What to know: Portland kicks off Strawberry Festival events and road closures
From road closures to events and music schedules, here’s the 411 on the 82nd annual Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival.
This weekend promises a jam-packed schedule with the Strawberry Jam Concert and Fireworks on Friday and the main festival day on Saturday.
Kicking off the festival weekend, headline act Rubiks Groove and Adam and Amy Pope will perform on stage at the Strawberry Jam Concert and Fireworks event off E Market Street in downtown Portland.
No tickets are needed for the free concert, but chairs can be rented for $5 on a first come, first serve basis to sit and watch the fireworks show later that night. The Market Street area promises the best views, festival officials said, though fireworks may be seen from anywhere in the downtown Portland area.
Festivalgoers attending the main festival day Saturday will have their choice of over 200 vendors – many strawberry themed – multiple music stages, a kid’s area and magic stage and parade.
Every year the festival brings tens of thousands of people together to celebrate the town’s longstanding heritage in the strawberry industry, dating back to the early 1900s.
Decades later, local strawberry farmers still supply the festival with fresh berries for purchase.
Strawberries tend to sell out very quickly, as more than 40,000 people attend the Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival each year.
Thankfully, several farms remain available in the area to purchase strawberries during the festival weekend such as Crafton Farms, Lazy L Farms and WadeFarmz in Portland, Bradley Kountry Acres in Cottontown, Hancock Family Farm in Springfield and Oak Grove Farms in Gallatin.
Before making the drive, call each farm to check availability, pricing and hours of operation.
Keep reading for a list of road closures and this weekend’s events and live music schedules.
Events Schedule
Strawberry Jam Concert & Fireworks: E Market Street in Portland, May 12, 5 – 9 p.m.
4:30 – 9:30 p.m. Free parking available at Portland High School with shuttle service.
5 p.m. Vendors open and live music and classic car cruise-in.
5 p.m. Carnival at Richland Park begins. Armbands are $30.
6:30 p.m. Headline act Rubiks Groove, an 80s and 90s cover band
8:30 p.m Fireworks begin.
82nd Annual Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival: Downtown Portland, May 13, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
7 – 11 a.m. Grab breakfast at the Portland Rotary Pancake Breakfast at First Baptist Portland Gym. Entry costs are $8 for adults and $5 for kids.
8 a.m. Participate in the Strawberry Stride 5K Walk/Run at Portland High School.
9 a.m. – 3 p.m. TN History Museum will have items for sale including strawberry cake, strawberry float drinks and Portland Sesquicentennial books.
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Festivalgoers can shop more than 250 vendors in six different vendor areas.
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Kids can play all day for $5 at KidTown USA, located beside the Moye-Green house, a new location for the 82nd annual event.
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Musicians will perform live on two stages.
10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Where Are You From Booth & Souvenirs
10 a.m. Fresh berries will be available for purchase from local strawberry farmers, while supplies last.
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Robocars Demonstration
11 a.m. Kids can catch one of three Magic Shows on the Russell stage.
1 p.m. Carnival at Richland Park
1 p.m. Play a game of Bingo at the Russell Hospitality Suite.
1 p.m. Kids can catch one of three Magic Shows on the Russell stage.
3 p.m. Kids can catch one of three Magic Shows on the Russell stage.
4 p.m. Parade
7 p.m. Families can watch Shrek, a PG rated movie, at The Temple Theatre on Russell St.
Free parking and shuttle service will be available from 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Shuttle service will not be provided during the parade, beginning at 4 p.m. and does not extend to Richland Park for the carnival.
Service animals with proper identification will be allowed on shuttles.
Music Schedule
Strawberry Jam Concert and Fireworks, May 12
5 p.m. Adam & Amy Pope
6:30 p.m. 80s and 90s cover band Rubiks Groove
Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival, May 13
Main Stage
10 a.m. Incognito Cartel
11 a.m. Stoney Creek Band
Noon Jak Fiddler Band
1 p.m. Makayla McDowell
2 p.m. Blindside 7
3 p.m. Dustin Spears
Acoustic Stage
10 and 11 a.m. Danny McCorkle
Noon Ariela Aspen
1 p.m. Chad Williams
2 p.m. Mattie Taylor
3 p.m. Jason Acy
Road Closures
May 12, 9 a.m. – May 13, 10 p.m.
North Russell from S Russell to Wheeler Street
Main Street
Gazebo parking lot off East Market Street
Sumner Employment parking lot off East Market Street
May 12, 1 p.m. – May 13, 8 p.m.
East Market Street
Food Lion access road
May 12, 4 p.m. – May 13, 7 p.m.
City lot off West Market Street
May 13, 8 – 9 a.m.
Hwy 52 from Lyon Drive to Searcy Lane
Searcy Lane from Hwy 52 to College Street
College Street from Searcy Lane to Lyon Drive
May 13, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
West Market Street from Hwy 109 to Portland General Baptist Church
West McGlothlin Street from Hwy 109 to Reed St
Leona Street
Reed Street from College Street to West McGlothlin Street
High Street at N Russell Street
East McGlothlin Street to North Russell Street
North Russell Street from Wheeler Street to Victor Reiter Pkwy to thru traffic
Wheeler Street from North Russell to High Street
Church Street from Hwy 109 to Leona Street
May 13, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Hwy 109 from College Street to Hwy 52
Jackson Road from Hwy 52 to Hwy 109
May 13, 1 – 5 p.m.
Victor Reiter Parkway from Hwy 109 to Freedom Drive
Freedom Drive from Hwy 109 to Victor Reiter Parkway
May 13, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Hwy 109 from Freedom Drive to Portland East Middle School
Festival officials recommend using Waze, an app that provides users driving directions, a live traffic map and road alerts, to get around town on May 13. Road closures will be updated in the app, officials said.
For vendor lists, registration forms and more, visit middletennesseestrawberryfestival.net.
Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What to know: Portland kicks off Strawberry Festival events
