Neha Patil (Editor)

Florida Strawberry Festival

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Status
  
Active

Frequency
  
Annual

Country
  
United States

Genre
  
Festival

Location(s)
  
Plant City, Florida

Inaugurated
  
1929

Florida Strawberry Festival

The Florida Strawberry Festival is an annual event that takes place in Plant City, Florida. It was started in 1929 by the local Lions Club, after several attempts by locals in the previous 20 years to promote the local strawberry crop. The festival lasts 11 days, and generates an attendance of about half a million patrons from all over Central Florida and other global nations.

Contents

  • The festival is a venue for flea market-style craft and item sales, various free entertainment acts/events, a very large midway, plus twice-daily "big name" musical concert performances. Tickets are required for these concerts, but there is free stadium seating provided at most on a first come basis.
  • The festival is also known for its famous St. Clement Catholic Church's "Make Your Own" Strawberry Shortcake.
  • Every year a parade is held in the festivals honor and features Plant City's Person Of the Year award.
  • The festival has livestock activities in conjunction with the local 4-H club.
  • The festival also has a beauty pageant, with the coronation of a Strawberry Queen. Drew Knotts, a Plant City High School Senior was crowned 2017 Queen by outgoing Queen, Haley Riley. The beauty pageant is well described in "The Strawberry Girls" by Anne Hull, which appeared in the New Yorker magazine, August 11 & 18, 2008.

    • 2017 Lineup

    Willie Nelson (first sold-out afternoon show in Strawberry Festival history)

    2015 Lineup

    Jimmy Stuff, Bobby Vinton, Alabama, Mel Tillis, Scotty Mccreery, Mercyme, Kevin Costner, Hunter Hayes, Sawyer Brown, Happy Together Tour, Ronnie Milsap, Sara Evans, Ricky Skaggs, Craig Morgan, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Oak Ridge Boys, Newsboys, Loretta Lynn, Boyz 2 Men, Day + Shay, John Legend, Luna Shalabi xPermalee, REBA.

    2012 Lineup

    Demi Lovato (as part of her A Special Night with Demi Lovato tour).

    References

    Florida Strawberry Festival Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA