Tucked away on the North Fork of Long Island (which is also one of our top picks for a summer road trip), the Mattituck Strawberry Festival is returning for its 70th year this weekend! Put on by the Mattituck Lions Club as a fundraiser, it celebrates the local Long Island strawberry crop reaching its peak harvest, with lots to eat but also lots of money to raise for charity.
The fair is part-strawberry celebration, part-carnival — with strawberry treats galore plus tons of amusement park rides, food vendors, and local crafters. Find out everything you need to know below.
Where is it?
The festival takes place on the East End of Long Island in Mattituck, NY at Strawberry Fields (1105 North Rd.). It’s about a 2-3 hour trip from NYC, depending on how you’re getting there (see last Q).
When is it?
The Mattituck Lions Strawberry Festival kicks off this Wednesday, June 11 and goes through Sunday, June 15. Full dates and times are listed below.
- Wednesday, June 11: 5-10 p.m.
- Thursday, June 12: 5-10 p.m.
- Friday, June 13: 5-10 p.m.
- Saturday, June 14: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
- Sunday, June 15: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Do you have to buy tickets?
Admission to the festival is free on opening day; after it costs $10 for adults and is free for children under 5! Of course food is for purchase, as well as ride bracelets; see all the details below.
- Wednesday, June 11:
- FREE ADMISSION
- Ride Bracelets: $30 Pay One Price
- Thursday, June 12
- Adults & Children 5 & up = $10
- Children < 5 years = Free Ride
- Bracelets: $30 Pay One Price
- Friday, June 13
- Adults & Children 5 & up = $10
- Children < 5 years = Free Ride
- Bracelets: $35 Pay One Price
- Saturday, June 14
- 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Adults & Children 5 & up = $10
- 4 p.m. – 11 p.m.: Adults & Children 5 & up = $20
- Ride Bracelets: $40 Pay One Price (Valid 11am – 7pm). ONLY RIDE TICKETS SOLD AFTER 5PM
- Sunday, June 15
- Admission: Adults & Children 5 & up = $10
- Children < 5 years = Free
- *Father’s Day – Dads Free Admission w. paid Child
- Ride Bracelets: $35 Pay One Price
What kinds of food do they have?
Of course the festival makes the most of the peak strawberry crop — there’s homemade strawberry shortcake that’s some of the best we’ve tried, chocolate-covered strawberries, fresh-blended strawberry daiquiris, strawberry cupcakes and strawberry pie. There’s also typical fair fare like burgers, sandwiches, funnel cake, corn, etc.
What else is there do to?
There’s a full schedule all week/weekend from bands and live music to fireworks (Thursday, Friday and Saturday!) to the coveted Strawberry Queen crowning, and even the World Strawberry Shortcake Eating Championship! Check out the detailed schedule on the Mattituck Lions website.
INSIDER TIP: they also host a “Hulling Night” on Wednesday when you can actually help prep the strawberries for the festival! It’s volunteer-only but you get free strawberry shortcake, strawberry daiquiri, and lunch or dinner (depending on your shift)! You can sign-up with their form here.
How to get there?
The most direct way of course is to drive, taking the Long Island Expressway alllll the way out which can really range in time based on traffic (anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, but we definitely recommend going off-hours, on an early weekday morning or late at night).
You can also get there by train — taking the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station to Mattituck (about 2.5 hours). Be sure to double check the train schedule as you will have to switch trains at Ronkonkoma and the train that goes out to Mattituck is only a couple times a day. To note though, the festival is not directly in walking distance from the train, so you will have to find transport to the fields.