After a decade away, “The Best Stinkin’ Party in South Florida” is returning to the scene of its smelly beginnings in Delray Beach.
It didn’t leave in a fume-filled huff. Nor were the interim venues in Lake Worth Beach and Wellington anything less than worthy or welcoming. Instead, a reunion with Delray Beach which will be consummated in 2026 began as a sort of homecoming spurred on by one of the event’s founders — more on that shortly.
The wonderfully fragrant fiesta, known for serving up everything and anything that goes with garlic, began in Delray Beach in 1999. Featuring food, national music acts and rides, it grew bigger every year. Success brought crowds and excitement, but also a problem: Garlic Fest was literally outgrowing its space.
Garlic Fest’s stinkin’ tour of Palm Beach County
The festival’s size, combined with the city’s wish to scale back the number of large events it was allowing downtown ultimately forced them to relocate in 2016 to John Prince Park in Lake Worth Beach, said Leanne Griffith, the corporate sponsor and activation specialist for the organization that puts on Garlic Fest, Festival Management Group…