The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival returns April 9, 10 and 11, 2027, on the Memorial Park grounds along North 6th Street in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, and getting in costs nothing. Organizers call it Louisiana’s largest free harvest festival, and they say around 300,000 visitors come each year. Fireside RV Resort is about 10 miles from the Strawberry Festival grounds at Memorial Park, roughly a 15-minute drive, which makes it an easy home base for the whole weekend.
Strawberry weekend is a big deal around here, big enough that Louisiana State Police publish detour routes for it. Below you’ll find the official 2027 schedule, ride prices, parking tips, the list of things you can’t bring, and how to stay close without fighting traffic every morning.
Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival 2027 at a glance
When is the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival in 2027?
Festival 55 runs Friday, April 9, through Sunday, April 11, 2027, at Memorial Park in downtown Ponchatoula. Check the official festival site for daily hours before you head out. The festival’s FAQ page says the Strawberry Festival Parade rolls through downtown Ponchatoula on Saturday morning, April 10.
This is the 55th annual Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, and it started small: the first festival, in April 1972, had 11 booths and drew about 15,000 visitors, according to the festival’s history page.
Where is the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival located?
The festival takes over Memorial Park at 301 North 6th Street in downtown Ponchatoula, roughly an hour’s drive from both New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The Saturday parade runs through downtown from the Ponchatoula Lions Club to Kiwanis Park.
Traffic is the part first-timers underestimate. In its 2026 festival advisory, Louisiana State Police Troop L said over 300,000 visitors were expected downtown and warned the crowd was “likely to overload the surrounding interstate system causing dangerous backups from heavily congested off-ramps.” Troopers posted these alternate routes into town:
- From Baton Rouge: take I-12 East to the Pumpkin Center exit (Exit 35), head south to LA 22, then east into Ponchatoula.
- From Covington or Slidell: take I-12 West to the LA 445 exit (Exit 47), head south to LA 22, then west into Ponchatoula.
- From New Orleans: cross the Causeway Bridge into Mandeville, then follow LA 22 west.
That second route should look familiar to our guests. Fireside RV Resort sits on LA 445, the same highway the State Police route uses, and our own route to the festival runs LA 445 south to LA 22 west. Look for the 2027 advisory on the State Police site in early April.
Do you need tickets for the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival?
Nope, there’s no gate ticket. The festival’s FAQ page says entry is free, and the organizers are proud of that. What you will pay for is rides: tickets are $1.50 each or $30 for a sheet of 20.
Friday is the sweet spot for kids who want to ride everything, since the festival sells a $30 ride armband that works on Friday only. Ride tickets are sold only on the festival grounds, so you can’t buy them in advance.
Bring cash, too. Most booths take cash only, though some now accept cards, and the festival sets up several ATMs on the grounds. We’d still grab cash before you drive in.
What is there to eat and do at the Strawberry Festival?
Start with the food. More than 40 booths are run by local nonprofit organizations, and the menu runs from strawberry shortcake and strawberry daiquiris to seafood baked potatoes. Every food vendor on the grounds has to be a registered nonprofit, so your food money stays local, and the festival’s booth list includes groups like the Ponchatoula High School Band and the Ponchatoula Jaycees.
Once you’re fed, here’s what’s on the 2027 schedule:
- Strawberry eating contests at the festival’s North Stage on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Come hungry.
- Old-fashioned games at the South Stage, including a Friday sack race and a Sunday egg toss.
- Free live music on the festival stages, plus carnival rides for the kids.
- The parade on Saturday morning, the one event worth setting an alarm for.
Want berries to take home? The festival’s farmers page lists u-pick farms that open to the public during strawberry season, including M&J Fields and Johndale’s Farm in Ponchatoula. Reach out to the farms directly before you go. And if you’re hunting for crafts, the festival doesn’t host arts and crafts vendors, but its FAQ points shoppers to the Ponchatoula Country Market nearby, which does.
Where do you park for the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival?
There’s no official festival lot. According to the festival FAQ, several lots around Memorial Park charge a parking fee that typically benefits a local nonprofit, and free parking is limited. Arrive early, especially on parade morning.
Before you head downtown, check your bag against the festival’s posted rules. Leave these at home:
- Glass and ice chests
- Pets
- Umbrellas and wagons
- Golf carts, ATVs, bikes and skateboards
- Any bag that isn’t a clear backpack (diaper bags are fine with a child)
Where should you stay for the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival?
The best place to stay for festival weekend is close enough to get in early and quiet enough to actually sleep. Fireside RV Resort (42053 Hwy 445, Ponchatoula) is a short drive from the festival, south on LA 445 and west on LA 22. There are 165 full-hookup RV sites, 10 cabins, a lazy river and pools, and no resort fee or site-lock fee.
Each RV site hooks you up to water, sewer and electric (both 30 and 50 amp), and there’s a picnic table and fire ring, too. Those are Fireside’s posted 2026 prices, so check the RV and cabin rates page for 2027 pricing before you book. No RV? Our cabin rentals near Ponchatoula come with a full kitchen, so you can stash a flat of berries in the fridge.
Quiet hours start at 10 at night and last until 8 in the morning, which matters more than you’d think after a long day on your feet downtown. Arriving Friday and staying through Sunday morning lets you catch the parade without a predawn drive.
Is the Strawberry Festival a good day trip from New Orleans or Baton Rouge?
It can be, but it’s a long day. Downtown Ponchatoula is about an hour from either city, and the Strawberry Festival parade steps off on Saturday morning, so a same-day trip means an early start and festival traffic both ways. Staying nearby on Friday and Saturday nights turns it into an easy weekend instead of two long drives.
A weekend also gives you time for the rest of town. Ponchatoula calls itself the Strawberry Capital of the World, and its downtown antique shops are a fun way to spend a lazy Sunday morning. For Sunday morning, we’ve rounded up more things to do near Ponchatoula.
And when your feet are done? Come float the lazy river at Fireside before the evening campfire. Trust us, it’s a great way to end a strawberry day.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, entry is free, and the festival bills itself as the largest free harvest festival in Louisiana. Rides cost extra: tickets are $1.50 each or $30 for a sheet of 20, and a $30 armband works for rides on Friday only.
The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival Parade is on Saturday morning, April 10, 2027, according to the festival’s FAQ. It runs through downtown Ponchatoula from the Ponchatoula Lions Club to Kiwanis Park.
No. The festival’s posted rules ban pets, ice chests and glass, and only clear backpacks are allowed, though diaper bags are fine with a child. Back at Fireside, pets are welcome at RV sites on a 6-foot leash, though the cabins are pet-free.
The Ponchatoula Kiwanis Club creates and sells the festival merchandise and hosts the poster contest, according to the festival’s FAQ. Their website has the details.
Fireside RV Resort is about 10 miles from Memorial Park in downtown Ponchatoula, roughly a 15-minute drive south on LA 445 and west on LA 22. Give yourself extra time on festival weekend, especially Saturday morning.
Book your strawberry weekend near Ponchatoula
Fireside RV Resort sits roughly 15 minutes (around 10 miles) from Memorial Park and the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, and about an hour from New Orleans. Grab a full-hookup site or a cabin for April 9 to 11, 2027: see open dates and book online, or call Fireside at (985) 277-1059. The lazy river will be ready when you get back!
