Mohawk Valley Garlic and Herb Festival Returns to Canal Place for 23rd Year

LITTLE FALLS – The Mohawk Valley Garlic and Herb Festival will mark its 23rd year on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Canal Place, continuing a tradition that has grown into one of the biggest single-day draws on the Little Falls calendar.

The festival is presented by Local Foods Incubator, Inc., the local non-profit behind the event, and has posted back-to-back record turnouts the past two years.

The 21st annual festival in 2024 drew a record crowd, with gate lines that started at the 10 a.m. opening and didn’t thin out until mid-afternoon. Last year’s 22nd annual event topped that mark again, pulling in more than 6,000 attendees under what organizers called ideal weather.

Festival organizer and co-founder Julie Webster said 2025’s crowd was large but manageable, crediting a reworked vendor layout that spread visitors out and eased the bottlenecks of past years. Vendors, she said, were uniformly pleased with the turnout and sales.

That vendor lineup has been growing along with the crowds. Last year’s festival featured more than 80 vendors selling heirloom garlic varieties, herb-infused products and gourmet foods, and several reported selling out entirely.

Andy McEvoy of Paca Gardens called the quality of both vendors and visitors top-notch, while Marica Belico of Nona Maria Pizza said the day likely set a new sales record for her business.

As in past years, the festival will pair its agricultural focus, garlic growers, herb and produce vendors, seed garlic for sale, and growing lectures, with a full slate of family entertainment: live music, children’s activities, and free horse and carriage rides along the Erie Canal courtesy of CNY Carriage Company, which has reported its rides booked solid for the entire day in recent years.

This year’s festival preview also lists pumpkin painting among the family activities at Canal Place.

The event remains rooted in its original mission. Organizers describe it as a non-profit agricultural festival meant to give area farmers and home gardeners practical information about growing garlic and herbs in a region with soils and a climate well suited to both crops.

Suggested donations are $5 per individual or $15 per family or group, with children under 12 admitted free.

Local Foods Incubator re-donates a third of that money to area non-profits; in recent years that has included the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts, Pause 4 All Paws Animal Rescue, Inc., and the Little Falls Rotary.

Only service dogs are permitted on the grounds.

Past festivals have leaned heavily on community support to pull off a one-day event of this size, with the Little Falls City Police and Fire Departments and the City of Little Falls DPW all assisting, along with volunteer groups who help with setup, teardown, parking and merchandise sales.

Mayor Deborah Kaufman has opened the festival each of the past two years and has pointed to the event’s role in showcasing the city and supporting local farmers and artisans.

Updates on this year’s vendor lineup, entertainment schedule and volunteer opportunities are being posted to the festival’s Facebook page and at mvghf.com as Sept. 12 approaches.