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Garden Grove Strawberry Festival

The Garden Grove Strawberry Festival is an annual celebration of all things strawberry. The four day festival includes live entertainment, carnival rides, vendor booths, contests, a parade, cake cutting ceremony, and much more! This popular strawberry celebration is hosted as a means to support local charitable organizations and has raised over $7 million for local charities since 1958.

You can also watch the parade from the comfort of your home on YouTube, at http://ggcity.org/ggtv3-live, or cablecast live on Garden Grove Channel 3, on Spectrum Cable. The parade begins at 10:00 a.m., Sat. 5/27.

The Garden Grove Strawberry Festival will take place May 24-27, 2024

Garden Grove Strawberry Festival

Garden Grove Strawberry Festival Details

Garden Grove Strawberry Festival Website
Event Schedule
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Parade Livestream (10AM Saturday): YouTube, http://ggcity.org/ggtv3-live

When: May 24-27, 2024
Where: Village Green/Garden Amphitheater
Approximate Location: Euclid & Main Streets, downtown Garden Grove
Village Green Park Address: Village Green Park, 12732 Main St, Garden Grove, CA 92840
Garden Amp Address: 12762 Main St, Garden Grove, CA 92840

Date/Time Schedule

Friday, May 24: 1:00 PM – 10:00PM
Saturday/Sunday, May 25-26: 10:00AM – 10:00PM
Monday, May 27: 10:00AM – 9:00PM

Parade Start: 10:00AM, Saturday, May 24

Admission: Free to Attend

Ride Tickets

Rides require tickets and each ride ranges from 3 to 8 tickets each
Tickets are $1 per ticket
All Day Ride Wristbands: $35 Friday; $40 Saturday – Monday
Fast Pass: Add Fast Pass to your wristband for $15

Parking

Parking for the Strawberry Festival is primarily on street parking. Private and public lots that allow festival parking include:

  • *United Methodist Church
  • *Coastline College
  • *Private small lots on Stanford
  • *The Catholic Church on Stanford and Nelson
  • OC Library
  • Garden Grove City Hall & Community Center
  • Garden Grove High School
  • The Lot behind Main Street shops

*Paid lots

No Costco parking!

Note: Dogs or pets of any kind are not allowed on the grounds of the Strawberry Festival except for service animals

Things To Do At The Garden Grove Strawberry Festival

GardenAmp Performances: 12762 Main Street – The Garden Amp is where all the contests are held throughout the festival. You’ll also be able to see performances by local talent. See the event schedule.

Rides: There are dozens of carnival rides at the Strawberry Festival. Tickets and unlimited ride wristbands can be purchased at the kiosk. Enjoy rides like the giant slide, tilt a whirl, spinning roller coaster, Ferris wheel, merry go round, wave swinger, and more.

Charity Game & Food Booths: Non-profits will set up booths for food or games. Support these local organizations and help them raise much needed money for they non-profit.

Parade: Saturday, May 25, 2024 at 10:00 AM – The annual Strawberry Festival Parade has been central to the event since 1959. The parade includes floats, bands, equestrians, characters, community organizations, and more. The parade starts at the corner of 9th and Chapman streets and culminates in front of the Garden Grove Police headquarters on Stanford Avenue.

Cake Cutting Ceremony: Friday, May 24, 2024 at 6:00PM – There’s enough cake to go around. As part of the grand opening ceremony on Friday night, the Strawberry Festival cuts gigantic Strawberry Shortcake (serves 2,000 people) and everyone gets a free piece! See the cake cutting and get your piece at the Showmobile at Main and Acacia Street.

VIP Breakfast: Saturday, May 25 at 8:00AM – This is the special breakfast for the festival’s celebrities and dignitaries, plus Miss Garden Grove and Miss Outstanding Teen and their courts will be introduced here. The breakfast is open to the public and proceeds go to the organization We Give Thanks who provide Thanksgiving dinners for the needy. Breakfast will be served by La Casa Garcia and includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and ham. Located at the Garden Grove Community Center: 11300 Stanford Avenue.

Contests: There’s a contest for everyone at the Strawberry Festival!

  • Berry, Berry Beautiful Baby Contest
  • Tiny Tot King & Queen Contest
  • Redhead Roundup Contest
  • Design A Float Contest
  • Strawberry LEGO Brick Build Contest

Showmobile Performances: Head over to the Showmobile on Main and Acacia to see the cake cutting ceremony and performances by local bands throughout the weekend.

Vendors: Shop for a variety of goods and gifts from these local vendors.

History Of The Strawberry Festival

The Garden Grove Strawberry Festival began in 1958. The Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce hosted the first festival to bring the community together and celebrate the city’s strawberry fields. The first event was held in an empty lot in the Brookhurst Triangle bordered by Garden Grove Blvd., Brookhurst St., and Brookhurst Way. The Chamber of Commerce was not going to host the event the following year, so the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival Association was started by a group of citizens who put on the event as a charitable event to benefit local organizations.

The first parade was held in 1959. There was also carnival rides and games, booths with strawberry themed treats, and even a circus. In the 1960s, rodeos were a popular event, but they stopped hosting these when one of the riders rode off with a bunch of money. Also notable, in the 1960s, Steve Martin won a Talent Search competition at the Strawberry Festival. Other notable people who have attended the festival include Phyllis Diller, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Alyssa Milano, Mickey Rooney, Jerry Mathers, Hilary Duff, Jayne Mansfield, Jane Powell, The Carpenters, Robert F. Kennedy, and John Glenn.

Every year, they serve the world’s largest shortcake, weighing in at 500 pounds. Each year, 4,000 slices of shortcake are served to festival goers.


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Heidi Deal
Heidi Deal is the author of the Newcomers Handbook to Living In Los Angeles & Orange County, and a children’s book author specializing in history and human rights. When she's not writing you can find her solo hiking and going on new adventures with her kids and pup. They love music, dancing, books, nature, fossils, and animals.