Genevieve Chiaramonte

The Florida Strawberry Festival celebrates the blooming of strawberries and the town of Plant City, Florida  on Feb. 27-Mar. 8. 

According to Florida Rambler, Plant City has been known as the “Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.” The Strawberry festival celebrates its 85th Anniversary in 2020 with the theme being “Our Perfect Vision for 2020.” They want to emphasize that 20/20 also means perfect eyesight and therefore envisioning a perfectly beautiful festival. According to ABC News, each year around 500,000 people come to the Plant City festival.

“This is my first time going,” freshman Logan Neel said. “I’m thrilled to see what the Strawberry Festival is all about.” 

Tickets are being sold in several grocery stores, and ticket prices go from eight dollars for adults and four dollars for children. The festival’s hours of operation are 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Ronney will be performing at the Strawberry Festival this year as well as Reba McEntire, Patti LaBelle, Charlie Wilson and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Florida Southern students have the chance to see some of the lineup before leaving for spring break. 

The line up times for the performers on Feb. 27 include Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra at 10:30 a.m., The Oak Ridge Boys at 3:30 p.m., Rascal Flatts at 7:30 p.m. On Feb. 28, the festival hosts Tommy James & The Shondells at 3:30 p.m., and Michael Ray at 7:30 p.m. 

In addition to the musical lineup, the festival has  rides, art galleries, food places, and games. The festival has a market where you can buy candy, clothes, and different kinds of fruits. The signature food at the festival is strawberry shortcake using homemade ingredients including Plant City strawberries in all the recipes. 

admin | The Southern Newspaper Photo courtesy of Gabby Liddel

Some students at Florida Southern College are very excited about the Florida Strawberry Festival. 

“The food is excellent,” sophomore Kennedy Mathews said. “It’s a fun tradition that Plant City has every year that brings families together that some families look forward to. It also gives friends and college students a chance to go because it’s not too much money.” 

The Florida Strawberry Festival is coming up soon and there will be several performances throughout the eleven-day celebration. The festival is ready for everyone to see what their slogan Our Perfect Vision for 2020 brings to the Strawberry Festival this year. 

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