Marking its 70th year, the Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival returns Father’s Day weekend with fireworks, live music, carnival rides and one of the region’s largest celebrations of the local strawberry harvest.
“It’s grown quite a bit in the last 10 to 15 years but initially just started out as a relatively small festival,” Media Director Dan Kelleher told South Shore Press. “It has really become one of the bigger, if not the biggest, summer festivals out here on the island.”
North Fork’s strawberry farms serve as the inspiration for the Lions Club fundraiser.
“This is sort of the peak of strawberry picking season so it’s the natural fit to use it as a way to highlight strawberry season, but also like the unofficial kickoff to summer,” Kelleher said.
Community support is key to the festival’s success. It’s traditional for residents to come together to prepare pallets of strawberries on Hulling Night, using a giant straw to remove the stem and core.
“It’s really kind of interesting. I didn’t grow up out here, but I’ve never experienced something where everyone pitches in to put on the events,” said Kelleher.
In addition to strawberry shortcake, which draws “people from all over the island,” there are chocolate-dipped strawberries and strawberry daiquiris.
Food trucks at the International Food Court offer options including gyros, roasted corn and pizza. The festival also includes more than 25 rides, midway games and crafts vendors.
The festival began Wednesday, June 11, and runs through Sunday, June 15. It is held at Strawberry Fields, 1105 North Road in Mattituck. Hours are Friday from 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Live performances are scheduled each day. Friday night features dance music by the Fever Band of Massachusetts. Long Island reggae band Aqua Cherry performs Saturday afternoon, followed by local tribute group The 70’s Band in the evening. On Sunday, Long Island’s Mean Machine takes the main stage, along with family entertainment from Jester Jim, My Reptile Guys and Mad Science.
Saturday’s events include the annual crowning of the Strawberry Queen at 4 p.m., followed by the World Strawberry Shortcake Eating Contest, presented by Major League Eating. Champion Geoff Esper is expected to return in an attempt to break his world record of 23.75 pounds.
“That’s always fun to come out to cheer on and see folks eat ridiculously large amounts of shortcake in a very short period of time,” Kelleher said.
Fireworks are scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights.
Presented by Stony Brook Medicine, the fundraiser supports the Mattituck Lions Club’s philanthropic and charitable initiatives. For directions and more information, visit https://www.mattituckstrawberryfestival.com.