February 24, 2026 • 12 mins
The Florida Strawberry Festival opens Thursday (February 26th) for an 11-day run in Plant City. The event draws hundreds of thousands each year for live entertainment, including top musical acts, and of course for every possible way to serve strawberries. We speak with festival president Kyle Robinson.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird Beyond the News. It's that time of year again.
The Florida Strawberry Festival returns for another year in Plant
City starting on February twenty six. We've got Kyle Robinson.
He's the president of the Florida Strawberry Festival, and he's
going to be talking with us about what's going to
be going on there this year and what you can
(00:21):
find and what you can take part of take part
of when you go there. Kyle Robinson, welcome to Beyond
the News.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
It is great to be with you to talk about
something that I loved, the Florida Strawberry Festival and what's
so important our community.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
And first I have to ask I go back to
the days I was telling you when the late Alberry
used to stay up all night and talk to the
growers on the radio about how cold it was. And
we've just had some of our chilliest weather in this
part of Florida in more than fifteen years, and we
know there have been reports of the impact on the
strawberry crop. Can we count on there being enough strawberries
(00:59):
to go around at the Strawberry Festival this year?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Absolutely? I have spoke with many growers and they survived
the freeze it was It's one that they had not
experienced for a few years. But we may see a
slight shortage in the short term, but because the all
the watering to keep the berries protected from the freeze
(01:24):
does cause some of them to be soft and and
they're unusable. But they're very confident that in the long run,
the harvest will be back and we'll have more than
enough strawberries during our festival.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, now, since we've established that, let's kind of turn
the corner here. How many ways can you get strawberries
served at the Florida Strawberry Festival.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Well, if you're like me, a traditionalist, it's always just
plain strawberries or strawberry shortcake. But you know, over the years,
people in in our industry that are in the fair business,
there's some of the most creative people I've ever seen.
They look for new and inventive ways to include a
strawberry and anything.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
You know.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Of course, we started with chocolate covered strawberries, which are
the norm now, but this year there are some egg
rolls that incorporate strawberries. There's a new dish with Dubai
chocolate that somehow is incorporating strawberries, and so there's always
new ways to include a strawberry here at the Florida
(02:28):
Strawberry Festival.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Now, of course, a big focus of the Florida Strawberry
Festival is and has been music. And I know you
have at least one performance sold out as we're recording
this a few days in advance. Christian music performer Forrest Frank.
What are some of the acts that we have tickets
still available and some of the performances that come with
your admission to the festival.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, so we are experiencing great ticket sales this year.
I know last year we had a little bit of
a little bit of a downturn our ticket sales, and
and people in the music industry have explained to us
that it was most likely due to their hurricanes and
people were spending money on rebuilding their lives, rebuilding their homes,
(03:11):
and not spending money on entertainment. And then it wasn't
just a Florida Strawberry Festival that experienced that that that
little bit of a slump in ticket sales.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
It was all throughout the Southeast.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
But this year people have really come out and bought
tickets and if you're interested in coming to a to
a show. I would encourage anybody to log on and
secure your tickets at fl Strawberry Festival dot com because
they are selling well forst. Frank really sold out in
our in our first day going on sale back in December.
We didn't announce the sell out because there were some
(03:45):
some single seats and some Ada seats that were still available, but.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
But those are gone now.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
And what are remarkable turnout to see that that Christian
artist also good sellers, Riley Green selling really well. Of course,
he's at the top of his game. He was here
two years ago and he's exploded. Some of the other
acts young country acts. Ty Myers has really exceeded expectations.
(04:11):
He's new and coming into the market and that we
really were fortunate to get him signed late last year
and since then he's just exploded. So by the time
he takes our stage at this year's Florida Starberry Festival,
we're going to have a huge crowd. But you know,
we have Lauren Daegele coming back by popular demand. One
(04:32):
one new act that was on American Idol Classic Sound
of Country Music, John.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Foster, who who is.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Really selling well for somebody that's really new into that industry.
