The Florida Strawberry Festival will forgo headline entertainment in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a Facebook post Thursday, Florida Strawberry Festival President Paul Davis said the decision was made to ensure the safety of visitors to the March 4-21 event.
“We have met with the Hillsborough County Health Department along with local and state officials to ensure we’re up to date with the latest guidelines and recommendations and will continue to do that leading up to the 2021 event,” Davis wrote in the post. “Everyone we have met with feels confident the plan we’re developing for our festival this year will be safe and effective.
“This year, we believe it is in the best interest of everyone, guests and entertainers, to not have patrons sitting shoulder to shoulder for an extended period of time.”
Musical acts are a major draw to the festival. Last year's acts included Reba McEntire, 98 Degrees, Josh Turner and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Rides and other attractions - including livestock shows, concessions and exhibits - will be held as planned, Davis said.
The announcement comes a day after the Sunset Music Festival said it was moving its December event - originally scheduled for June - to Memorial Day weekend in 2021.
