Strawberry Festival: Everything You Need to Know

The fruitiest event in Santa Cruz County is back again and folks are starting to get berry, I mean very, excited about all the great food, loud music, exciting rides, and the most spectacle event in festival history, the pie eating contest.

This year marks the 18th annual Strawberry Festival in downtown Watsonville and thousands of people are expected to show up this weekend.

“People plan their vacation around the Strawberry Festival just like they do other food festivals and we all come in to celebrate our number one crop,” said Watsonville city analyst and event director Doug Mattos.

The fiesta starts with a mini-carnival on Friday night from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and then on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. the real fun begins.

Dozens of local vendors as well as non-profit groups like the American Red Cross, Santa Cruz Football Club, and Loaves and Fishers will occupy the plaza and a portion of the town’s streets to sell a variety of savory munchies, fashionable accessories or decors, and of course sugary tasty treats.

For those in search of the sweet road to desserts, Strawberry Lane will be in full effect again with classic favorites like strawberry shortcake, chocolate-dipped strawberries, strawberry parfait, and strawberry ice cream on a cone or in a cup with fresh strawberries.

However, it wouldn’t be a festival without introducing something new to the mix and this year the Watsonville Community Connections Collaborative will feature a strawberry tostada.

This out of the ordinary creation is a chocolate chip cookie topped with fresh strawberries, heavy cream, and sprinkled with chocolate shavings. 

As always, the festival will have a great mix of Latino, Americana, blues, and rock music with bands like The No Respect Band, Forever the Day, Chicano All-Stars, Banda Oro Verde, Los Shakas de la Banda, Megan Slankard and the Novelists. (See the Strawberry Festival entertainment schedule on the right.)

Last year’s highlight of the festival was , a 0.8-mile race through the streets of Watsonville, but according to Mattos the Cal Giant racing team has been postponed until next year. 

But not having the race won’t be any kind of setback and people should still have a fun time with plenty of attractions around. And as for Mattos, there’s no doubt he thinks everyone will have a good time this weekend.

“It’s definitely one of the premiere fruit festivals,” said Mattos. “It’s fun and definitely a family oriented festival. It’s got everything, the music, the entertainment, arts and crafts, and best of all the food.”