But you know, we love our old, old, faithful acts
that have been here year after year after year.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
You know, we're having the Oakredge Boys again.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
I can remember seeing them here when I was young
in nineteen eighty and eighty one when they won an
Entertainer of the Year. And they're back, gene Wa since
back the Bellamy Brothers, who unfortunately last year due to
some some bad weather, we had to cancel their show,
and we're so happy that they're back. And and we
you know, we really changed, uh you know, decades ago
(05:15):
it was country music every night of the week.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
We'd really try to get something for everybody.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
A Christian act, a rock and roll act. This year
Marshall Tucker Band, uh, the Offspring Jones Jet and we're
also happy to have Brian McKnight and Genuine and Ruben
Studdard who also was from American Idol one night. So
we really think we've we've got something for everybody, and
that's what we strive to do year after year.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Great mix of genres and of new and classic artists.
Of course, you also have the Midway and the livestock shows.
If you could talk to us a little bit about
what's going on.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
With those this year.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Yes, so last year we brought in a new midway provider,
Deglar Attractions, and they brought something new and exciting to
our festivals. Some some new rides that that that our
guests had not seen, and you know, a new ticketing.
You know, they they're they're techno technologically advanced. They have
electronic ticketing. So once once the guests learn how to,
(06:15):
it's more like an ATM machine. You you you get
your armbands and expedite or you're not standing in line,
you can start having having some fun. And they're just
they're just a wonderful family run business that really fits
into the culture of the Florida Strawberry Festival.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
One of the things that when we visited them at
the State Fair of Virginia's is, you know they uh,
there's there's children that are are are belong to the
carnival workers and they actually have a traveling school that
goes with them all over the country. They have a
big mobile home that they use as a classroom and
(06:51):
a teacher travels with them. And we knew once we
saw that did they fit into the family atmosphere that
is the Florida Strawberry Festival, but some new exciting rights
and they're already getting set up right outside my window.
As far as our livestock shows.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
You know we are. We do a lot of things.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
We do concerts, we do midways, but all of that
is to support agriculture and our youth and agriculture that
is our most important goal. We have seven livestock shows
where our youth and FFA and four H show their
exhibits and three of those result in an auction. That's
(07:31):
the steers and the pigs and the plants. And last
year I'm super proud to tell you that those auctions
resulted in sales of one point seven million dollars. And
that's not money that goes to the Strawberry Festival. That
money goes straight to those young people to give them
a headstart in the next chapter of their life, whether
(07:52):
it's going to college, whether it's joining the workforce, or
whatever they choose to do that really gives them a
financial base moving forward. In addition to really the life skills,
it teaches you about business. It teaches you that if
you put in an investment and the hard work, you
could could see some results, both positive and negative. Just
(08:13):
like any business, you don't always make money in business.
And we're proud to say, you know, our community comes
and supports these children.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
So they rarely, if ever lose money.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
But that's part of business and just the work ethic
that our young people need to learn.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Talk to us about. And of course you have several
different promotion days this year during the festival. We'll talk
to us about what's going on on those days.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Well, we do.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
And there's never a decision made at the Florida Strawberry
Festival that we don't always ask how does this affect
our guests? You know, we never want cost to be
a hindrance to visit the Florida Strawberry Festival. You know,
last year was the first time in over twenty years
we increased our gate prices. That's because expenses are up
(09:02):
and we didn't take it lightly. It took us several
years to finally come to the realization it was time
that we needed to increase the gate price.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
But what we did.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
And we went up five dollars at the gate from
ten dollars to fifteen. But if that five dollars is
significant to you and your family, and we sell our
advanced tickets in over three hundred public stores, and those
tickets are still ten dollars, And we don't sell advanced
tickets weeks and months before the festival. You can actually
(09:37):
stop off at a public store anywhere in central Florida
on the way to the Strawberry Festival that day and
buy a ticket for ten dollars, and you can save
a significant amount of money if you're bringing your whole family.
So we always we always take cost into consideration, and
we do promotional armbands to save five dollars uh every
(10:02):
day of the week. Really, we're fortunate to have some
some sponsors that that that step in and help us,
help us accomplish that goal of really keeping Strawberry Festival affordable.
