"unofficial website"
Swamp Cabbage Festival
LaBelle, Florida



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You may also wish to visit the [ Shrimp Festival at Fort Myers Beach ]

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  • What:  Swamp Cabbage Festival

  • When:  10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday & Sunday*

  • Where:  Barron Park, State Road 29 (Bridge Street) & Park Avenue
                  City of LaBelle, Florida

  • Information:  Call (863) 675-2995 or visit website links below

*The last full weekend in February (i.e. February 21st & 22nd in 2009)

The LaBelle Swamp Cabbage Festival is held every year on the last full weekend in February in LaBelle at Barron Park.

It is a local celebration (parade, music, food, entertainment) to honor the official state tree, the sabal (cabbage) palm, by eating it. The heart of the cabbage palm is prepared into swamp cabbage or fritters (each a southern Florida Cracker vegetable delicacy) and the focus of the celebration.   So, if you've got a hankering for swamp cabbage or just want to see what it looks like... or taste it, then this festival is for you.

The festival was started back in 1965.  Old Man Riggs (being a 1969 graduate of LaBelle High) remembers the first Swamp Cabbage Festival and had the honor of being classmates with the first of the Swamp Cabbage Queens ever to exist.  Yee Hah!

The Swamp Cabbage parade begins at 10:00 am Saturday morning and contains lots of home-grown floats decorated with swamp cabbage palm fronds. Immediately following, we all crowd into the park and sample the southern "swamp" cuisines and listen to live music at the main stage in the park.

The festival usually features around a 100 booths vending crafts and foods.  Typically there are armadillo races and a rodeo.

For pictures of the festival, entertainment, food, products, etc. CLICK HERE or use the menus to navigate to the other pages containing more photos and information.

[ 2009 ] | [ 2008 ] | [ 2007 ] | [ 2006 ] | [ 2004 ] | [ 1998 ] | [ Related Links ] | [ Home ] | [ Email Us ] | [ NEXT ]
You may also wish to visit the [ Shrimp Festival at Fort Myers Beach ]

Return to Home Page

Other Links Related to Swamp Cabbage,
 the Festival, LaBelle, Hendry County, or
 other just plain, downright useful information:

Official Swamp Cabbage Website

The Swamp Cabbage Festival Website

Check the above "official" websites for a more
complete/update list of festival activities
...and if you still need more information,
please call 863 675-2995 or E-MAIL

Visit the following websites below for even more info:

Southwest Florida Online - Swamp Cabbage Festival Webpage

Sunday Morning News for Hendry, Glades, and Western Palm Beach County

City of LaBelle's Official Website

City of LaBelle's Official Website Swamp Cabbage Festival Contact Information

The Sabal Palm (Swamp Cabbage Tree) Info from Master Gardener Online

Hendry County Regional Recipes from GoHendry.com

River Recipes (includes diagram of tree and cutting instructions)

Northwest Florida Daily News - Swamp Cabbage Recipes

Smithsonian Institution - Smithsonian Journeys - Recipes From Another Time

Rotary Club of LaBelle and their events including the Armadillo Races

LaBelle NewsZap  Caloosa Belle Local News Paper

Hendry County Info

Former Festival Queens

2008     2007 Esophia Higggins
2006 Maria Pridgen   2005 Amanda Rae Pittman
2004 Ashley Rose Barbery   2003 Ashley Murray Gomez
2002 Cathryn Gayle Miller   2001 Brittany Langford Kinney
2000 Amy Burchard Paul   1999 Melissa Oswald Howell
1998 Amanda Miller Gregg   1997 Inez deDeugd McComas
1996 Jennifer Danfoth Berg   1995 Inez deDeugd McComas
1994 Sally Chimpman Deroo   1993 Jennifer Danforth Dunn
1992 Lynnette White Fults   1991 Kathleen Whitford
1990 Stacee Stinnett Seligman   1989 Susan Brant Hill
1988 Jennifer Dunaway Klinger   1987 Mara Woosley
1986 Heather Delance Spano   1985 Lori Jones White
1984 Jerri Lynn Merritt   1983 Leah Langley Furman
1982 Kimberly Dunaway Kemp   1981 Yvonne McGee
1980 Rena Ireland Dipofi   1979 Cynthia Mott Croley
1978 Chris Lehman Robbins   1977 Sonja Burchard
1976 Cheryl Wooten Hill   1975 Dana Thompson Crawley
1974 Terri Prescott Rhoden   1973 Gayle Nobles Murrah
1972 Cindi Bass Sanders   1971 Sherri Woosley Carpenter
1970 Laura Miller Nolte   1969 Judy Burgess Puletti
1968 Deborah Cordell James   1967 Linda Stilwell Liddiard

created 2-27-98, rev 02/21/09

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©1998 - 2009 Dennis E. Riggs, All rights reserved.
"Cabbage Palm" background & theme are an Old Man Riggs Original