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Strawberry Festival
Rating Details »
Category: Local Flavor [Edit]
Strawberry Meadows of College Park3250 South Rose Avenue
Oxnard, CA 93032
(888) 288-9242
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
28 reviews for Strawberry Festival
Yeah, I read the reviews. The only way to enjoy this fair, I decided, was to walk on my knees. That way, I could see it at about the eye level of my 5-year-old child.
That's how I could find it fun to board a school bus from the Camarillo outlets, and not mind the bumpy 25-minute ride on a hard seat not made to comfortably accommodate a 5' 8" adult's legs. After we attempted to identify the crops along the way, my daughter put her little head on my lap and took a nap.
Because I was on my knees, I could wait in line with her for the crappiest of crappiest rides you have ever seen, circular-moving contraptions that differed only in vehicle of motion. I have a picture of her sitting with her friend in a rocket, and then in a car. But it's the same ol' ride. At one point I found myself standing in line with her for 45 minutes for a dadgum bouncer - a free staple of any self-respecting preschooler's party. I drew the line at the tilt-a-whirl strawberries, just outside of the kids' ride area. Everybody was cued up to get in those things. Everybody. Must have been the only thing going on in Oxnard that day, because that wait had to be a hour and a half minimum. So, we stayed in the land of the toothless, kind-hearted ride operators, spinning children in circles. From a kids' eye level, it was the high life.
Though I kept asking, my mesmerized child was "not hungry" as we dashed from ride to lousy ride. By the time I was able to drag her over to the food court, they were selling strawberry pizzas for $2, without the crust. That. That was gross. Slimy-frozen-strawberries-that-sat-out-all-day-and -got-warm gross. I'm not normally one to waste food...but my dish was headed to the landfill pretty much intact. They still had the strawberry beer, but since I don't drink, the only review I can pass along to you is what I kept hearing over and over as people walked past, "It's just beer with a strawberry in it." I managed to score three tasty carne asada tacos, which a passing stranger said were heaped with meat compared to what they'd had earlier. The vendor just didn't want to take all that carne back home, apparently. My daughter had a corn dog, then wanted buttered corn on the cob. So health conscious, my child. She wanted to top it with every one of the condiments they had available - seasoning salt, chile, lemon pepper, garlic salt, Tapatio, etc., etc. - but knowing her mild palate I somehow talked her into just a couple shakes of salt.
She and her girlfriend wanted shaved ice because then you can take your cup over to this contraption where you can shoot it up with every flavor on the rainbow, literally. There, she went to town.
We made it over to the craft fair, but although I'm known as the Black Martha Stewart, something about all that un-purchased merchandise at 4 p.m. on the last day of the fair made me sad for the vendors. I pretty much said "Keep Hope Alive" and backed away halfway through.
The moment my daughter had been waiting for finally presented itself, the opportunity to meet the Grand Mistress (hm, I really don't like that word) of the Strawberry Festival: Strawberry Shortcake. After I took an adorable - yes, I do say so myself - picture of her and her friend hugged up with that pink big-headed thing she turned to me and said, "That's just a costume," which made me sad for innocence lost until she added, "She can't come out of the TV."
So basically, if you are a kid, don't get bus-sick, and aren't really there for the strawberries anyway, you'll have a good time. Arrive midday on Sunday and they might even let you in free. I didn't remember that I'd read it was cash only, and they waved us in, telling us to come back to pay later, once I found an ATM. Which I did, because I was walking on my knees and little eyes were looking straight into my own.
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I"m probably never going back there. I don't think I had too high of expectations. I get that festivals are supposed to be dirty, crowded and hot. I pretty much just come to eat, and man was I disappointed. Short reviews of all the strawberry-related things that I ate and you can decide for yourself if you want to cough up the $12 for admission plus ~$5 for each of these things.
Strawberry nachos: tortilla chips dusted with cinnamon and sugar topped with strawberries and whipped cream; It was okay. It looked a lot better than it tasted.
Strawberry pizza: pastry dough topped with cream cheese frosting, strawberries and whipped cream; tasted kind of like the nachos but more doughy
Strawberry beer: tastes like regular beer
Strawberry smoothie: I thought it was a steal for $2.50 since I saw smoothies somewhere else for $7. It was pretty much a cup of sugar. Disgusting.