And and we believe and many believe that we are
the greatest family value and entertainment there is around now.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
If you're driving if it's the first time you've gone
to the festival, if you're driving east from the Tampa
Bay area or west from Orlando coming into Plant City
for the festival, UH, what's the best advice as far
as parking and what's the best place to go to
look for more information?
Speaker 3 (10:37):
About that. Sure, so we do have some very crowded days.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
And uh the advice I give to my own friends
and family is if you if you have the ability
to come during the week, our crowds are much more manageable.
We are we were God's blessed us and our our
crowds are good every day, but certainly on Saturday and
Sunday we see the large larger crowds and and coincidentally,
you know, as a result, more traffic. But if you're
(11:06):
coming in and off I four, you can get off
at either McIntosh Road, Forbes Road or than Otisassa road
whether you're coming from the east or the west, and
all those roads will lead to the Strawberry Festival. There
is some construction going on that that won't be completed
by this festival, but we do work closely with FDOT
(11:27):
and they're doing some improvements on the intersections with the
Interstate four and have plans to widen US ninety two
on the north side of our festival so we can
get some people in a little bit quicker. If you're
coming from the east in Polk County. Many people that
figured out that if you come US ninety two, the
whole way and never get on Interstate.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Sometimes you might save yourself a little bit of time.
If you're coming from.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
The South, you have a little bit of an advantage
because most people off the Interstate, you know, stay north
of the Interstate or of the Strawberry Festival. But if
you're coming from the South, you can come up Highway
thirty nine, Highway three oh one, and then five seventy four,
and there's plenty of parking on all four sides of
the Strawberry Festival. One thing that we did improve on
(12:13):
last year was we purchased a few parking lots to
the east of the Strawberry Festival between US and Alexander Street,
and we added some tram service over to those parking lots,
so you can park right off of Alexander Street and
our trams are continually coming around to pick you up
and give you a ride right to the gate.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Florida Strawberry Festival going on Thursday, February twenty sixth through Sunday,
March eighth. Kyle Robinson is president of the Florida Strawberry
Festival in Plant City, and Kyle, thank you very much
for joining us on Beyond the News.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Thank you
Gordon Bird Beyond the News. It's that time of year again.
The Florida Strawberry Festival returns for another year in Plant
City starting on February twenty six. We've got Kyle Robinson.
He's the president of the Florida Strawberry Festival, and he's
going to be talking with us about what's going to
be going on there this year and what you can
(00:21):
find and what you can take part of take part
of when you go there. Kyle Robinson, welcome to Beyond
the News.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
It is great to be with you to talk about
something that I loved, the Florida Strawberry Festival and what's
so important our community.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
And first I have to ask I go back to
the days I was telling you when the late Alberry
used to stay up all night and talk to the
growers on the radio about how cold it was. And
we've just had some of our chilliest weather in this
part of Florida in more than fifteen years, and we
know there have been reports of the impact on the
strawberry crop. Can we count on there being enough strawberries
(00:59):
to go around at the Strawberry Festival this year?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Absolutely? I have spoke with many growers and they survived
the freeze it was It's one that they had not
experienced for a few years. But we may see a
slight shortage in the short term, but because the all
the watering to keep the berries protected from the freeze
(01:24):
does cause some of them to be soft and and
they're unusable. But they're very confident that in the long run,
the harvest will be back and we'll have more than
enough strawberries during our festival.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, now, since we've established that, let's kind of turn
the corner here. How many ways can you get strawberries
served at the Florida Strawberry Festival.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Well, if you're like me, a traditionalist, it's always just
plain strawberries or strawberry shortcake. But you know, over the years,
people in in our industry that are in the fair business,
there's some of the most creative people I've ever seen.
They look for new and inventive ways to include a
strawberry and anything.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
You know.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Of course, we started with chocolate covered strawberries, which are
the norm now, but this year there are some egg
rolls that incorporate strawberries. There's a new dish with Dubai
chocolate that somehow is incorporating strawberries, and so there's always
new ways to include a strawberry here at the Florida
(02:28):
Strawberry Festival.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Now, of course, a big focus of the Florida Strawberry
Festival is and has been music. And I know you
have at least one performance sold out as we're recording
this a few days in advance. Christian music performer Forrest Frank.
