PLANT CITY, Fla. — It's that time of the year again...when we celebrate the strawberry in Florida.
From fresh strawberries to strawberry pie and cheesecake, the 2022 Florida Strawberry Festival will bring out one of the tastiest events of the year in the Tampa Bay area. And let's not forget the livestock shows, contests and attractions.
This year's festival will have an entertainment lineup that will make up for last year's cancellation including Lady A, Nelly and Cole Swindell.
The festival runs from Thursday, Mar. 3, through Sunday, Mar. 13, in Plant City - just in time for Spring Break. Just follow your GPS to 2209 W. Oak Avenue.
🍓 Admission
Gates open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. when the festival closes.
- Adults (ages 13+): $10
- Children (ages 6-12): $5
- Children 5 and under: Free with paid adult admission
On Feb. 3, participating Publix Supermarket stores throughout Central Florida will have discounted admission tickets: $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 6 to 12.
The Strawberry Festival has a list of special dates where discounts can be applied. Take a look.
🍓 Why strawberries?
The Florida Strawberry Festival represents a time in American history when fairs brought communities together to celebrate their harvests. The first Florida Strawberry Festival dates back to 1930 when the Plant City Lions Club developed the idea of an event to commemorate the harvest of strawberries. Although the festival took a break for six years during World War II, the American Legion Post #26 helped get the Florida Strawberry Festival reactivated.
More than 10,000 acres of strawberries are planted in the Plant City area. Hillsborough County hosts about 2,800 farms producing fruit and vegetables and is one of the largest agricultural counties in the U.S.
🍓 Headliner entertainment
The Florida Strawberry Festival will feature top artists ranging from country R&B and hip-hop stars. From the opening day of the festival until the last night, there are musical guests every day.
The lineup includes Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra, The Oak Ridge Boys, Lady A, The Beach Boys, Boyz II Men, Home Free, Lauren Daigle, Chicks with Hits, featuring Terri Clark, Pam Tillis and Suzy Bogguss, Sammy Hagar & The Circle, John Anderson, Kenzie Wheeler, Ricky Nelson Remembered Starring Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Zach Williams, Lee Greenwood, Jake Owen, The Lettermen, The Drifters, Cornell Gunter's Coasters & The Platters, Tesla, Gene Watson, Cole Swindell, Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots, Nelly, The Bellamy Brothers and Sam Hunt.
Click here for tickets.
Keep in mind event-goers still have to pay for a general admission ticket to get to the show!
🍓 Rides and Attractions
Belle City Midway: Over 80 rides, games and attractions. The rides and games include Kiddie Rides and Thrillers for adults.
Kiddie Korral: Separate from the big kids' rides, Kiddie Korral features pint-sized rides for the little ones and wider aisles to accommodate strollers.
Neighborhood Village: Enjoy all of the homemade and handcrafted items created by the community at Neighborhood Village. It's located on the east side of the Festival grounds.
🍓 Everything strawberry
Fill up on fresh strawberries and take some home to share. In addition to strawberries, there will be an assortment of strawberry desserts to choose from: strawberry shortcake, chocolate strawberry shortcake milkshake, strawberry milkshakes, chocolate-dipped strawberries, strawberry jam, strawberry sandwiches, strawberry pie and strawberry cheesecake, strawberry pizza, strawberry cobbler, crepes and more.
🍓 Parking, RVs and accessibility
It's almost time to head over to the Florida Strawberry Festival but first, parking. Parking is available on the festival property in the blue, gray and red parking lots located on Ritter Street, off of Highway 92 or Highway 574.
- Cars, pickup trucks and vans under 20 feet: $5
- Vehicles over 20 feet to 39 feet: $10
- Vehicles or buses over 40 feet: $15
There is a T-Mobile tram that runs daily between the parking lots to the festival's entry gate 10 and 14.
If none of the lots suit you or are full, parking is also available in independent near the festival.
RVs that wish to reserve a space in the Seminole Lake RV Lot should call the festival office at 813-752-9194 ext. 233.
Accessibility parking is available in the blue parking lot across from Gate 14 for $5 and across from the Amscot Main Ticket Gate 1 on West Oak Avenue for $10. In addition, there are wheelchair and motorized scooter rentals available through reservation at the festival.
Accessible seating is available for all headline entertainment shows. You're asked to call 813-719-6680 for detail on how to purchase seating.
🍓 COVID-19 information
Don't forget your mask. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, wearing a mask inside buildings and enclosed tents is strongly recommended.
If you or a person in your group attending the festival is not feeling well or experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, the festival asks visitors to please refrain from attending.
As a reminder, the Florida Strawberry Festival is asking guests to follow social distancing guidelines and practice good hygiene within festival grounds.