PONCHATOULA — The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival is back for its 54th year in Tangipahoa Parish this weekend.

The 54th annual festival kicks off a weekend of celebration of the state fruit on Friday

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people descend upon Tangipahoa Parish for the festival, which runs through Sunday. The festival is free to attend. 

"We also have the strawberry eating contest, the sack races, the egg tosses, all sorts of fun," 2026 Grand Marshal Emily Matise said. 

The festival, which started in the 1970s, will feature two music stages, food booths, carnival rides and plenty of strawberries.