Strawberry crepes with chocolate mousse: Crepe was kind of thick and they make it ahead of time so it wasn't nice and warm. The mousse was more like chocolate whipped cream. It was pretty good.
Chocolate covered strawberries: ho-hum. You can get some at Godiva.
Garlic fries were good. BBQ pork sticks were flavorless and terrible.
The crafts sucked. It's like farmer's market type stuff. There weren't very many strawberry-related trinkets. I watched the eating contest. That was boring too. (Tip: It's probably a good idea to enter the contest and pay like a dollar to get the same thing you're getting when you build your own shortcake.) I was really disappointed by this. I wish I had read the yelp reviews before coming.
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This festival is ok. I don't think I will return next year., It's a bit of a drive coming from L.A.
The parking was free. We parked at the Camarillo outlets and took the shuttle up.
There wasn't much of substance here. The majority were food stands . A bunch of other stands sold brick-a-brack and useless things. Not much creativity, or must-haves.
There were a handful of free rides for kids, but the lines were SUPER LONG. Like a 45 minute wait. This isn't Disneyland.
Another yelper mentioned that the proceeds go to non-profit organizations. I really hope it does, otherwise, the $12 admission is NOT worth it.
I did enjoy the garlic and crab fries. mmmmmmmmmmmmm
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Not going back. I thought the festival would have a local flavor and local strawberry farmers-- kinda like a strawberry farmer's market with games and rides. I was disappointed to see that it's basically a commercial fest. The only strawberry jam I saw being sold was from The Boys and Girls Club of Oxnard, and it was Smuckers! The only thing that made it seem like it *could* be called a strawberry festival was that there were a few more booths that offered strawberry-based food. But after awhile, a strawberry pizza does not taste much different from a strawberry funnel cake. It was not worth the $12 entrance or the drive from L.A.
The best part was taking the shuttle from the parking areas.
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On Saturday, I went with my friend and co-worker, Tracey who is so gung-ho about life!! So when I mentioned the Fest to her she was totally down to go. We got there pretty late (3ish as it ends at 6:30pm) but I think, if we got there any earlier we would've had to be rolled out on gurneys because we could barely walk back to the car when the Fest was over. Who knew that having that much fun and food could wear you out? Parking on site wasn't as bad as we'd originally thought. It was just $5 and pretty much as soon as we got off the 101 about 10 min or less later, we found a pretty sweet spot. Porta-potties: nasty as every and any i've ever used, but what're you gonna do?
And now for the good stuff: a fantabulous chug of strawberry beer (w/commerative glass), delicioso crab garlic fries, one ginormous roasted turkey leg, sinfully delicious funnel cake topped with whipped cream and globs of strawberries, strawberry cotton candy, strawberry nachos, sadly tho, we didn't have enough belly room to squeeze the strawberry pizza or strawberry shortcake in :( ...Next year tho, it's on!
I also got this really pretty henna tattoo of my sign: Leo on my inner wrist. Fun, fun, fun!!!
Anyway, the only two downsides I can think of were the sucky crafts and souvenir booths on display and the gloomy-to-cold weather (what was up with that?).
Oh...but the hr-long drive back home to LA. We were dog tired and I was too sleepy and stuffed to even think about driving back; I was actually worried about falling asleep at the wheel (Trace doesn't know this though). But Trace looked to her right and did so just in time, because she was like 'Let's go shopping!' and suddenly I was wide awake and made a quick exit off the freeway towards the Camarillo Outlets.
Anyway, long story short, get your asses to the Strawberry Festival next year! It's really a fun time (i am not a Festival organizer trying to gain new converts on Yelp, but a bonafide fun-lover who actually had a blast at the damn thing).
P.S. The folks you go with matter 100% in the amount of fun you have.
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Not the best festival I have ever been to in California. The food lines were very long, the arts and crafts area was minimal, the rides were minimal, and there were 2 stages for bands. One of the bands doing 80s rock covers was good, the bluesy band on the other stage sucked. The main stage had a strawberry pie eating contest, a bake off, and a magician (of what we saw).
Parking at the grounds was $5. Entry into the festival was $12 per person (we bought tickets on line). While in the festival we spent a BOATLOAD on food and beverage. Without listing everything, here are the recos and stay-away froms:
Yays:
Strawberry Nachos - The best thing we ate all day
Strawberry Crepes with Chocolate Mousse - Phenomenal and rich
Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries - took to go to bring home. They ran out of white chocolate.
