Many of the watermelon festivals listed here are annual events with parades, watermelon queens, watermelon-eating contests, seed-spitting contests, watermelon-centered sports events, watermelon-themed merchandise, and plenty of food and music. Some are free, some have fees, and all of them have lots and lots of watermelon.
Always check a festival’s website for dates and details before going. If there isn’t a website, go to the town’s website, consult a regional tourist bureau or, in the U.S., check with the local Chamber of Commerce.
P.S. Don’t look for the Rind County, Georgia, watermelon festival anywhere in this list, the event described in the 1994 country song “Watermelon Crawl.” You won’t find it. There’s no such place, and there’s no such festival. Turns out it’s just a funny name. But the song’s advice is good: “If you drink, don’t drive, do the Watermelon Crawl.”
Know of a watermelon festival we should add? Click the arrow to tell us about it.
January
Watermelon Festival (Fête de la Pasteque)
Tiga (one of the Loyalty Islands), NEW CALEDONIA
(Tip: “pasteque” is “watermelon” in French)
Held in January (it’s summer there!)
https://www.newcaledonia.travel/au/events/watermelon-festival
Melon and Watermelon Festival (Festival Del Melón y las Sandia)
Lavalle, Mendoza, ARGENTINA
(Tip: “sandia” is “watermelon” in Spanish)
Multiday festival held in January (it’s summer in South America!)
Since 1985
Festival Del Melón y las Sandia
February
Chinchilla Melon Festival
Chinchilla, AUSTRALIA
Chinchilla calls itself the “Melon Capital of Australia”
Known for its melon-skiing contest (with a watermelon on each foot) and melon chariot races
Multiday event held in odd-numbered years in February (remember, it’s summer in the Southern Hemisphere)
Since 1994
http://www.melonfest.com.au/
May
DeSoto County Watermelon Festival
Arcadia, Florida
Held in May
https://arcadia-fl.gov/
Watermelon Festival
Fleamasters Fleamarket
Ft. Myers, Florida
Held near the end of May
https://www.fleamall.com/
Daxing Watermelon Festival
China Watermelon Museum
Daxing District, Beijing, CHINA
Always held May 28 to June 1
Since 1988
June
Chiefland Watermelon Festival
Chiefland, Florida
Held the first Saturday in June
Since 1954
https://chieflandwomansclub.org/watermelon-festival
Jefferson County Watermelon Festival
Monticello, Florida
(Tip: The folks who live there pronounce it mon-ti-SELL-o)
Held in June on three consecutive weekends
Since 1950
https://www.monticellowatermelonfestival.com/
Newberry Watermelon Festival
Newberry, Florida
Held in mid-June
Since 1945
https://newberrywatermelonfestival.com/
Panhandle Watermelon Festival
Chipley, Florida
Free music festival held in June to celebrate those who helped in the watermelon fields
https://www.panhandlewatermelon.com/
Beauregard Watermelon Festival
DeRidder (Beauregard Parish), Louisiana
Held in June
https://beauregardwatermelonfestival.com/
Gochang Mountain Berry and Watermelon Festival
(mountain berry, or “bokbunja”, is Korean wild black raspberry)
Gochang County, KOREA
Held in late June
http://www.gochang.go.kr/
Clay County Watermelon Fest
Green Cove Springs, Florida
Held in June
https://www.claycountyfest.com/WATERMELON-FEST.php
Hampton County Watermelon Festival
Hampton, South Carolina
Weeklong festival held in June
Since 1939
https://hcmelonfest.org/
Watermelon Days Festival
Cordele, Georgia
Cordele/Crisp County calls itself the “Watermelon Capital of the World”
Held in June
Since 1949
https://visitcordele.com/watermelon-days-festival/
California Watermelon Festival
Lake View Terrace, California
Held in June
https://www.watermelonfest.org/
Luling Watermelon Thump
Luling, Texas
The Thump (as it’s known) hosts the World Championship Seed-Spitting Contest; the town’s water tower is painted to look like a watermelon
Multiday festival always held the last full weekend of June
Since 1954
http://newsite.watermelonthump.com/
July
July is National Watermelon Month in the U.S.
