Florida Strawberry Festival Ticket Counter — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Image by: EWY Media
On Wednesday, the Florida Strawberry Festival revealed the outline of its 2024 celebration.
The 89th annual festival will have the theme “Out of This World,” according to a news release from the organizers.
“The sky’s the limit,” Florida Strawberry Festival President Kyle Robinson said. “Our board of directors, staff and maintenance crew have been hard at work this summer planning and preparing an ‘out of this world’ experience for all our guests. We look forward to welcoming visitors from far and wide to BerryFest24!”
Every year, an 11-day festival is held in Plant City to honor the region’s strawberry crop and the countless delectable delicacies that can be cooked with them, primarily strawberry shortcake. In recognition of strawberry shortcake being named the state dessert of Florida, the 2023 Strawberry Festival included the slogan “We Have a Winner!” as its theme.
Even the governor, Ron DeSantis, paid a visit to the festival grounds to sign the proclamation into law, which became effective on July 1, 2022.
Along with the festival, there is a concert series that attracts notable performers, such as the headliners for 2023, Willie Nelson and Lynard Skynard. According to organizers, the event also includes kid livestock competitions and commercial exhibits.
“The festival’s atmosphere is like no other,” Robinson said. “Seeing families gather, volunteers serving and the Plant City community coming together year after year is extraordinary. There’s no place on Earth quite like the Florida Strawberry Festival!”
The Florida Strawberry Festival in 2024 begins on February 29 and lasts through March 10. The festival’s website has further information about the event.
The celebration will sound a little bit different than in years past next year. Randy Scott, dubbed “The Voice of the Florida Strawberry Festival,” was killed in an automobile accident in Manatee County in May.
Every morning of the festival, Scott sang the National Anthem, and he serenaded attendees with “Happy Trails” to round off the celebration. According to festival organizers, both his wife Jill and her sister Judy Cook, who were both killed in the crash, devoted countless hours to helping the event.
“The loss of these three is going to leave a big hole here at the Strawberry Festival family,” Robinson said in May. “But more than that, it’s our community, it’s Plant City and east Hillsborough County.”
Stories that matter are our priority. At Florida Insider, we make sure that the information we provide our readers is accurate, easy-to-read, and informative. Whether you are interested in business, education, government, history, sports, real estate, nature or travel: we have something for everyone. Follow along for the best stories in the Sunshine State.
Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.