2025 Watermelon Festival Parade

   Download your 2025 parade application here!

2025 Watermelon Parade Application

No Watermelon Festival experience is complete without your official WATERMELON FESTIVAL TEE

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2025 Watermelon Festival Tee Order Form

Cordele, Georgia - "Watermelon Capital of the World!"

Watermelon Festival 2025 Information

"Fresh From the Vine Since 1949"

June 2026 will mark Cordele's 77th year celebrating the bountiful summer harvest with the "Watermelon Days Festival". A month full of good, clean, watermelon FUN! Visitors come from near and far to enjoy events such as the 4H Dog Show, Seed Spitting Contest, Watermelon Horseshoe Tournament, Fishing Rodeo, Watermelon Decorating Contest, Watermelon Chunking Contest, and more.  

If you happen to be one of those visitors, then take a ride on the SAM Shortline Excursion Train where the vintage 1949 air-conditioned cars take you back in time to the very first year Cordele hosted the Watermelon Days Festival. Depending on which day you choose to take the 45-mile trip from Cordele to Archery, the boyhood home of President Jimmy Carter.  Other stops may include the Georgia Veteran's State Park at Lake Blackshear, Leslie, Americus and/or Plains, home of the 39th President of the United States.  

For a detailed schedule of all of the events of this year's Festival, including the grand finale celebration of July 4th fireworks on the beautiful Flint River, view the festival information. See you there!