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36th annual Pungo Strawberry Festival to take place over Memorial Weekend

Posted at 3:38 PM, May 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-08 15:38:56-04

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The 36th annual Pungo Strawberry Festival will take place Memorial Day weekend, May 24 – 26!

The event will be held in the fields surrounding 1776 Princess Anne Road near Indian River Road.

The festival celebrates the agricultural heritage of Pungo and one of its most prized commodities: the area’s delicious strawberries!

It event also pays homage to the region’s many military service members and the sacrifices made by them and their families.

The 2019 festival will start with an opening ceremony and parade on Saturday morning followed by two days of live entertainment, military tributes, animal acts, pig races, pony rides, 4-H exhibits, antique farm equipment displays, a petting zoo and youth art exhibits.

The festival also will include one of the largest carnivals on the East Coast, 170 vendors and, of course, tons of strawberries with more than 50 ways to eat them!

This year’s festival will also feature three military displays from the U.S. Navy’s Coastal Riverine Squadron Four, Underwater Construction Team One and Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 202.

Admission to the festival is free but does not including carnival rides. On-site parking is $10 per car.

The festival is an alcohol-free, family event. The Board asks that attendees please leave pets at home, with the exception of service animals, which are welcome.

The Pungo Strawberry Festival is a nonprofit organization and is staffed by volunteers. Since its inception in 1984, attendance has grown from 50,000 attendees to more than 80,000 attendees expected this year.

The event is funded by carnival ticket sales, donations, and vendor and parking fees. Any excess proceeds are given back to the community, with the festival donating $1.3 million during the past 35 years, including for college scholarships for Virginia Beach high school students and donations to nonprofit groups. That excludes money raised by charitable groups on-site.