What are some of the acts that we have tickets
still available and some of the performances that come with
your admission to the festival.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, so we are experiencing great ticket sales this year.
I know last year we had a little bit of
a little bit of a downturn our ticket sales, and
and people in the music industry have explained to us
that it was most likely due to their hurricanes and
people were spending money on rebuilding their lives, rebuilding their homes,
(03:11):
and not spending money on entertainment. And then it wasn't
just a Florida Strawberry Festival that experienced that that that
little bit of a slump in ticket sales.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
It was all throughout the Southeast.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
But this year people have really come out and bought
tickets and if you're interested in coming to a to
a show. I would encourage anybody to log on and
secure your tickets at fl Strawberry Festival dot com because
they are selling well forst. Frank really sold out in
our in our first day going on sale back in December.
We didn't announce the sell out because there were some
(03:45):
some single seats and some Ada seats that were still available, but.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
But those are gone now.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
And what are remarkable turnout to see that that Christian
artist also good sellers, Riley Green selling really well. Of course,
he's at the top of his game. He was here
two years ago and he's exploded. Some of the other
acts young country acts. Ty Myers has really exceeded expectations.
(04:11):
He's new and coming into the market and that we
really were fortunate to get him signed late last year
and since then he's just exploded. So by the time
he takes our stage at this year's Florida Starberry Festival,
we're going to have a huge crowd. But you know,
we have Lauren Daegele coming back by popular demand. One
(04:32):
one new act that was on American Idol Classic Sound
of Country Music, John.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Foster, who who is.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Really selling well for somebody that's really new into that industry.
But you know, we love our old, old, faithful acts
that have been here year after year after year.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
You know, we're having the Oakredge Boys again.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
I can remember seeing them here when I was young
in nineteen eighty and eighty one when they won an
Entertainer of the Year. And they're back, gene Wa since
back the Bellamy Brothers, who unfortunately last year due to
some some bad weather, we had to cancel their show,
and we're so happy that they're back. And and we
you know, we really changed, uh you know, decades ago
(05:15):
it was country music every night of the week.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
We'd really try to get something for everybody.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
A Christian act, a rock and roll act. This year
Marshall Tucker Band, uh, the Offspring Jones Jet and we're
also happy to have Brian McKnight and Genuine and Ruben
Studdard who also was from American Idol one night. So
we really think we've we've got something for everybody, and
that's what we strive to do year after year.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Great mix of genres and of new and classic artists.
Of course, you also have the Midway and the livestock shows.
If you could talk to us a little bit about
what's going on.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
With those this year.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Yes, so last year we brought in a new midway provider,
Deglar Attractions, and they brought something new and exciting to
our festivals. Some some new rides that that that our
guests had not seen, and you know, a new ticketing.
You know, they they're they're techno technologically advanced. They have
electronic ticketing. So once once the guests learn how to,
(06:15):
it's more like an ATM machine. You you you get
your armbands and expedite or you're not standing in line,
you can start having having some fun. And they're just
they're just a wonderful family run business that really fits
into the culture of the Florida Strawberry Festival.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
One of the things that when we visited them at
the State Fair of Virginia's is, you know they uh,
there's there's children that are are are belong to the
carnival workers and they actually have a traveling school that
goes with them all over the country. They have a
big mobile home that they use as a classroom and
(06:51):
a teacher travels with them. And we knew once we
saw that did they fit into the family atmosphere that
is the Florida Strawberry Festival, but some new exciting rights
and they're already getting set up right outside my window.
