The Florida strawberry festival is back and I’m finally tempted to go
By Charlotte on
A few of my friends went to the Florida Strawberry Festival last year and would not stop talking about it afterward. Every time we hung out, it somehow came back to the food the strawberry shortcake (obviously), but also all the weird, creative stuff they didn’t expect to like as much as they did.
They were showing me photos of strawberry chocolate cups, waffle cone nachos with cheesecake dip, and some kind of sweet-and-savory strawberry BBQ thing that honestly sounded questionable… but they swore it worked. Typical fair food energy, but turned up a notch.
Now that the Florida Strawberry Festival is coming up Feb. 26–Mar. 8, 2026 in Plant City, Florida, I’m realizing this might be one of those events I actually want to experience for myself. Not even just for the novelty more for the chance to try food you wouldn’t normally see on a menu and decide, in real time, whether it’s genius or a one-bite regret.
I know food festivals can be a lot crowds, noise, lines but there’s something about a long-running event like this that feels very American fair culture. Strawberries, fried things, lemonade, live music, and people arguing over whether the classic shortcake still beats the new experimental stuff.
I haven’t been yet, but it’s officially on my “maybe this year” list.