PLANT CITY, Fla. — Get ready to rock out in March at the Florida Strawberry Festival.
After big concerts were canceled for the 2021 event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the festival says the music and entertainment are back in full swing for 2022.
Musical acts performing on the Wish Farms Soundstage include The Oak Ridge Boys, Lady A, The Beach Boys, Boyz II Men, Lauren Daigle, Zach Williams, Jake Owen, Tesla, Cole Swindell, Nelly, The Bellamy Brothers and Sam Hunt.
The 87th Annual Florida Strawberry Festival says its theme is "#1 for FUN!"
The 11-day event is scheduled for March 3-13, 2022, in Plant City.
“The theme of this year’s festival is ‘We’re #1 For FUN!’ with a strong emphasis on bringing folks back together to celebrate fairs and festivals like ours. It’s a time-honored tradition and, in my opinion, one of America’s favorite past times, we’re #1!” said Florida Strawberry Festival President Paul Davis.
Get the full lineup here.
Thursday, March 3
Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra
The Oak Ridge Boys
Lady A
Friday, March 4
The Beach Boys
Boyz II Men
Saturday, March 5
Home Free
Lauren Daigle
Sunday, March 6
Chicks with Hits, featuring Terri Clark, Pam Tillis and Suzy Bogguss
Sammy Hagar & The Circle
Monday, March 7
John Anderson
Kenzie Wheeler
Tuesday, March 8
Rickey Nelson Remembered Starring Matthew & Gunnar Nelson
Zach Williams
Wednesday, March 9
Lee Greenwood
Jake Owen
Thursday, March 10
The Lettermen
The Drifters, Cornell Gunter's Coasters & The Platters
Tesla
Friday, March 11
Gene Watson
Cole Swindell
Saturday, March 12
Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots
Nelly
Sunday, March 13
The Bellamy Brothers
Sam Hunt
Tickets start at $10 for everyone ages 13 and older and $5 for kids ages 6-12. You can get yours online here or at the ticket box office.
For more information on the Strawberry Festival, click here.
Why strawberries?
It's all about celebrating local Florida agriculture! According to the festival site, the multi-day event began in 1930 when the Plant City Lions Club wished to celebrate the area's "bountiful" strawberry harvest. The festival has continued to this day, absent a six-year pause during and just after World War II.
What about that big harvest? If it were "bountiful" back then, it's massive now.
There were 10,000 acres of strawberries during the 2019-20 season, producing 25,000 to 30,000 pounds per acre, according to Hillsborough County.