Orange You Glad It’s Strawberry Season? South Florida Proves It’s Berry Much the Winter Strawberry Capital at This Sweet-as-Can-Be Festival.

January, 19th, 2026

Although most people associate Florida as the orange state, they would be amazed to find out that Florida and Plant City are recognized as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World! Ranking second in production, with about 8,000 farmable acres, which translates to about 15% of the national production, Florida is only below the largest state of California. 

Celebrating Florida and its wonderful winter fruit season once again, was the South Florida Strawberry Festival, held at the beautiful South County Regional Park in West Boca Raton. The moment you entered through the huge strawberry arch, you were whisked away into a place filled with fun, entertainment, and of course strawberries. 

Immediately, we picked out a small box of six strawberries for $6. It was a little pricey, like everything else at the festival, but I didn’t mind paying for it for two important reasons. Firstly, the festival partnered with nonprofit organizations like Boca Helping Hands and the Tri-County Animal Rescue and secondly, they tasted soooo good! I was also reprimanded by my one and a half year old son for dropping a piece in the dirt, almost. 

What I loved was how well everything was spread out amongst this huge park location. A wall of inflatable bounce houses, slides, obstacle courses, and shooting areas framed one side and the other side had some fun thrilling attractions. There was a huge multi-story super slide, a bungee trampoline, a big climbing wall, spinning rides, and more. 

For the younger kids, the Soflo Strawberry Festival didn’t disappoint. My four year old loved the little dragon roller coaster, the train, the plane ride, and even the bumper boats. My youngest one really enjoyed his own little Soft Strawberry Play Zone. 

The attraction lines were a little on the long side, but it’s easier to be patient when you’re munching on so many delicious bites. This festival had so much to offer other than just plain strawberries. We actually had them covered in rich Dubai chocolate, some with whipped cream, in popsicles, and even covered with a coating of sugar as tanghulu. 

Along with the strawberries, were wonderful treats like kettle corn, homemade fudge, banana bread, monster cookies, and colossal milkshakes! They had all of the main foods that you would expect at a fair or festival, but I was thankful that they had so many covered seats to eat at. 

For entertainment, we watched the Puppy Pals Live Dog Show, the same one that was featured on America’s Got Talent. It was incredible seeing them all rip through the agility course and then see all of their jumping and frisbee catching skills. The crowd was standing room only, but everyone enjoyed it. The festival also had a Berry Big Bite Competition and live music to dance to. 

The festival also had an incredible Petting Zoo. Most festival petting zoos just have goats, but this one had a zebra, Capybaras with babies, llamas, and even a Highland Cow. It was $30 to go inside the gate and feed them, but they were more than eager to allow you to pet them from the outside. 

The South Florida Strawberry Festival was definitely a hit and an annual one not to be missed. You’re not just supporting good non-profit organizations, you’re supporting our farmers, our agricultural personnel, our cities, and our state itself. Now ask yourself, what could be sweeter than that? Well, maybe another bowl of delicious South Florida strawberries!