Grand Bay Watermelon Festival
Grand Bay, Alabama
Two-day festival held near or on the 4th of July
Onetime festival revived in 1973
http://grandbaywatermelonfestival.org/
What-A-Melon Festival
Center, Texas
Typically held the first weekend after the 4th of July
Since 1989
Slice of Chico
Chico, California
Held in July
Since 1975
https://www.downtownchico.com/event-slice-of-chico_10.htm
Annual Mennonite Heritage Village Watermelon Festival
Swift Current, Saskatchewan, CANADA
Held in July
Since 1994
https://www.mennoniteheritagevillage.ca/
Watermelon Festival
Hempstead, Texas
Hempstead calls itself the “Watermelon Capital of Texas”
Multiday festival held in July
Since 1989
https://hempsteadtxchamber.wildapricot.org/event-3757619
Valliant Watermelon Festival
Valliant, Oklahoma
Multiday festival usually held around the third weekend of July
https://www.travelok.com/listings/
Mississippi Watermelon Festival
Mize, Mississippi
Held third weekend of July
Since 1978
https://mswatermelonfestival.com/
Cave City Watermelon Festival
Cave City, Arkansas
Cave City lays claim to the “World’s Sweetest Watermelons”
Multiday festival held in July
Since 1980
https://www.cavecitywatermelonfestival.com/
Louisiana Watermelon Festival
Farmerville, Louisiana
Held last weekend of July
Since 1963
http://www.farmerville.org/watermelon.php
North Carolina Watermelon Festival
Murfreesboro, North Carolina
Multiday festival held end of July/beginning of August
Since 1985
https://www.ncwatermelonfest.com/
Owensville Watermelon Festival
Owensville, Indiana
Multiday festival held end of July/beginning of August
https://www.facebook.com/OwensvilleWatermelonFestival/
August
August 3 is National Watermelon Day in the U.S.
Knox County Watermelon Festival
Vincennes, Indiana
Held first weekend in August
http://knoxcountychamber.com/signature-events
De Leon Peach and Melon Festival
De Leon, Texas
Held in August
Since 1914
http://www.peachandmelonfestival.net/
Hope Watermelon Festival
Hope, Arkansas
The town is known for growing giant watermelons and at various times families from Hope held Guinness World Records for the largest watermelon
Held in August
Onetime festival revived in 1977
https://www.hopewatermelonfest.com/
Watermelon Day
Rocky Ford, Colorado
Rocky Ford calls itself the “Sweet Melon Capital of the World”;
it’s known for its watermelons and cantaloupes
Part of the multiday Arkansas Valley Fair in August
Held since 1878
https://www.colorado.com/cities-and-towns/rocky-ford
Winterville Watermelon Festival
Winterville, North Carolina
Multiday festival held at the end of August
Since 1985
https://www.watermelonfest.com/
Watermelon Festival (Festa del Cocomero)
Catellini in Chianti, ITALY
(Tip: “cocomero” – or regionally “anguria” – is “watermelon” in Italian)
Grew out of a post-war peasant farmer gathering
August; date and details usually available from DiscoverTuscany.com newsletter at https://www.chianti.com/what-to-do-in-chianti/events-and-sagras.html
Clyde Watermelon Festival
Clyde, Kansas
Multiday festival held over Labor Day weekend
Since 1889
Straffordville Watermelon Fest
Straffordville, Ontario, CANADA
Held end of August
https://www.ontariotravel.net/en/event/Straffordville-Watermelon-Fest/201435
Rush Springs Watermelon Festival
Rush Springs, Oklahoma
Held the second weekend in August
First held in 1940, then continuously since 1948
https://www.facebook.com/rushspringswatermelonfestival/ and https://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.17748
Carytown Watermelon Festival
Carytown neighborhood, Richmond, Virginia
Held in August
Since 1983
http://carytownrva.com/watermelon-festival.html
Kamyshin Watermelon Festival
Kamyshin, RUSSIA
(Tip: “arbuz” is “watermelon” in Russian)
Includes citywide carnival and fireworks
Held in August
Since 2007
https://arbuzfest.ru/
Jinan Watermelon Festival
Jinan-gun, KOREA
Held in August
OBX Watermelon Festival
Nags Head, N.C.
(Tip: OBX stands for “Outer Banks”)
Held in August
https://www.kittyhawk.com/event/outer-banks-watermelon-festival/
Vining Watermelon Day
Vining, Minnesota
Always held the third Saturday in August
https://viningwatermelonday.com/
Milan Melon Festival
Milan, Ohio
(Tip: The folks who live there pronounce it MY-lan)
Celebrates Milan’s two melons: cantaloupes and watermelon;
Known for its watermelon sherbet and cantaloupe ice cream
Multiday festival held over Labor Day weekend
Since 1958
https://sites.google.com/view/milanmelonfest/home
September
Melon Days
Green River, Utah
Green River claims its 25-foot-long wooden watermelon slice is the “World’s Largest Watermelon”; between festivals, the big slice is on display outside the John Wesley Powell River History Museum. Held in September, Melon Days aims to be the last watermelon festival held in the U.S. each year.
Since 1907
http://www.melon-days.com/ 
Pardeeville Watermelon Festival
Pardeeville, Wisconsin
Hosts the U.S. Speed-Eating and Seed-Spitting Championships
Held the first Saturday after Labor Day
Since 1968
https://www.facebook.com/pardeevillewatermelonfestival/
Thurston Watermelon Days
Thurston, Nebraska
Multiday festival held the second week of September
Since 1960
https://www.facebook.com/Thurston-Watermelon-Days-793076730877498/
Watermelon Festival (also called Melon Festival)
Diyarbakir, TURKEY
(Tip: “karpuz” is “watermelon” in Turkish)
Held in September
Since 2010
https://www.motleyturkey.com/local-festivals-in-turkey/