The 35th Annual Santa Maria Valley Strawberry Festival took over the Santa Maria Fairpark last weekend for three days of art, games, and lots of strawberries.
With more than 22,000 people in attendance over the weekend, the goal for the team this year was to find a balance between tradition and new concepts to deliver a special experience for local families.
"We had a whole new layout in the plaza there. For us, it was a whole different situation with where the stage and all of the food vendors were," said Santa Maria Fairpark CEO Caitlin Miller.
The festival still had the usual attractions of strawberry tasting, strawberry dessert eating contests, and local growers selling their fresh harvest.
Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino also showed up to drop the festival's Strawberry Piñata.
The Santa Maria Fairpark will be active again from July 10 to July 14 when it hosts the Santa Barbara County Fair.
