Inaugural Hernando County Blueberry Festival set for Brooksville in May

Florida Classic Park will spend the second weekend in May as Hernando County’s newest agritourism test: can blueberries, livestock and local vendors draw enough people to become a spring tradition in Brooksville?

The inaugural Hernando County Blueberry Festival is scheduled for May 8 through May 10 at Florida Classic Park, 5360 Lockhart Road, with free admission and free parking. Community Markets & Events is presenting the festival, and Florida Classic Park lists Cheryl Taylor as the contact at 727-365-6411. Organizers are positioning the event as more than a weekend outing, with a full lineup built around local agriculture, family activities and county heritage.

Festival materials say visitors can expect blueberry foods and drinks, bake-offs and cook-offs, live music, folk performances, livestock showcases, artisan vendors and heritage farming demonstrations. One organizer page highlights a “Blueberry Lane” featuring fresh-picked local blueberries and blueberry plants for sale. Another says Quality Craftsmen is the official livestock arena sponsor, signaling that the youth livestock component is meant to be a visible part of the event, not an afterthought. The festival is being pitched around “wholesome, old-fashioned county fun” rather than mechanical midway rides.

That framing matters in Hernando County, where blueberry production is already part of the agricultural economy. University of Florida IFAS says central Florida’s commercial blueberry production region includes Hernando County and accounts for about half of Florida’s total commercial blueberry acreage. In other words, this is not just a themed festival dropped into Brooksville by chance; it is tied to a crop and a local farm network that already exist.

The timing also gives the festival a heavier purpose. Bay News 9 reported that a rare winter freeze damaged blueberries and other crops this year, and Hernando County was among the counties designated as disaster areas. For growers still dealing with losses, the festival offers a public platform, a sales opportunity and a way to keep blueberries visible in a difficult season. If families buy plants, berries, food and craft goods, the money will circulate well beyond the park gates.

The bigger question is whether the event can produce enough traffic to matter for Brooksville itself. A strong first year would mean packed vendor rows, steady food sales, visible participation from farms and nonprofits, and enough visitors to spill into nearby restaurants and businesses. Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau has been using event-marketing grants to boost visitation and overnight stays, and a successful blueberry festival would fit that strategy by giving Hernando County another reason for people to linger instead of pass through.

Florida Nature Coast describes the festival as a revitalized event founded in 2026, and Tampa Bay Beacons notes it is being staged about 8 miles from the old downtown Brooksville location. That history gives the new version a built-in chance to become something lasting. If May’s turnout is strong, the blueberry festival could become the county’s next repeatable spring marker, one that links farming, tourism and local commerce in a way Hernando County can actually build on.