Champagne with strawberry wine in it
Nays:
Strawberry Margaritas - fake strawberry, not icy
Strawberry Pizza - too much dough
Overall, the strawberries were plump, ripe, and delicious.
I did manage to feel very ill at the end of the day from eating so much.
After 3 hours up (LA traffic sucks), and about an hour and a half home, I don't think I need to go again next year.
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Drove all the way there from San Bernardino County. Im in the Produce Business and was looking forward to something homey - like a traditional Farmers Market - but on a larger scale.
Wow! It was sooo crowded. Lines 30 people deep for everything. It was dirty - like a county fair without the animals. The strawberry packs were way too expensive on site - the trucks on the sides of the road to/from the highways were a much bette deal.
Nothing much for kids to do - 2 rides... one loked like it was about to fall over. Lines for those 30 people deep also.
Too many booths selling items that werent even related to strawberries or farming or produce.... it was like an Indian Bazzar.
No thanks - very disappointed. I could have stayed home and had a better time
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The stuff is overpriced but you have to expect that when deciding to attend this event. This event consists mostly of small vendors who create their own product line and need to make some profit. It's a nice event to attend at least once...something out of the ordinary. I really liked the $5 make your own strawberry shortcake booth...that was pretty fun. You can pile as much pound cake, fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup, and whipped cream as you want!! We tried the strawberry salsa, soft tacos and the strawberry champagne. It's very family oriented with lots and lots of kids. I felt like I was in a small town event rather than somewhere in Cali!!
P.S. I bought a case of the fresh strawberries and they are sooooooo sweet!! I didn't realize this until after I came home...I couldn't tell at the time because I was stuffed with strawberries and my tastebuds were numb. But if you go to Oxnard, you just HAVE to buy some fresh strawberries!!!
Short Version: Fun and recommend you go
Long version: This was my 2nd time going to the Strawberry Festival. This event is a fun event for the whole family. This nice community event showcases one of California's sweetest treats, the Strawberry. The majority of the food vendors are volunteers that are working the booths with the proceeds going to their organization. Yummy food that has a great cause!
Everything has a strawberry theme...Strawberry Nachos, Strawberry Pizza, Strawberry Shortcake, etc. Don't worry, there is plenty of food options that have nothing to do with strawberries. Make sure you try the Strawberry Beer and Strawberry Wine!
Parking is FREE and SUPER EASY if you park @ one of the remote lots. I parked @ the Channel Islands Harbor lot. The event website claims the buses leave every 15-20 min, but the had so many buses, they were leaving every 5 min! Once on the shuttle bus, they drop you off right @ the ticket booth, which had NO lines! General admission is $12, but it's only $8 for Seniors (62+), $8 for Military & their Dependants (with ID and they do check). Children 5-12 are $5...Kids 4 & under are FREE!
The only down side to the event is for the most part, it's a CASH ONLY operation!
Make sure you buy some fresh strawberries directly from the grower! They are awesome!
Man, this strawberry festival blows.
I hate how this one pops in everyone's head as THE Strawberry Festival - when really the one in Garden Grove is a hundred times more awesome. It was for this sheer fact that this Oxnard festival was advertised more, that I was confused and thought that the GGSF was actually OSF.
I got a bad sunburn. The food was way overpriced. The only thing cool out of it was my ear cuff jewelry and henna I bought. But that was all.
There's not one adult ride here. It costs 12 dollars to get in. The employees and security guards are obnoxious. It's overcrowded.
Best part is... you hardly even see any strawberries. I went because I wanted to see some real creative strawberry cuisine, not some half-ass strawberry pastry "pizza" or guacomole topped with strawberries or sugar-filled strawberry smoothies.
I regretted my time here on my birthday. BOO!
Also, if you take the Amtrak and the shuttle, it gets really overcrowded coming back. Standing room only. Incredibly uncomfortable and worse if you hate little kids because they, and their stupid parents, are everywhere. UGH!
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Some people say it's hard to cough up $12 to go to this festival. Not sure how many know that the entry fee and just about all the procedes of this festival go towards non-profits and helping the local community. It's not a profit-driven event. All the staff are volunteers, including my father in law. Many of the booths in the main area are actually schools, churches, etc who use the event to raise money for their institutions.
