Nothing beats a cold slice of watermelon on a hot, summer day. This August, you won’t want to miss the annual Rush Springs Watermelon Festival at Jeff Davis Park. This family-friendly watermelon festival in Oklahoma celebrates seasonal watermelons with a variety of watermelon-themed activities, and it’s every watermelon lover’s dream. You won’t want to miss it this year – or next year!

The festival will take place at Jeff Davis Park, located on East Main Street in the east side of Rush Springs. This community park was named after former State Representative Jeff Davis of Rush Springs and is a beautiful spot in town to enjoy the outdoors.
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This fun Oklahoma watermelon festival has been taking place on the 2nd Saturday in August since 1948. There is also a rodeo that will take place that is ridiculously fun to watch.
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Every year, local melon growers bring their best and largest watermelons to the festival.
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The largest melon wins a prize and bragging rights by the owner. Check out this 192 lb. melon winner from a past festival. Who knew watermelons could get that big!
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One of the best things about the festival is getting to eat the sweet locally grown watermelon. For only $1.00 you can purchase a slice, or get a free one on Saturday afternoon.
rushspringswatermelonfestival/Facebook
Another highlight of the parade is the "Watermelon Queen." The queen was selected in May and during the festival will participate in the parade and many other activities. Be on the lookout for her - be sure to capture a photo if you can!
rushspringswatermelonfestival/Facebook
The Rush Springs, Oklahoma watermelon festival will also feature a seed-spitting contest, an arts and craft fair with over 100 vendors, carnival rides, live entertainment, food vendors, a classic auto show, and more. How far can you spit a seed? Best get to practicing, and you can have your own bragging rights!
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For more information about this year’s festival, including dates, times, and all there will be to do and see, visit the official Facebook page for the Rush Springs Watermelon Festival.

Which annual festivals in Oklahoma are your favorites? Have you ever been to this festival and crowned the Watermelon Queen? Tell us your thoughts and picks in the comments.

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Watermelon Festival in Oklahoma

Tori Jane | July 31, 2022

What are the best festivals in Oklahoma?  

Oklahoma may not be somewhere like Coachella Valley, California, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know how to put on some great festivals anyway! In fact, there are lots of amazing festivals in Oklahoma that you should probably experience at least once, and all of them are friendly and fun (and usually great things to do with kids in the Sooner State). Among the best festivals in Oklahoma (which is of course subjective but still) include:

  • The annual Azalea Festival in Muskogee. It goes on for the entire month of April, and it’s a sight to behold. Honor Heights Park transforms into a wonderland filled with color, featuring more than 30,000 azaleas, dogwoods, redbuds, and more.
  • The Festival of the Arts, which is in Oklahoma City and is easily the most-anticipated festival of the year.  

 

What is summer in Oklahoma like?  

Oklahoma is kind of a mixed bag in the summer depending on a lot of factors including:

  • geographical location (Different regions of the state have slightly different climatological expectations.)
  • heat index (Eastern Oklahoma in particular tends to see very high humidity, which tends to make hot temperatures tip into the “sweltering” range.)
  • humidity

 

Summer in Oklahoma typically means 60-65 days of temperatures above 90 degrees, and in some areas, up to 15 days of temperatures that reach over 100 degrees.  So, if you plan to attend any of these wonderful summertime festivals in Oklahoma, be sure to bring lots of water, sunblock, and even an umbrella for extra shade. Nobody wants heat stroke!  

What are some must-do summer festivals in Oklahoma?  

There are some wonderful festivals going on in the Sooner State all year round, but the summer typically brings something extra special. Some of our favorite, must-do summer festivals in Oklahoma include:

  • Rush Springs Watermelon Festival, which happens in August
  • Rocklahoma is in late May/early June and features some top rock and metal music acts

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Jeff Davis Park, Rush Springs, OK 73082, USA