated areas for staging equipment. Alcohol service will be permitted, with Delray Beach Arts, Inc. responsible for the necessary licensing and insurance. City restrooms will be used during set hours, and the group has committed to providing attendants. The application also states that DBPD Explorers will manage $5 parking as a fundraiser in the city garage during event hours .
The City Attorney has signed off on the resolution as to form and sufficiency, and staff reported no financial impact to Delray Beach. All operational costs will be billed to the producer. Promoters told the city they need approval now to begin vendor registration and launch full-scale marketing.
With the unanimous vote, the festival is officially on the calendar. For Old School Square, it marks the return of one of the city’s signature events—this time designed to fit the footprint that once helped make it a staple of Delray’s season.
For more information, visit the event's website.
