INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — One of downtown Indy’s tastiest traditions, the Indy Strawberry Festival, returns to Monument Circle on Thursday, June 11.
This year marks a sweet milestone as the Cathedral Women of Christ Church Cathedral celebrate the festival’s 60th anniversary.
For six decades, volunteers have served scratch-made strawberry shortcakes on the Circle, offering a taste of community at the start of every Indianapolis summer.
This 2026 Indy Strawberry Festival will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until supplies run out.
Festivalgoers can also enjoy “SPARK on the Circle,” located on the northwest quadrant of Monument Circle adjacent to the festivities.
Proceeds beyond festival expenses directly support charitable organizations throughout Central Indiana through the Cathedral Women’s Strawberry Festival Grants program. Recent grant recipients include Damian Center, Indiana Drama Club, We Bloom, Outreach Inc., and Indiana Women in Need Foundation.
Menu and Pricing
The popular “Works” — featuring homemade shortcake, fresh strawberries, ice cream, and whipped topping — is available for $10. Individual items can also be purchased separately:
- Strawberries or ice cream: $3 each
- Shortcake or whipped topping: $2 each
Both cash and card are accepted. Pre-sale orders of 10 or more, along with advance voucher tickets, are available at indystrawberryfestival.org.
How it Started
The first Strawberry Festival was held June 10, 1965, after parishioner Pat Harding proposed bringing a tradition from her hometown of Lymington, England, to downtown Indianapolis. Alongside Cathedral Sexton Nate Gore, the Cathedral Women embraced the idea as a way to raise funds, strengthen community, and share joy.
That first year, volunteers baked and sold just 100 homemade shortcakes on the church lawn. Timed to coincide with evening shopping hours at the old J.C. Penney department store on Monument Circle, the festival sold out within two hours.
Sixty years later, volunteers have baked more than 15,000 homemade shortcakes for this year’s event and will serve nearly four tons of strawberries.
