Garlic festival at risk of another cancellation

Next year’s Koonya Garlic Festival is at risk once again of being cancelled due to a lack of volunteers.

The iconic festival has drawn thousands of people to the Tasman Peninsula for over a decade. 

In 2024 the festival had to be cancelled due to a lack of volunteers, and despite a successful festival in 2025, the Koonya Garlic Festival Committee has been caught short on the volunteer front once again. This has led to discussions around the sustainability of the festival into the future. 

Since its conception, the Koonya Garlic Festival has had passionate and inspiring people contribute to the success that the festival brings to the Peninsula each year. 

As it stands, the management and organising committee do not have enough support to continue running the festival. 

Geoff Dugan, one of the founders of the Koonya Garlic Festival, is hopeful people will respond to the call for help.

``It began as six people running a local festival… and now it's become quite a logistical exercise. The more people we can find to contribute their time, skills and enthusiasm to the festival itself, the lighter the load will be,’’ Mr Dugan said.

``There’s a real enthusiasm for the festival in the community, it’s just the lack of time that people have.

``The unique, quirky and wonderful festival… is in dire need of support in order to keep going. We need both expertise and enthusiasm from people who are keen to give back to the community to make sure that this iconic festival continues.”

A meeting of the Koonya Garlic Festival Association is planned for Saturday the August 2 at 2pm at the Koonya Hall, inviting community members and potential volunteers to be involved in discussions about the festival’s future. 

The meeting will hopefully bring together both new and ongoing committee members to discuss items such as the frequency of the festival and whether there will be a 2026 event, along with the possibility of employing an Events Manager to oversee the volunteer committee. 

The 2025 festival saw all garlic growers in attendance sell out of garlic, while crowds enjoyed local music, a kids garlic planting tent, and masterclasses from several Tasmanian garlic lovers including Kirsten Bradley of Milkwood Permaculture and Paulette Whitney of Provenance Growers. 

The Koonya Garlic Festival Inc. hopes that with help from those who have supported the festival over the past decade they can continue to deliver what has become a wonderfully unique and beloved event that celebrates everything garlic has to offer. 

The Koonya Garlic Festival Inc. General Meeting at the Koonya Hall, 564 Nubeena Rd Koonya. www.koonyagarlicfestival.com.au