The other vendors may or may not have strawberry-themed items. but most of them are small and local and it's always good to see what others are doign in the area.
Plus, this year, you were able to see an hour+ performance from Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Shiela E and her band. All for the price of admission.
I do admit the parking does need a lot of work. And it does get crowded.
If you do go, save room for:
Strawberry funnel cakes
Strawberry crepes
Anyone who wants to see more photos, let me know.
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I'm all about a festival based around eating.
It sounds to me like some yelpers went with too high expectations. Yes, it's overpriced fair food. And the tchochke sellers didn't have all that much in the way of strawberry-themed items, but the irony of that amused me (please don't message me for misusing the term "irony.")
Also, I found that the most fun of the day was in making "berry" bad puns....and watching the Journey cover band at the end of the day.
catalog of eating/drinking:
- make-your-own strawberry shortcake (some people came out of that tent with shortcakes a foot high...)
- strawberry beer
- strawberry wine (hint, it's Arbor Mist...)
- chocolate dipped strawberries (white, milk, dark)
- and.....garlic fries for the way home (there was also crab garlic fries, which just sounded ridiculous)
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It's a shame I have to even give it one star, zero stars would be more appropriate.
This festival made me SICK to my stomach. I pictured a grassy knoll with different table- clothed booths selling strawberry soup, berry smoothies, strawberry salads and other strawberry delectables. What planet am I living on, this is America, instead it was one big greasy food booth gorge fest. They served: italian sausage, polish sausage, cajun sausage, tri-tip steak, fried hot dogs, fried zucchini, fried artichokes, fried mushrooms, fried vegetable egg rolls, french fries, and garlic french fries.
There were not many strawberry things at the Strawberry Festival except Strawberry Pizza, which was nothing but low grade shortcake covered with dull tasteless frozen strawberry and whipped cream and build your own strawberry shortcake stations where people piled up dishes to overflowing with the same ingredients as the pizza. There was also fried tortilla they covered with frozen strawberries and called nachos and a so-called crepe filled with fake chemical mousse that would bring a French person to tears. As a vegetarian and someone with a desire to put at least somewhat healthy food in my body there was NOTHING I could even eat; simply ridiculous.
The lovely acoustic music I imagined listening to while sitting on a fresh blanket was actually just cover bands playing bad renditions of Hotel California and Reo Speedwagon tunes on a dirt pile. Patrons hovered under filthy round tables with PVC umbrella tops cracking and frying in the sun. We were only there about an hour and it was just miserable. I still do not understand what I paid $12 for? To use the stinky porta johns? I will not waste my time or money on this pathetic excuse for a festival ever again!
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The strawberry festival was fun, being my first time to one. I parked for free at the Camarillo Outlet and hopped onto the Strawberry Express. It ended up being a long drive, like 20-30 minutes to the festival, longer than I thought it would take to get there. The entrance fee was $12, which was a little too much I think.
The Food:
The crepes were very good: soft crepe wrap with sweet strawberries. The funnel cake was HUGE as well, but was $8 for the deluxe version (topped with strawberries.) The crab garlic fries with homemade crab aioli was delicious and very rich, plus topped with real crab! The fried artichokes were okay and not as crispy as I would have hoped, it was more like a softer tempura batter crispiness. They also had a make-your-own strawberry shortcake hut where they give you slices of Entenmann's pound cake and you get to top it off with as much strawberries and whip cream as you like.
The Drinks:
Strawberry beer!!! For $10 you get a commemorative festival beer glass filled with beer and a strawberry on the edge of the glass. The beer did have a taste of strawberries. They served both dark and light beers, but in tasting both, I prefer the light beer, it was much more flavorful. Refills were $6. They also had strawberry champagne and strawberry margarita stands, but I didn't get a chance to try those.
There were also a few strawberry stands where they sold baskets and crates of strawberries. I bought two boxes (12 baskets total) with my friends for $16. But that wasn't until we tried the strawberries at each of the different farmer booths to see which were the sweetest ones.
The arts and crafts were rather boring and were the majority of the booths present at the festival. They also had rides for kids and the strawberry ride had the longest line of them all (go figure).
