Castroville Artichoke Festival has humble roots

The Castroville Artichoke Festival has some humble roots.

“It all started as a town get together to celebrate the thistle,” said Artichoke Festival Director Michele Pecci.

57 years later organizers are gearing up for a record amount of people.

“We estimate we’ll have about 30,000 people this year,” said Pecci.

About 75-percent of the State’s artichokes come from Castroville, however the festival can no longer be held there because of the festival size.

“We’ve had to move to the Monterey fairgrounds where we’re able to provide more entertainment,” said Pecci.

Cooking demos, live entertainment, and field tours are just a few things at this year’s festival.

“At the festival we got everything artichoke if you can think it we got. And if we don’t we will have it next year. I think the best part is introducing people that are not familiar to the fun of artichokes on how to cook them, how to prep them, and how to eat them,” said California Artichoke Advisory Board Manager Pat Hopper.

The two day festival kicks off Saturday at 10:00 AM.

“Come have some fun, it’s a wonder, wonderful time. Spend the day experiencing artichokes with us,” said Hopper.