If you have ever wanted to combine a county fair, a concert, and a strawberry-based food coma into one glorious day trip, welcome back to the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City. The 2026 run is February 26 through March 8 at the festival grounds at 303 BerryFest Place, and yes, “just going for the shortcake” becomes a lie you tell yourself in the parking lot.
First, the basics. Gate admission is $15 for adults (13+), $5 for kids ages 6–12, and children 5 and under get in free with a paid adult. Discount tickets are sold at participating Publix stores from February 15 through March 8 for $10 adults and $4 kids. Festival hours are 10 am to 11 pm daily, so you can pace yourself, or you can immediately sprint toward fried things like a raccoon with a mission. For maps, showtimes, and special discount days, the festival points visitors to its website and mobile app.
Rides, exhibits, and big stage energy
What do you actually do there? You wander. The festival is a full scale fair with agricultural exhibits, crafts, commerce displays, and youth livestock shows, plus a sprawling midway. The official site says the Deggeller Midway packs more than 80 rides, games, and attractions, with the main midway opening daily at noon and earlier starts on weekends and Mondays. Translation: the screams you hear are joy, gravity, and someone discovering spin rides as an adult.
Headline concerts are the other big draw, and many require a separate ticket. Among the 2026 names on the slate: Alabama, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Lauren Daigle, and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, plus plenty more across genres.
Strawberry shortcake and the real reason you came
Now, the most important science. Food. The festival FAQ reminds everyone that fresh strawberries are sold on site, and that the world famous strawberry shortcake is available at multiple booths around the grounds. Shortcake pops up in multiple locations, including booths inside the Parke Exhibit Building and the Entenmann’s Strawberry Tent. You will also find “dozens upon dozens” of other treats, which is festival code for: bring napkins, bring hand sanitizer, and bring a friend who will stop you from ordering a second dessert “for later.”…