Overall, I enjoyed the festival, but I can't see going back every year. The event price and food prices were rather expensive in total and I easily spent $60 at the event for admission, food, and drinks. I didn't have enough money to even think about buying arts and crafts. Festival/carnival food is always expensive though and its a price to pay for a little fun in the sun.
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A family event, lots of good food and music.
Henna Caravan rocks with great service and fabulous henna .
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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5/20/2009
I loved the strawberry festival.
I had the strawberry crepes, they were divine.
The smoothies are… Read more »
Deception! Its webpage says entrance is free. As other reviewers have pointed out already, it is $12/person and $5.00 parking. By the way, if the fee is to support local farmers etc as someone else has pointed out before, just say so on the webpage, too. I will be more than happy to pay as indicated. Plus, things are very expensive: Everything is more than $10 except for $3.00/bottle water. Thing is, this is not at all a strawberry festival. It is a chaotic mixture of swap meet, carnival and a little bit of strawberry related stuff. Well this year's is over. Will next year's be different? I doubt it. Things like this usually don't improve over time. Just become more commercialized
I'm not sure if there is even one thing that I like about the Strawberry Festival.
Ok, maybe one, the build-your-own strawberry shortcake booth, and that's it. But even it can easily be replicated at home. Strawberry shortcake isn't that hard to make.
Other than that, it's an overcrowded, over-expensive, difficult to get to, sweltering mess.
Like has already been said by a lot of people, there really isn't much strawberry only things to be had. Everything is basically strawberry shortcake, nobody does anything unique or fun with the strawberries and it all is ridiculously overpriced. Some people buy flats of strawberries there, but when you live in the VC, you can go just about anywhere and get a cheap flat so that definitely isn't special.
There's a never ending midway of crappy trinkets, some lame rides for the kids, a bunch of bad cover bands (except for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy which would've been fun to see), drunks that have spent hundreds of dollars to get drunk wandering around, more douchebags than you can shake a stick at and wood chips, dust and dirt everywhere.
I wish I wasn't so cranky about the Strawberry Festival, I want it to be fun. They really need to find someone with some imagination to take it to another level. They need to find vendors that will make interesting things out of strawberries, they need to have some crazy strawberry themed contests, they need to bring in more local charities and vendors to serve food and drinks instead of the generic rotating fair. There needs to be contests for groups that can present the best items using strawberries. I don't think it would be that hard to drastically improve this festival.
Sadly, I don't think it's going to happen. The sheer amount of people that were there will keep it going. Too bad, it could be fun.
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If you go to simply have a good time and eat good food, then this festival will be a lot of fun. It was my first time at the festival and I thought it was very well organized. There were a lot of people, but not once did I feel claustrophobic or annoyed or get bumped by others (especially since I'm short). There was not a single trash on the ground, which is unheard of at festivals. There were trash/recycle bins everywhere, and they also had lots of kids, going around picking up/collecting trash, so there was no excuse for littering. The port-o-potties were clean (another unheard of thing at festivals) and i saw them cleaning it half-way through the day.
We didn't have to deal with parking or the long line of entering/leaving because we took the Amtrak. Their 'shuttle' (a big yellow school bus - reminded me of being in highschool all over again) took us to the back entrance of the festival, which was not crowded at all.
I had the following:
Strawberry beer $6 =)
Tri-tip sandwich $6
Pork kabob $8
chicken kabob $8
strawberry smoothies $2.50
Strawberry nachos (my favorite!!) $5
Crab garlic fries $8 (I'm so glad I found this!! on top of the already yummy garlic fries, they put dungeoness crabs wtih aioli sauce - amazing!)
1/2 tray of strawberries to take home $9 (it was the juiciest, sweetest berries I've had! And they let u sample it before u buy too)
Overall, we had a great time - good vibes, friendly people, and great food! =)
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I don't think there's anything special about this Festival. Seriously, the crowds, the parking, the prices. It's like going to an amusement park and paying through the nose. Overall, it's good if you've never been, but once you've been, you're over it.
I do like the crepes, but, go to any good breakfast joint (for a lot cheaper too), you've got the crepes. They're good, but not worth the price of the admission, parking, and paying for the item itself.
I'm lucky that there's actually a strawberry stand not too far from my house and I can get farm fresh strawberries without having to drive to Oxnard, pay for parking, and going through the crowds.
