Date: 07/12 – 07/13 | Time: 8:00PM | Location: McDade Watermelon Festival Grounds
The McDade Watermelon Festival is in its 71st year!
Always the 2nd Saturday in July. Street dance kicks off Friday night from 8pm to Midnight, $5 entry $2 beers. Saturday morning kicks off at 7am Uptown in the Historical area for the watermelon weigh-in. Locals compete form prize melon status.
Car show starts at 8am till 2pm when awards are handed out. Parade starts Uptown at 10:30am. By 11am the festival ground are hopping with people returning from the parade a block away. Concessions open, vendors, live music under the pavilion, home cooked brisket, sausage & burgers. Horseshoe & washer pitching tournaments under the large oak shade trees, bingo in the festival building with swamp coolers & ceiling fans. Watermelon eating contest, seed spitting contest, Riding mower rodeo (this is a timed obstacle course, lots of fun to watch. Participation requires your own mower).
Prize melon action happens at 5pm with a free melon feast for all, large slices too! We will have an sandy activity area for anyone to enjoy and water misting stations to help visitors cool off and picnic tables sitting under big oak trees.
The festival is run completely by dedicated volunteers that believe the tradition must continue. The money raised from the festival each year continues to help local school and offer grants to teachers to help their class rooms and a variety of youth programs.
For more information, visit McDade Texas.
