Latest News About Strawberry Festival Ventura

Here’s the latest I can provide on the California Strawberry Festival in Ventura as of May 2026.

• The California Strawberry Festival is scheduled for May 16–17, 2026 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds (Ventura, CA) and is described as the festival’s 40th edition, focusing on strawberry-themed foods, live music, and family activities.[1][2]
• Organizers typically promote a large vendor presence (food, crafts, and entertainment) with strawberry-centric attractions like strawberry nachos, build-your-own strawberry shortcake, and strawberry-themed treats for attendees.[2][1]
• In past years, the event has drawn substantial crowds and highlighted charitable fundraising for Ventura County organizations, as it is run as a nonprofit event to support local scholarships and charities.[1]
• The festival location for 2026 is listed as the Ventura County Fairgrounds, with gates opening around mid‑morning and running through the late afternoon to early evening on both festival days (typical hours are around 10:00 AM–6:30 PM, but please confirm on the official site).[2][1]
• Additional context from related coverage confirms the festival’s continued emphasis on strawberry-centric cuisine, live entertainment, and family activities at the Ventura venue, with official date announcements aligning to the third weekend of May in previous years.[3][4]

If you’d like, I can pull the official festival page and recent local coverage to extract exact times, ticket prices, and any health/safety notes for 2026, and summarize them in a concise bullet list. I can also compare this year’s lineup and logistics to the 2024–2025 events to spot any notable changes.

Would you like me to fetch the official details and price ranges for 2026, or focus on planning tips for attending (parking, kid-friendly zones, best food stalls, etc.)?

Citations:

• California Strawberry Festival returns to Ventura County Fairgrounds, May 16–17, 2026[1]
• 40th Annual California Strawberry Festival details and date confirmation[2]
• CBS News coverage and local context on festival happenings and strawberry-throughput estimates[3]