Alabama Strawberry Festival breaks records
CULLMAN, Ala. — The sweet smell of fresh strawberries and festival food filled the air downtown as crowds poured into Cullman for this year’s Alabama Strawberry Festival — and by all accounts, it was the biggest and best yet.
“This year’s festival was a tremendous success,” said Cullman Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism Executive Director Nathan Anderson. “We hit a new record attendance, our biggest entertainment lineup to date, the highest number of vendors and food offerings we’ve ever had and a record amount of strawberries sold at the market.”
Now in its second year as a statewide event, the festival has clearly found its footing — and its fan base. Visitors traveled from more than 20 states, Anderson said, with ticket sales at the Coca-Cola Stage showing guests came from as far away as California.
The event’s expansion to two days brought fresh energy, as did a few important changes. Senior Day was moved to Depot Park to offer a more spacious, comfortable experience, and the collaboration with downtown businesses, especially in the Warehouse District, paid off.
“Moving Senior Day to Depot Park allowed us to accommodate a record crowd and gave seniors a more comfortable opportunity to shop vendors and enjoy entertainment without the peak-hour congestion,” Anderson said. “Expanding the footprint and working with the local businesses — especially in the Warehouse District — has been a major win for everyone. We couldn’t be more proud of the collaboration and the benefits it brought to the event.”
Over 120 arts, crafts and food vendors packed the streets this year, the majority of them local, bringing a wide variety of shopping and dining options that still kept the festival rooted in Cullman’s community spirit.
“We’re very intentional about encouraging local shopping,” Anderson said. “It’s a big reason why we work closely with the neighboring brick-and-mortar businesses to drive foot traffic into their stores as well. Having a mix of local and regional vendors adds variety while keeping the focus on supporting our community.”
Of course, when tens of thousands of visitors flood into town, challenges are inevitable. Parking lots were full hours before gates opened, and long lines formed during peak hours. Anderson said crowd management remains a top priority moving forward, but praised improvements already made.
“The mayor and city council have done an outstanding job expanding event parking in the Depot area over the past year,” he said. “There are already plans in place to double the size of the new event parking lot near the middle school, which should help relieve some of the congestion moving forward.”
Still, despite the occasional traffic jam, festivalgoers left with smiles — and plenty of strawberries — in hand.
Behind the scenes, it took a major team effort to bring the festival to life.
“We’re incredibly blessed to have an outstanding event team at Cullman Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism, and to work alongside nearly every department within the City of Cullman — all of whom are always willing to jump in and help wherever needed,” Anderson said. “The support of the mayor, city council and park board has helped all three of our major festivals grow by leaps and bounds over the past year. And, of course, we couldn’t do it without the generosity of our sponsors and the hard work of our volunteers. We’re so thankful to everyone who came out to celebrate our local farmers with us, and we’re already looking forward to making next year even better!”
Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs echoed that sentiment, praising the event’s growth and impact on the community.
“The Strawberry Festival is a proud part of Cullman’s history, and we’re honored to see it continue to grow each year,” Jacobs said. “On behalf of myself and the city council, I want to thank organizers and festival workers, farmers, local businesses and sponsors who make it possible. Their efforts have helped create an event that celebrates our roots and brings tremendous economic impact to our community. We’re proud to support it and look forward to its continued success.”
Copyright 2025 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
