Kumquat Festival

Slices of kumquat pie at the festival
Bags of kumquat for sale at the festival
Shelves of kumquat jelly and kumquat butter at the 2011 festival

The Kumquat Festival is an annual celebration held in late January in Dade City, Florida focused on the kumquat, a small tart citrus fruit usually eaten whole, with the skin on, and used in marmalades and desserts. [1] It is organized by the Dade City Chamber of Commerce.[2] The festival brings tens of thousands of visitors and is in its 24th year as of 2021. The crop can be damaged by freezes.[3][4]

The festival features kumquat pie, a specialty of Pasco County where Dade City is located.[5]

Nearby St. Joseph, Florida is known as the kumquat capital of the world, according to Kumquat Festival brochures.


References

  1. ^ Ronnie Blair Tiny fruit, tons of fun at Kumquat Festival January 26, 2012 Tampa Tribune
  2. ^ Kumquat Festival Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine Dade City Chamber of Commerce
  3. ^ "Kumquat Festival hangs on one grower". Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
  4. ^ Michele Miller Dade City Festival Celebrates the tiny mighty kumquat January 28, 2012 Tampa Bay Times
  5. ^ Filips, Sara. "Kumquat Growers to host 2-day open house event ahead of festival". wfla.com. WFLA. Retrieved 19 March 2024.