Ventura, CA.
Natasha Kayes | Contributor
Looking for an event for you and the family to enjoy outside the local area? Southern California have numerous festivals during spring and summer that celebrate everything from blooming flowers to food and wine to music, and everything in between.
One of the biggest, longest-running, and most delicious of them all is the Strawberry Festival in Ventura, California. Get ready for all the spring flavor, color, and fun that can be packed into one event. California’s strawberry fields, many of which are located in the Ventura County city of Oxnard, produce 90 percent of the country’s strawberries. You can snag your baskets and flats and celebrate these lip-smacking heart-shaped fruits at the annual California Strawberry Festival which will be held on May 20 and 21, 2023, at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
Over 50 food booths will be open to serve up a wide array of mouthwatering strawberry goodies, including kabobs, funnel cake, nachos, pizza, tamales, popcorn, and of course shortcake — all made with strawberries. At the strawberry festival, you can indulge in all things strawberry while benefiting a variety of non-profit charities that will present some of the food booths and will receive 100 percent of sales proceeds. In addition to strawberries, strawberries, and more strawberries, you will find food vendors serving all kinds of festival foods, so come hungry.
There will be plenty of cooking demonstrations, fun games, and contests throughout the event. From approximately 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, there will be back-to-back live music performances on two stages. Attendees will enjoy every genre of music, including pop, Cumbia, Rock, Reggae, Soul, Latin, Country, Blues, salsa, R and B, and even Taiko Drums. If food, music, and rides are not enough, get ready for almost 200 arts and crafts vendors showcasing paintings and photography, ceramics, decor, toys, jewelry and accessories, handicrafts, specialty foods, and more. Families will have a blast in Strawberryland, where kids of every age can enjoy carnival rides, face painting, inflatable bounce rides, and more. Parents can take advantage of a nursing station and baby changing area at the Kids Care Zone.
There is never a shortage of fun activities and events within the festival. The Jest In Time Family Fun Stage will be hosting non-stop live performances focused on kids of all ages, including magic shows, science shows, puppets, and the Berry Baby Fashion Parade.
Locals and visitors look forward all year long to the Strawberry Festival in Ventura, California. Will you be making plans to attend? Have you been to this delicious spring celebration before? Tell us about your experience in the Comments. Mark your calendar for this year’s event and find all the information you need on the California Strawberry Festival website. You can also like and follow the California Strawberry Festival Facebook page to keep up with event details.
Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle
