Once again, when tourists start looking for Florida-based events to attend, they will find Dade City’s annual Kumquat Festival among the top they should visit.
The 17th annual event, which takes place Jan. 25, was awarded a “Top 20 Event” status for the Southeast United States by the Southeast Tourism Society. The society promotes travel to and within the 12 southeastern states.
More than 40,000 attendees, 430 vendors and 40 sponsorship partners participate in the festival centered around the kumquat, the small fruit that resembles an orange, but has its own unique taste. The festival was also recently awarded Pasco County’s “Event of the Year” from the Pasco County Tourist Development Council.
Hundreds of volunteers assist the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce in marketing, servicing and hosting the annual festival, which generates an estimated $1 million in economic impact for the area, and has become well-known as a Tampa Bay “must-see” event. The festival features live entertainment, shopping, arts and crafts vendors, a car show, and thousands of kumquat pies and related kumquat products.
The Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Events publication receives exposure in print media, Web, television and radio in both the United States and Canada. More than 1,600 newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations receive the listings.
For more information on this year’s festival, visit www.kumquatfestival.org.
