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Three-day Asparagus Festival set to begin Friday
Asparagus Festival
The 39th annual San Joaquin Asparagus Festival is shaping up for its opening day set for Friday at San Joaquin County Fairgrounds. - photo by Sabra Stafford
Published: Apr 10, 2025, 8:20 AM

By VINCE REMBULAT & SABRA STAFFORD

The Bulletin

The 39th annual San Joaquin Asparagus Festival kicks off Friday, April 11, at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds.

This three-day event – dubbed the “Biggest Food Festival in the West” – is all things asparagus and is expected to attract thousands.

Asparagus Festival
Carnival workers set up rides for the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival, which begins Friday at San Joaquin County Fairgrounds. - photo by Sabra Stafford
“We’ll have a full-blown carnival this year,” said Heather Chambers, an executive assistant with the festival. “We’ve got a petting zoo, pony rides. We have a reptile exhibit that is coming and is new this year. We have axe-throwing and that’s also new this year. And of course, a lot of food vendors selling asparagus dishes. The weather is going to be fantastic.”

Topping the must-have list for most is the deep-fried asparagus.

The SJC Fairgrounds is located at 1658 S. Airport Way, Stockton.

Admission is $12 (age 18 & up), $8 (child / senior / military with ID – ages 6-17, 65+), and free for children age 5 and under.

Hours of operation is 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday (April 11) & Saturday (April 12), and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday (April 13).

The Asparagus Festival will once again offer up family fun, delicious food, live music, a variety of vendor (arts & crafts, goods & services), carnival rides & games, racecar display, trackless train rides, free petting zoo, and chef demos.

The event will also feature a Miss San Joaquin Asparagus Festival Scholarship Pageant.

Asparagus is the main attraction.

“Every year, we have several more asparagus-related dishes to our already outstanding deep-fried and asparagus ice cream,” according to the official website (www.sanjoaquinasparagusfestival.net).

Included are asparagus lumpia, pulled pork sandwich with asparagus slaw, asparagus chicken bowl, asparagus corn dogs, asparagus Polish corn dogs, asparagus chili cheese fries, asparagus nachos, chicken asparagus burrito, veggie asparagus burritos, asparagus pasta, bacon wrapped asparagus, deep fried ground beef & asparagus wrap, steamed asparagus with garlic butter, crab 7 asparagus balls, asparagus, churros, asparagus fried rice & lo mein, and mac & cheese with asparagus, just to name a few.

Festival admission will also include all main stage entertainment.

The schedule is as followed:

  • Friday, April 11 – 11 a.m., Mystic Vinyl (classic rock hits); 1 p.m., Steel Glass (classic rock); 3 p.m., Park Street Bridge (Classic rock & original music); 5 p.m., Haywire Rockin’ Americana.

  • Saturday, April 12 – 10:30 a.m., Discovery martial arts; 11 a.m., Hmong dance group (Lao family Community Empowerment); 11:30 a.m., Violinists & guests; 1 p.m., My Soul to Keep (high energy rock & roll); 3 p.m., The Blue Tones (Blues rock band); 5 p.m., The King’s Men Tribute Band (Elvis tribute).

  • Sunday, April 13 – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., SJ Asparagus Scholarship Pageant / Prince & Princess program; 2 p.m., David Perez Band (Cumbia, Country, Reggaeton to R$B, Tejano to Old School, Salsa to Latin rock).