Florida Strawberry Festival Now Open
The annual Florida Strawberry Festival is underway in Plant City, drawing large crowds from across the region. The event features its traditional lineup of concerts, rides, and a wide variety of food vendors.
This year marks the 91st iteration of the festival, which first began in 1930 after being conceived by the Plant City Lions Club to celebrate the local strawberry harvest. The event is ranked among the Top 40 Fairs in North America. The festival has seen consistent growth, with attendance surpassing 634,000 in 2024 and setting a new record in 2025 with 651,647 visitors. Organizers expect to welcome more than 600,000 people again for the 2026 event. Running for 11 days from February 26 through March 8, the 2026 festival's theme is "Still Growing." This theme reflects both the region's agricultural heritage and the event's continued expansion. Headline musical acts for this year's event include Alabama, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Lonestar, The Offspring, and Jo Dee Messina, who will perform on the Wish Farms Soundstage. A separate ticket is required for the concerts in addition to gate admission. While strawberry shortcake remains a staple, new food items for 2026 include Strawberry Crunch Nachos, Strawberry BBQ Egg Rolls, and Dubai Strawberry Chocolate Cups. Other inventive offerings include Hot Honey Apple Fries and Penne Pickle Pasta. New additions to the grounds include the 15,000-square-foot BayCare Center, which features climate-controlled restrooms and a permanent shortcake booth. The midway boasts over 80 rides, including the 230-foot-tall America 250, the largest portable observation wheel in the world. The festival continues to honor its agricultural roots with youth livestock shows featuring cattle, pigs, and sheep. Plant City is known as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, with local farms planting more than 10,000 acres of strawberries each year.
