About |
Strawberries, strawberries, strawberries -- from chocolate dipped, deep fried, shortcaked and even atop pizza, berries abound as desserts, main courses and even as thirst quenching delights like strawberry beer.
All proceeds from sales from non-profit food booths benefit southland charities.
Live Concerts fill the air with non-stop entertainment on two stages, all included in the admission price. The medley of music offers something special for everyone.
A Fine Arts & Crafts showcase with unique collectible creations from 200 artists dot the landscape with exhibits specializing in paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, specialty foods, furniture, children's toys, and
more. Artists are on hand to visit with Festival guests and often personalize gifts. Nestled amidst the booths, the “Kids Interactive Berry Craft Patch” area provides make & take crafts for youngsters.
Strawberryland For Kids offers a childhood oasis with rides, bouncers and climbing walls for youngsters.
The Strawberry Promenade offers a berry haven where patrons can enjoy cooking demonstrations, the Berry Blast Off Recipe Contest, the Strawberry Smackdown with dueling chefs, and more.
Contests get everyone into the act.
Hearty appetites rule in the Strawberry Pie Eating Contest. The gooey Tart Toss finds strawberry goo flying into faces poking through cutout boards and the timed Strawberry Relay race requires teamwork to assemble and devour berry goodies. Creations in The Berry Best Hat Contest put the
Kentucky Derby to shame, while the Berry Best Dressed Baby Contest finds toddlers strutting the runway in their finest berry bling.
The Community Connections booth showcases all the wonderful ways the Festival engages the community and gives back to impact lives by fundraising. Patrons spin the wheel for prizes.
LOCATION:Fifteen acres at Strawberry Meadows of College Park, 3250 South Rose Avenue, Oxnard: Limited on site parking is $10.Free park n ride shuttle service provided. Host Hotel: Holiday Inn Express, Port
Hueneme.
ADMISSION: Adults: $12; seniors 62+, active military and dependents with ID card: $8; Youths (5-12): $5, Free for kids 4 and under.
BACKGROUND: The Festival pays tribute to California’s billion dollar strawberry industry. Oxnard, with its unique coastal environment of ocean exposure and year-round moderate temperatures, is ideal for the luscious
fruit that is annually exported to Canada, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong and beyond. In the early 80s with a quest to create a celebratory event that would pay tribute to the strawberry industry, then Oxnard Mayor, Dr. Tsujio
Kato, gathered with City of Oxnard officials and a handful of local strawberry growers to explore possibilities.
The Festival premiered in 1984 at Channel Islands Harbor. After eight years, the increasingly popular event outgrew its original site, moving in 1992 to picturesque Strawberry Meadows of College Park, home to where it remains today. Throughout the years, Festival funds have contributed to park enhancements.