GARDEN GROVE, Calif.—The 62nd annual Garden Grove Strawberry Festival is returning this Memorial Day weekend for the first time following a two-year pandemic break.
The event will feature all kinds of attractions, parades, entertainment, food, and more, and will commence May 27 and end on May 30, with years past having up to 300,000 people visit the event.
“It’s one of the largest festivals in the Western Hemisphere, and it’s a free admission,” Steve Moyer, a spokesman for the event, told The Epoch Times. “So it doesn’t cost anybody anything to come to the events.”
On May 27, there will be the cutting of a massive strawberry shortcake, which is around 70 feet long and 10 feet wide, serving around 2,500 people, which will be free for eventgoers to get a slice.
There will also be 33 rides and 153 vendor and food booths as well, selling all different types of strawberry flavored foods and other items, along with games, contests, and much more.
“Anything you can imagine with a strawberry will be there,” Moyer said.
Event-goers will also be able to enjoy a number of rides, with tickets available for purchase individually or a one-day admission to rides for $35 on Friday and $40 on the other days of the event.
One day before the event opens to the public, the festival opened privately May 26, bussing in 2,000 children with special needs to enjoy the park. The children got to ride the rollercoasters, have lunch, and get a gift to take home, Moyer said.
This year’s festival celebrates essential workers who continued to work during the pandemic, allowing needed businesses to stay open while others shut down.
A number of celebrities will also be coming to the festival, including Kathy Garver, known for playing Cissy on the tv show “Family Affair,” Ed Alonzo, a magician who was in “Saved by the Bell,” Neile Adams McQueen, a film star and wife of the late Steven McQueen, and others.
One of the big events for the festival will be a large parade on May 28 at 10 a.m., which will feature various television, film, music, and sports celebrities, Jaguar cars, marching bands, floats, equestrians, and more.
On May 29, there will be a “Berry Berry Beautiful Baby Contest,” where parents can submit their children from 3 months up to 3 years in the contest, as well as a Redhead Roundup Contest, where people with red hair can enter to win prizes.
People will also get the chance to take photos with a large strawberry mascot, which can be shared on social media, Moyer said.
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