National Strawberry Festival

National Strawberry Festival
“A weekend of fun for everyone!”
Main Street from the Ferris wheel
GenreFestival
FrequencyAnnually, Father's Day Weekend
VenueMain Street, St. Anthony Catholic Church, Belleville Presbyterian Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, and Victory Park[1]
Location(s)Belleville, Michigan
Coordinates42°12′26″N 83°29′19″W / 42.207144°N 83.488502°W / 42.207144; -83.488502
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1977
Most recent2019
Attendance200,000
SponsorsMeijer, Heritage Newspapers
Websitenationalstrawberryfest.com

The National Strawberry Festival in Belleville, Michigan, established in 1977, began as a way for local farmers to celebrate their strawberry crops.[2] Taking place over three days, held the third weekend in June, the festival offers many events for people of all ages.[3][4][5] In collaboration with area churches and schools, some of the events include:

Strawberry Shortcake from Myrtle Lodge No. 89, F&AM
  • Bingo
  • Strawberry desserts
  • Parade
  • Car show
  • "Strawberry Queen Pageant"
  • Live entertainment

Each year the festival attracts over 200,000 people from Southeastern Michigan and farther.

This festival went on hiatus in 2020-21 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and has not been resumed.

  1. ^ Otzman, Rosemary K. (June 15, 2017). "Belleville National Strawberry Festival welcomes you to town". Belleville-Area Independent. Belleville, Michigan. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  2. ^ Otzman, Rosemary K. (June 15, 2017). "It's Strawberry Festival time in Belleville". Belleville-Area Independent. Belleville, Michigan. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  3. ^ Smith, Kyla (June 17, 2016). "Fest in Belleville has strawberries at tart". The Detroit News. Detroit. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  4. ^ Selasky, Susan (June 18, 2015). "Celebrate strawberries this weekend in Belleville". The Detroit Free Press. Detroit. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  5. ^ Lee, Ardelia (June 18, 2015). "Don't Miss It: National Strawberry Festival in Belleville". Daily Detroit. Detroit. Retrieved Jun 17, 2015.