The Pasadena Strawberry Festival brings families, friends, and visitors from around the state of Texas together to celebrate Pasadena’s agricultural heritage. The festival fills the streets around the Pasadena Convention Center and Municipal Fairgrounds with vibrant displays of community pride, delicious food, and family-friendly activities.
Highlights:
- Sample the World’s Largest Strawberry Shortcake, a 1,500-square-foot dessert requiring 1,500 pounds of strawberries.
- Relish four days of carnival fun with parades, live shows, competitions, and thrill rides.
- Support education through event proceeds that fund $60,000 worth of annual scholarships for local students.
Festival Dates and Times: Schedule of Events
The upcoming 2025 Pasadena Strawberry Festival will be held from Thursday, May 15, through Sunday, May 18, at the Pasadena Convention Center and Municipal Fairgrounds. Activities will occupy each day, with something planned for all ages.
Festival Schedule:
- Thursday: 3:00 PM – Midnight
Opening ceremonies and the World’s Largest Strawberry Shortcake ribbon-cutting - Friday: 10:00 AM – Midnight
Strawberry Festival Parade and inaugural BBQ Cook-Off events - Saturday: 10:00 AM – Midnight
Mud volleyball tournament and headlining performances - Sunday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Family-friendly activities
Background & Legacy: Honoring Agricultural Heritage
The festival began in 1974 as a San Jacinto Day and Pasadena strawberry farm heritage, tracing its roots back to 1900, when Clara Barton introduced strawberries to assist farmers in recovering after a disastrous hurricane.
Major Festival Attractions
The Pasadena Strawberry Festival hosts a number of signature events that have become widely popular traditions since its inception 52 years ago. The activities highlight the creativity, talent, and passion for strawberries of the community.
- Strawberry Festival Parade
The festive parade highlights decorated floats, school bands, and festival royalty handing out strawberry treats as it makes its way along Pasadena’s historic streets, celebrating community pride and creativity.
- Pasadena Idol Competition
he competition offers local singers a chance to win studio time and showcase their talents at subsequent community events.
- BBQ Cook-Off
Competitive grillmasters battle for $750 in brisket and $500 in ribs categories, generating a smoky, aromatic environment blending food art with philanthropy as admission fees go toward festival scholarships.
Family-Friendly Carnival Rides & Games
The carnival experience features exhilarating roller coasters with more family-friendly carousels and midway games to create a retro atmosphere that is suited for all ages. The Buzzberry Kids Adventure Zone features face painting, puppet shows, strawberry-eating contests, a petting zoo, pony rides, and fun pig races, offering interactive fun for younger guests.
Culinary & Vendor Experience
More than 250 booths will be selling everything from handmade jewelry, strawberry-related merchandise, to local art, with indoor vendors occupying the Convention Center and outdoor vendors lining the midways.
Festival-goers can indulge in treats such as chocolate-dipped strawberries, cheesecake laced with strawberries, fried strawberries, and strawberry-topped BBQ highlighting Texas’ own fusion culinary traditions.
Ticket Details: Admission Fees and Purchase Options
Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the gate; children’s tickets are available at a discounted rate. Concerts, exhibits, and most activities are covered by admission, so all can attend.
Guests can buy tickets on the festival’s official website, where they can view full event schedules, parking information, and festival grounds maps. Nights start with concert performances at 8:00 PM included in general admission and comprising both local performers and national touring acts.
Community Involvement & Volunteer Opportunities
Each year, the San Jacinto Day Foundation provides $60,000 in scholarships to more than 40 students who demonstrate academic achievement and community involvement. These educational programs are the festival’s commitment toward investing in young people.
High school students can submit essays on local history to become eligible for $1,500 scholarships, with priority given to those who serve 20+ festival volunteer hours. The program encourages civic engagement while preserving awareness of Pasadena’s cultural heritage through educational programs and exhibits linking the past to the present.
The Pasadena Strawberry Festival is more than your average community festival. For the sixth decade running, the festival will remember Pasadena’s farming origins and will provide visitors a chance to celebrate the humble strawberry and the community it helped build.
