By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Deadlines are fast approaching for the many shows, contests and acts featured at the Florida Strawberry Festival, set to begin its 91st year next month.
The 2026 theme, “Still Growing,” is a fitting tribute to a major festival milestone, as the festival last year drew a record-breaking 651,647 attendees, according to “Carnival Warehouse,” the leading source for carnival, fair and amusement park news. It was the highest attendance in the festival’s then 90-year history.
According to festival president Kyle Robinson, while the festival’s goal is “not to break the record each year,” the aim is “to continue being an entertainment destination [for] guests to have fun in a safe and affordable environment,” with the hope that they will want to return in subsequent years.
This year’s festival is set to run Feb. 26 through March 8, nestled between the Florida State Fair (Feb. 5-16) and the Hillsborough County Fair (Nov. 5-15). The Hillsborough County School District gives students the day off, both Feb. 13 and March 2, for the Florida State Fair and Florida Strawberry Festival, respectively.
Units from throughout Hillsborough County participate in the Strawberry Grand Parade, which kicks off at 1 p.m., March 2.
The route moves through downtown Plant City, ending at Sammonds Road. The deadline to enter a unit is Monday, Feb. 2.
Founded as a harvest celebration, the festival features the many ways to enjoy strawberries and strawberry shortcake, which in 2022 became Florida’s official state desert, when accompanied with “natural Florida dairy topping.”
The festival also is a showcase for area youth involved in agricultural education classes, clubs and organizations, including students at East Bay, Lennard, Morgan, Newsome, Riverview, Spoto and Sumner high schools, and Barrington, Eisenhower, Randall and Rodgers middle schools.
According to festival organizers, the aim is to have “one of the finest judging contests in the state,” as it pertains to the six to eight classes of competition for such things as breeding ewes and market hogs, lambs and steers. In addition to high-scoring individuals, awards go to the best high school and middle school FFA teams, 4-H team and Youth Leaders in Production Agriculture (YLPA) team. Youth agriculture contests include as well those for lambs, poultry, rabbits, swine, steer, dairy and plants.
Livestock show registrations are timed to festival shows, with pre-festival deadlines set for youth and adult Neighborhood Living contests. These include judging for horticulture; baked goods; oils, acrylic, watercolor, graphic and mixed media art; photography; woodworking; and shoebox floats.
The Neighborhood Village celebrates creativity and craftsmanship with its showcases of homemade and handcrafted items.
It showcases as well the East Hillsborough Art Guild Art Show and the horticulture show presented by the Plant City Garden Club, open to amateur growers throughout Hillsborough County.
Contests for walk-up festival attendees involve Amish donuts, strawberry spaghetti, mega corndogs, strawberry shortcake, strawberry mashed potato pie and strawberry Icee’s (or slushes). Scheduled as well is the Deep-Fried Strawberry Shortcake-on-a-Stick Relay.
The Youth AG Quiz Bowl is set for March 2, open to five teams of three youth members. Sign up begins 11:30 a.m. at the Stingray Entertainment Pavilion, as well as via the QR code at the pavilion’s entrance.
Meanwhile, tickets since December have been on sale for the strawberry festival’s headline entertainment. Ticket prices for pit, floor and grandstand seats range from free to $135, depending on the act and seating selection.
At the high end, prices range from $110 (grandstand) to $135 (pit) for Riley Green, who recently claimed his sixth No. 1 single with the song, “Don’t Mind If I Do,” featuring Ella Langley. Reportedly, he’s the first artist since Taylor Swift to have back-to-back self-written No. 1 hits on the Country Airplay charts, with “Worst Way” also hitting the top spot.
Green’s festival act is set to feature Hannah McFarland, the songwriter daughter of a cowboy and portrait artist whose “Broken Hearts” debut album in 2025 was warmly received. She performed with Zach Bryan on his Grammy-winning track, “I Remember Everything.”
Free with gate admission are performances staged by Bill Haley Jr. and the Comets (March 5), Pitbull Toddler (March 7), and Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra (Feb. 26). Overall, there are 22 headliner acts, including Alabama; Dierks Bentley; Lauren Daigle; Brantley Gilbert; Forrest Frank; Jamey Johnson; Joan Jett and the Blackhearts; Ty Myers; The Offspring; and Legends of Love, featuring Brian McKnight, Ginuwine and Ruben Studdard.
Contests were held this month for both the strawberry queen and her royal court, and for junior royalty. Junior winners include queen Dyland Hunt, from Plant City High, and princess Ansley Judah, from St. Stephen’s Catholic School in Riverview. Rounding out the junior court, also from Plant City High, Georgia Padron (duchess) and Kinsley Sheppard (baroness).
All queen court members hail from Plant City High. Queen Layla Rothman is joined by first maid Marley Mueller and court members Addison Griffin, Addison Pope and Cadence Cape.
The first-ever strawberry queen was Charlotte Rosenberg, crowned at the first festival, held March 12-15, 1930. Since then, only a few years have been lived without festivals, which is why this year’s festival is the 91st, and not the 91st annual.
From its humble launch in 1930, under the auspices of the Plant City Lions Club, the festival’s namesake has been celebrated and revered. This year’s festival logo features a berry with shades, sporting a straw hat adorned with the FSF (Florida Strawberry Festival) emblem. The berry holds a crate of fresh strawberries.
For more on admission, hours and special day pricing and offerings, including events; contests; demonstrations; exhibits; rides; food; special dates; and free entertainment, including local youth and adult talent, visit www.flstrawberryfestival.com/. Call the ticket office at 813-754-1996. The Florida Strawberry Festival Fairgrounds is at 303 BerryFest Place, Plant City.