PLANT CITY, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Bay’s sweetest festival is back! The Florida Strawberry Festival kicks off in Plant City on Thursday.

The fair offers live entertainment, attractions, and of course, sweet treats featuring local strawberries.

The theme for this year’s Strawberry Festival is “We Have a Winner!”, in honor of strawberry shortcake becoming the official dessert of Florida. Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the Festival grounds to officially sign the bill into law, which took effect July 1, 2022.

“The strawberry industry has an economic impact of more than a billion dollars in the state of Florida,” Festival President Paul Davis said last year. “Plant City is home to roughly 12,000 acres of strawberries and the Festival serves just about 200,000 shortcakes each year. We’re proud of our city and the Florida strawberry. It’s kind of a big deal around here!”

Country music icons Willie Nelson and Lynyrd Skynyrd are among the 18 acts scheduled to perform as headliners at the festival. You can find concert tickets on the Florida Strawberry Festival website.

The festival is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through March 12. Admission for guests 13 years and older is $10, while admission for children ages 6-12 is $5. Children five and under get in free.

Dozens of central Florida Publix stores are offer discounted gate tickets. For more information about festival admission, parking, or hours, visit the Florida Strawberry Festival website.