The Suonenjoki Strawberry Carnival is one of the oldest summer festivals in Finland. The first Strawberry Carnival was held in 1970. In summer 2011 the Carnival will take place for the 41th time. Only in 1984 and in 2003 the Strawberry Carnival was not arranged in the town of Suonenjoki.

From the beginning the Strawberry Carnival has gathered not only the native people but also strawberry pickers, guests, summer vacationers and other festival visitors from all around the country. During the last few years the amount of strawberry pickers with different national background as well as foreign guests has greatly increased.

The Carnival procession traditionally opens the festival gathering remarkable amount of onlookers every year along the streets of the town. The procession consists of different sections put together by local organizations.

Every year during the Carnival the jury chooses the Strawberry Farmer of the Year. He/she is a person who either grows strawberries or makes or has made the local strawberry cultivation generally well-known. In addition Miss Strawberry, and also in some years even Mr. Strawberry, has been chosen among the candidates.

During the decades the most popular Finnish artists, singers and bands have given shows and concerts at the Carnival. The Funfair Suuronen has visited the Strawberry Carnival over thirty times and also the local artists have had the opportunity to come before the public. The National championship in strawberry eating, strawberry joke competition, the best scarecrow competition, the run race, horse race and rally race among others are also included in the carnival programme.

Strawberries are served and eaten in many different ways; in milk-shakes, ice-creams, jams, purées, juices, cakes, and just as fresh, delicious berries!