2026 Clewiston Sugar Festival draws near-record crowd around 23,000

CLEWISTON, Fla. —

A near-record crowd of around 23,000 people showed up to the 2026 Clewiston Sugar Festival.

In a news release Tuesday from the festival team, the turnout was one of the largest crowds in the event's history and just shy of 2025's record of 25,000.

The sugar festival was originally established to celebrate the end of the sugarcane harvest season. It has grown into a premier event for country music and food in South Florida.

Planning has already started for the 2027 Clewiston Sugar Festival, the team said.

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