As far as our livestock shows.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
You know we are. We do a lot of things.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
We do concerts, we do midways, but all of that
is to support agriculture and our youth and agriculture that
is our most important goal. We have seven livestock shows
where our youth and FFA and four H show their
exhibits and three of those result in an auction. That's
(07:31):
the steers and the pigs and the plants. And last
year I'm super proud to tell you that those auctions
resulted in sales of one point seven million dollars. And
that's not money that goes to the Strawberry Festival. That
money goes straight to those young people to give them
a headstart in the next chapter of their life, whether
(07:52):
it's going to college, whether it's joining the workforce, or
whatever they choose to do that really gives them a
financial base moving forward. In addition to really the life skills,
it teaches you about business. It teaches you that if
you put in an investment and the hard work, you
could could see some results, both positive and negative. Just
(08:13):
like any business, you don't always make money in business.
And we're proud to say, you know, our community comes
and supports these children.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
So they rarely, if ever lose money.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
But that's part of business and just the work ethic
that our young people need to learn.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Talk to us about. And of course you have several
different promotion days this year during the festival. We'll talk
to us about what's going on on those days.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Well, we do.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
And there's never a decision made at the Florida Strawberry
Festival that we don't always ask how does this affect
our guests? You know, we never want cost to be
a hindrance to visit the Florida Strawberry Festival. You know,
last year was the first time in over twenty years
we increased our gate prices. That's because expenses are up
(09:02):
and we didn't take it lightly. It took us several
years to finally come to the realization it was time
that we needed to increase the gate price.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
But what we did.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
And we went up five dollars at the gate from
ten dollars to fifteen. But if that five dollars is
significant to you and your family, and we sell our
advanced tickets in over three hundred public stores, and those
tickets are still ten dollars, And we don't sell advanced
tickets weeks and months before the festival. You can actually
(09:37):
stop off at a public store anywhere in central Florida
on the way to the Strawberry Festival that day and
buy a ticket for ten dollars, and you can save
a significant amount of money if you're bringing your whole family.
So we always we always take cost into consideration, and
we do promotional armbands to save five dollars uh every
(10:02):
day of the week. Really, we're fortunate to have some
some sponsors that that that step in and help us,
help us accomplish that goal of really keeping Strawberry Festival affordable.
And and we believe and many believe that we are
the greatest family value and entertainment there is around now.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
If you're driving if it's the first time you've gone
to the festival, if you're driving east from the Tampa
Bay area or west from Orlando coming into Plant City
for the festival, UH, what's the best advice as far
as parking and what's the best place to go to
look for more information?
Speaker 3 (10:37):
About that. Sure, so we do have some very crowded days.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
And uh the advice I give to my own friends
and family is if you if you have the ability
to come during the week, our crowds are much more manageable.
We are we were God's blessed us and our our
crowds are good every day, but certainly on Saturday and
Sunday we see the large larger crowds and and coincidentally,
you know, as a result, more traffic. But if you're
(11:06):
coming in and off I four, you can get off
at either McIntosh Road, Forbes Road or than Otisassa road
whether you're coming from the east or the west, and
all those roads will lead to the Strawberry Festival. There
is some construction going on that that won't be completed
by this festival, but we do work closely with FDOT
(11:27):
and they're doing some improvements on the intersections with the
Interstate four and have plans to widen US ninety two
on the north side of our festival so we can
get some people in a little bit quicker. If you're
coming from the east in Polk County. Many people that
figured out that if you come US ninety two, the
whole way and never get on Interstate.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Sometimes you might save yourself a little bit of time.
If you're coming from.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
The South, you have a little bit of an advantage
because most people off the Interstate, you know, stay north
of the Interstate or of the Strawberry Festival. But if
you're coming from the South, you can come up Highway
thirty nine, Highway three oh one, and then five seventy four,
and there's plenty of parking on all four sides of
the Strawberry Festival. One thing that we did improve on
(12:13):
last year was we purchased a few parking lots to
the east of the Strawberry Festival between US and Alexander Street,
and we added some tram service over to those parking lots,
so you can park right off of Alexander Street and
our trams are continually coming around to pick you up
and give you a ride right to the gate.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Florida Strawberry Festival going on Thursday, February twenty sixth through Sunday,
March eighth. Kyle Robinson is president of the Florida Strawberry
Festival in Plant City, and Kyle, thank you very much
for joining us on Beyond the News.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Thank you
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