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GLORIFIED OUTDOOR FOOD COURT
OK, I like a good festival as much as the next guy. The food, the beer, the mullets... What's not to like? But the Strawberry Festival really didn't do it for me.
Essentially I felt ripped off. After 3 hours in traffic driving up from LA, I then had the privilege of paying $20 to park in a field of dirt and then was lucky enough to pay $12 just for the honor of buying over-priced food and drinks from the booths inside. Did my $12 admission fee get me any strawberries at said strawberry festival? NO! So at the end of the day I basically paid for the right to enter an outdoor food court.
Save your cash and the agony of the drive and buy yourself a flat of strawberries or a strawberry pie from Marie Callendar's instead. You'll be a MUCH happier camper.
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Strawberry funnel cakes, what?!
A trip to any festival or fair is not complete for me unless I have my funnel cake, and the Strawberry Festival didn't let me down! $7 got me a delicious pile of fried dough, topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Upon request, I was even able to get my funnel cake split into two separate plates so I could share.
Champagne came in a commemorative glass with a fresh strawberry in it - $10 for the first glass, but refills were only $5, so you know I went back for more. I didn't try the strawberry beer (a cup of beer with a strawberry in it didn't sound very appealing to me), nor did I try the strawberry margaritas (however, my friends did and weren't impressed by their $8 drink).
Other highlights: meat on a stick (I love meat!), a Santana tribute band, and the biggest surprise, to me anyway . . . extremely clean and not-at-all-smelly port-o-potties!
I had a really great time and definitely will plan on going back again.
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I have a special place in my heart for the Strawberry Festival. It reminds me of childhood, my father, and cooking. All are things I love dearly.
I've attended the festival gala, the festival itself and won ribbons in the strawberry cooking contest.
I was a kid when I entered the contest and it was a great bonding experience between my dad and I. He won the big prizes, but in my category (recipe was for fish with white sauce and strawberries) I beat him out. Sure, I had a lot of help, but it made me feel important because he was so proud.
I still smile when I put on the Strawberry Festival apron and cook today.
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I freaking love the Strawberry Festival. I am so sad I'm going to miss it this year. Two words: Strawberry beer. You really can't go wrong.
I love all the strawberry food, and all the non-strawberry food, and all the strawberry-flavored alcohol. I love all the vendors. Jessica bought a wand here once. You know, like a princess wand. Too cool. I think we were in our early 20s at the time, which made it even better.
I must say, though, it is pretty freaking expensive to get in. Tickets are $12 now, which is a little steep if you ask me. Still, if I were going to be in town for it this May, I'd go.
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You pay $12 per person (adult) plus $5 parking for an entrance to a large , extremely overprised crowded open air food court. You can treat yourself to a small strawberry margarita for $8 or you can buy take out tray of thai food for $9 ( in a mall food court you will get exactly the same food for $5). They also have $8 hotdogs, $10 turkey leg and $5 small cup of lemonade.
I don't know why they even call it a Strawberry Festival. Overpriced greasy fast food would be more appropriate name for this event.
I did not see any entertainment except someone's bad live singing and face painting for kids ( i am sure not for free). The only free stuff $12 admission fee gets you is a recipe and one strawberry.
There are a lot of independent vendors who sell their goods there. I liked some of the stuff they sell but it also was very expensive. Call me cheap but i see no reason to pay $30 for a cutting board if i can buy the same one in a store for $8.
You might like this event if you have been living all your life in Oxnard , never been anywhere, love fatty food and you have some cash ( they don't take cr. cards) to waste.
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It is fun but too much money for just one person. Lets not think about a group or a family.
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I just came back from the Strawberry Festival and my bf and I had a blast. Sure, it was $12 admission per person and the food is a bit overpriced...but, hey, it's a festival and in my experience, festivals tend to overprice people. Plus, the money goes to a good cause (http://www.strawberry-...) so we just go for the fun, food, and fresh air.
The festival provided free "shuttles" (they're actually school buses) at certain sites, so we just parked at the Camarillo Premier Outlet parking lot and hopped onto the bus to the festival. No paying $20 for parking at a dirt lot here.
