PLANT CITY, Fla. — The 88th annual Florida Strawberry Festival came to a close after multiple days of entertainment racking in a record-breaking number of people in attendance.
The 11-day event brought out a total of 606,116 visitors to take part in concerts, livestock shows, free entertainment, rides, food, arts, craft vendors and more.
“From our festival family to yours, thank you,” Florida Strawberry Festival President Paul Davis said in a statement. “We would not be where we are today without the community’s continued support.
"The patrons, the vendors, the concessionaires, the sponsors, the volunteers, the workers, the schools, the churches, the businesses, the staff, the board of directors, the maintenance team, the families, the committees, our friends at Belle City Amusements, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and Plant City Police Department and everyone in between who has contributed to this moment, we share this accomplishment with you. We are so blessed!”
Along with the record-breaking attendance numbers, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the Plant City Police Department reported minimal problems throughout the 11-day event.
There was also "a significant increase in sales from last year’s festival making this the most attended midway to date," according to Belle City Amusements, Inc.
“This is a huge accomplishment,” Florida Strawberry Festival President-Elect Kyle Robinson said in a statement. “The staff and I would like to personally thank our Board of Directors and Associate Directors. They work tirelessly, giving of their time and talents to support our event 365 days of the year.
"We have some exciting things planned for next year, and we’re already looking forward to BerryFest24. We certainly do have a winner; we knocked this one out of the park!”
The 2024 Florida Strawberry Festival will be held from Feb. 29 through March 10.