July 25-27: Perhaps the most aromatic festival around, the event this year features a return of the Garlic Showdown, an "Iron Chef"-style competition with four top San Francisco Bay Area chefs competing for $5,000 and 1,000 pounds of fresh garlic. And the most popular attraction of the festival, the Gourmet Alley Demonstration Stage, will have chefs explaining how they prepare their garlic-laced entrees. Among fare at the fest: garlic fries, garlic calamari, garlic scampi, garlic ginger chicken stir fry, garlic frog legs, French-fried garlic artichoke hearts and garlic chocolate.