As for food and drink today, we had:
- Tri-tip steak sandwich
- Chicken sausage
- Garlic fries
- White strawberry merlot
- Strawberry beer
- Chocolate dipped strawberries
- "Build your own" strawberry shortcake
- a crate of strawberries to take home
The tri-tip steak was good and the chicken sausage was just okay. The garlic fries were excellent and were scarfed down by me in less than 10 minutes. The wine was good since it was nice and fruity, but the beer wasn't all that good to me since while there was a sweet strawberry taste in the beginning, it didn't end so well with me.
Perhaps the highlight of my bf's day was their "Build your own" strawberry shortcake booth for $5. It was absolutely delicious.
My highlight of the day was when some guy cut this one big guy off while we were getting our lunch. "LINE CUTTER!" the big guy said to the Asian guy who didn't notice he cut in front of him. As the line-cutter left the stand, it became more entertaining:
Big Guy: *sarcastically to the line-cutter* Yea, thanks, buddy.
Line-cutter: No problem, jerk!
Big Guy: Oh, yea, f*cker...!
Good thing it didn't escalate into something silly since the big guy was saying this in front of kids.
My bf and I were a bit disappointed that there were booths that offered garlic fries, tri-tip steak sandwiches, guacamole, and chocolate dipped strawberries all over the place. We were sort've expecting it to be like Tofu Festival where a booth gets to make and feature a unique dish out of tofu. Hence, why this festival only gets 4 stars. It's worth the drive, IMHO. Tons of fun, good strawberries, and good food. What more can a yelper ask for! (other than free alcohol)
Sorry folks, I have to agree with Kevin here.
My aunt read in the newspaper that there were 300 merchants at the strawberry festival (for 2007). I thought WOW, this would be an awesome time to see all sorts of strawberry stuff.
The strawberries I had there were sweet and juicy. Loooooooooooooved them. However, only 3 stands sold strawberries. Three!!! Yes 3 out of 300!??!?!?!!? A few here or there sold Strawberry Margaritas, Strawberry Beer, Strawberry Smoothies, Strawberry Pizza, Strawberry Funnel Cakes, Chocolate dipped Strawberries, and Strawberry Shortcake. So that's maybe 15 stands out of 300.... 5%???!?!?
Everything else was sadly like 80% arts and crafts sales section... with a 15% kiddy rides section. I did not come here to look at lawn chairs, paintings of nature, photographs of nature, stone jewelry, brass windchimes, artwork made of trash (though, that was pretty neat), tie-died shirts, trips to mexico, bonzai trees, musicians selling their saxaphone soundtracks (though, he was really good!!), cruises to the bahamas, leather purses, sushi makers, and many more weird odds and ends non-strawberry related stuff. Come on!!! If you're going to at least offer that, at least tag a strawberry of some sort on it. Aren't those merchants ashamed!??!?!?! It's a Strawberry Festival not a County Fair!!!
-sighs-
I really want to give this more stars cause the strawberries there tasted absolutely delicious. but with only ~5% of the 300 stands offering strawberries, I can't. I really can't.
So, I think that I've become a sucker for food festivals. Also, being that this was a weekend that was hotter than Hades, I wanted to get out of the house. Which meant that the Strawberry Festival (and it being 75 degree in Oxnard) would be the perfect excuse to partake in its goodness. So my boyfriend and I began our trek (it was acutally 85 degrees there), it took a whole 2 hours to get there from OC. We parked and paid the $12 admission (a little steep) and began our quest for food. I started for the roasted corn, which was dipped in melted butter, and I doused with lemon pepper and cajun seasoning (Yum!). Then we moved on to other food, he got a hot link sausage and I got a pupusa. I had have to say from looking around, there was a huge variety of fair foods there, a little something for everyone. Afterwards, we walked around a checked out the many arts and crafts vendors. To our surprise we ended up finding some gifts for my bf's mom, a silver charm for her bracelet and a watch made of antique spoon/fork handles. Since this was the strawberry festival, we decided to go for the make-your-own strawberry shortcakes. You paid your $5 and took your bowl and filled it up with slices of pound cake, strawberries, and whipped cream. There were other strawberry goodies too-pizza, dipped in chocolate, wine, champagne, beer, crepes, etc. I even took home 1/2 a flat of strawberries to enjoy too. I definitely enjoyed this Strawberry Festival more that the Garden Grove one more, because of there wasn't ridiculously long line for every strawberry treat. Would I go again next year, probably not since it's kind of a long drive.
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