Item 420/2025
Final
City of Garden Grove
INTER-DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM
To:
Lisa L. Kim From: John Montanchez
Dept:
City Manager Dept: Community Services
Date: 12/9/2025
Subject: Approval of a five year Agreement with the Strawberry Festival Association to conduct the annual Strawberry Festival and Parade each Memorial Day weekend through 2030. (Action Item)
OBJECTIVE
To seek City Council approval of a new five -year agreement between the City and the Strawberry Festival Association ( the Association), allowing the Association to conduct the annual Strawberry Festival at Village Green Park and the Parade on City streets over Memorial Day weekend for the next five years, through 2030.
BACKGROUND
For 66 years, the Association has organized the annual Strawberry Festival and Parade each Memorial Day weekend. The four -day event includes an Opening Ceremony with free strawberry cake, Parade featuring celebrities and community groups, carnival rides and games, food, craft, local vendors, live entertainment on two stages, and family friendly contests and activities. The most recent agreement between the City and the Association authorized the Association to conduct this event through 2025.
The Association has requested that the City allow them to continue to conduct the annual Strawberry Festival at Village Green Park and Parade on city streets.
DISCUSSION
City staff has worked with the Association to develop a new five-year agreement (attached), allowing the Association to continue hosting the annual Strawberry Festival at Village Green Park and the Parade on City streets from 2026 through 2030. The key provisions of the Agreement include the following:
Association will reimburse the City for agreed upon costs attributable to the operation of the four-day festival.
Item 420/2025
Association and its contractors and vendors will comply with insurance requirements, including designation of the City of Garden Grove as an additional insured on the insurance policies.
Association will comply with all city, county and state laws and regulations applicable to the four-day festival.
Association will be responsible for completing a financial review acceptable to the City.
The proposed Agreement has been reviewed and signed by representatives from the Association, and has been approved as to form by the City Attorney.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Association is required to reimburse the City for costs incurred in support of the annual Festival and Parade, up to the maximum amount specified for each festival year. Additionally, each year the Association would be responsible for all extraordinary costs attributable to the operation of the Festival and Parade, as well as a $10,000 reimbursement for turf renovation.
Actual City costs may exceed the agreed -upon reimbursement amount, and any additional costs will be absorbed by the respective City departments within their operating budgets.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council:
Approve the Agreement with the Strawberry Festival Association to conduct the annual Strawberry Festival at Village Green Park and Parade on city streets over the Memorial Day weekend of May 21-25, 2026, as well as each of the next four years, through 2030; and
Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the agreement on behalf of the City, and make minor modifications as appropriate.
By: Janet Pelayo, Deputy Director
ATTACHMENT(S)
1. Agreement between the City of Garden Grove and Strawberry Festival Association
2. SFA Agreement - Exhibit A Map Diagram