Florida Strawberry Festival wraps up 96th year in Plant City, drawing hundreds of thousands

Florida Strawberry Festival wraps up 96th year

Organizers estimate 500,000 to 600,000 people attended the Florida Strawberry Festival this year. FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis reports.

PLANT CITY, Fla. - The Florida Strawberry Festival wrapped up Sunday, bringing crowds for concerts, carnival rides, agricultural exhibits and, of course, plenty of strawberry shortcake.

What we know:

The annual festival returned for its 96th year, filling the Plant City fairgrounds with entertainment, food and agriculture-focused events.

Festival President Kyle Robinson said the event continues its long-standing mission: supporting local agriculture and youth programs. More than 2,000 volunteers help run the festival each year, along with about 400 seasonal employees.

One of the festival’s biggest attractions is its youth livestock shows and auctions. Robinson said proceeds from events like the steer and swine sales go directly back to the young exhibitors.

The backstory:

The Florida Strawberry Festival dates back to 1930, celebrating Plant City’s role as a hub for strawberry farming.

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According to the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, strawberries represent a more than $1 billion industry in Florida, supporting farms and businesses across the region.

Marketing director Sue Harrell said the festival is also an opportunity to teach visitors, especially kids, how strawberries are grown, from white blossoms to ripe berries in about 28 days.

What they're saying:

Visitors say the festival is about more than just food and rides.

Zac Reynolds, who attended with his 8-year-old son from Tampa, said sharing strawberry shortcake together is part of what makes the event special.

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"It’s awesome," Reynolds said. "Eating this strawberry shortcake and seeing all the strawberry plants and tasting the super good, juicy strawberries."

Festival highlights:

This year’s event featured more than 80 rides, concerts from major performers, including Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and unique attractions like the America 250 Wheel, the tallest traveling observation wheel standing at 229 feet. It features 45 gondolas representing each U.S. president. Michael Wood, Co-owner of the wheel said, "The most common question is, why is Trump not on number 45? Well, that's because Trump served, he was one of two presidents who served non-consecutive terms. Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump."

And it wouldn’t be the Strawberry Festival without creative treats, from traditional strawberry shortcake to strawberry wontons and even hot honey strawberry apple fries.

What's next:

With another successful year in the books, organizers are already looking ahead to next year’s celebration, which will mark the 97th Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City.