The Florida Strawberry Festival always brings in big-name entertainment for its 11-day run, and 2018 is only different in that it isn’t just country music headlining the event.
Sure there’ll be current country juggernauts like The Band Perry, Brad Paisley and Trace Adkins and older fan favorites like the Oak Ridge Boys and Reba McEntire. But there’ll also be a little bit of top 40 pop, including Joe Jonas-led DNCE famous for their song “Cake by the Ocean.” There will also be rap stars of the 1990s with Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc and Salt-N-Pepa. Throw in balladeer Engelbert Humperdinck, R&B star Babyface and rock ‘n roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, and this year’s Strawberry Festival has the makings for one eclectic mix.
2018 will be the 83rd festival with a theme of “Building New Memories!” from March 1-11.
“Yes, it points to the new entertainment venue we’ve constructed,” said festival president Paul Davis in a press release. “But most of all, we want our guests to know we’re in the business of continuously making new and better memories for families.”
Located in Plant City, the festival attracts 500,000 visitors a year to enjoy the multiple daily concerts, but also a midway with more than 80 rides, games and attractions, free entertainment including eating contests, parades and more musical performers.
Strawberry-based cuisine is always on the menu as well.
There will be the signature item of the festival, the strawberry shortcake, but also chocolate-dipped strawberries, strawberry milkshakes, strawberry crepes, strawberry cobblers, strawberry parfaits, strawberry kettle corn, strawberry fritters, strawberry cream puffs, strawberry fudge and more.
In years past there’s even been a strawberry hamburger, a griddle-fried hamburger patty topped with crumbles of strawberry cookies between two pieces of French toast and topped with strawberries. Don’t like hamburger? How about a strawberry pizza, a dessert pizza with graham cracker crust, cream cheese. strawberry glaze sauce and sliced strawberries as “pepperoni.”
Here’s the full music schedule:
March 1:
Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra (10:30 a.m., free)
The Oak Ridge Boys (3:30 p.m., $20)
DNCE (7:30 p.m., $40)
March 2:
Jerry Lee Lewis (3:30 p.m., $30)
Dylan Scott (7:30 p.m., $35)
Justin Moore (7:30 p.m., $35)
March 3
Cam (3:30 p.m., $30)
The Band Perry (7:30 p.m., $35)
March 4
Lee Greenwood (3:30 p.m., $20)
Reba McEntire (7:30 p.m., $50)
March 5
Jimmy Fortune (3:30 p.m., $20)
Josh Turner (7:30 p.m., $25)
March 6
Gaither Vocal Band (3:30 p.m., $25)
Casting Crowns (7:30 p.m., $30)
March 7
Engelbert Humperdinck (3:30 p.m., $30)
Trace Adkins (7:30 p.m., $25)
March 8
The Lettermen (10:30 a.m., Free)
Drifters, Platters and Cornell Gunter’s Coasters (3:30 p.m., $20)
I Love the 90s featuring Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc and Salt-N-Pepa (7:30 p.m., $35)
March 9
Charley Pride (3:30 p.m., $20)
Earth, Wind & Fire (7:30 p.m., $40)
March 10
Sawyer Brown (3:30 p.m., $20)
Anthony Hamilton (7:30 p.m., $35)
Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds (7:30 p.m., $35)
March 11
Chase Bryant (3:30 p.m., $20)
Brad Paisley (7:30 p.m., $50)
Florida Strawberry Festival
When: March 1-11, 2018
Where: 303 Lemon St. in Plant City.
Gate admission: $10 Adults (ages 13+), $5 children (ages 6-12), and free for children ages 5 and under. Select concerts and other special events may cost extra.
Website: www.flstrawberryfestival.com