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Here are 5 South Carolina peach and watermelon festivals for you to try this summer

Lyn Riddle
·3 min read

Just how many Peach festivals can one state have?

Lots, if you’re South Carolina and the No. 2 peach-growing state in the U.S.

California dwarfs South Carolina in the number of peaches harvested but it appears South Carolina has as many festivals, if you count California’s Organic Stone Fruit Festival.

South Carolina and Georgia have long been in a competition for peach growing and even had a tweet-off in 2019. Georgia, which calls itself the Peach State, claimed victory because they said their peaches are three times as sweet.

South Carolina grows more than twice the number of peaches than Georgia.

Pickyourown.com lists one major peach festival for Georgia, two locations, two weekends and it boasts the world’s largest peach cobbler — 11 feet by 5 feet. The festival takes place June 3-4 in Fort Valley and June 11, 11 miles north in Byron. Both cities are south of Macon.

Upcoming South Carolina festivals honoring the peach are:

  • June 18 — the 50th Annual Ridge Peach Festival in Trenton in Edgefield County. They’ve got home-canned peach preserves, jams and jellies, peach desserts and peach ice cream. Fresh peaches, too. The event also features arts and crafts, antique tractors and cars. “Our event has become more than a festival; It’s a reunion and gathering place for families.” “Let’s meet at the Peach Festival!”

  • July 4 — The Gilbert Community Clubs presents its 62nd Lexington County Peach Festival. “Summer after summer in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, the community was alive with the harvesting, packing, and shipping of peaches,” the festival says on its website. “Today, while we find only a few peach farms still in operation, the peach remains (in our minds) the Queen of all Fruits and worthy of honor in our small town.” The day begins with a parade of about 125 entries and ends with fireworks. In between are entertainment, 100 arts and craft exhibits, antique car show, tractor show, children’s rides and many food items specializing in, what else? Peaches, peach delight, peach sundaes, peach cobbler, peach zip, peach slush, and fresh sliced peaches. There’s also the Peach Queen Contest.

Peachoid, the 1 million gallon water tank on Interstate 85 in Gaffney. The landmark will be getting a paint job this spring.
Peachoid, the 1 million gallon water tank on Interstate 85 in Gaffney. The landmark will be getting a paint job this spring.

  • July 16 — From the city that gave the world the Peachoid, a 135-foot-tall water tower that some think looks more like a butt than a peach and that was a drive by in Netflix’s “House of Cards,” comes the South Carolina Peach Festival. It is held each July, during the peak season for Gaffney peaches. It features a truck and tractor pull, entertainment, games, food, arts/craft shows, talent competitions, and a peach parade. Concert headliner is Jon Langston, who turned to singing after suffering a sixth concussion playing football at Gardner Webb in North Carolina. This year’s events include Peach Beach, a peach dessert contest, a downtown Family Fun Fest, road races, a golf tournament, basketball competitions and a barbecue cookoff.

If peaches are not quite your thing, South Carolina also honors the watermelon.

  • June 20-25 — The Annual Hampton County Watermelon Festival in Hampton, which bills itself as the state’s oldest continuing festival with one of the largest parades in the state. Highlights include, watermelon eating and judging contests, Lake Warren State Park Family Fun Day, youth parade, pet show, mud run, Melon Miss pageant for all ages, arts and crafts displays, “good Hampton County Food,” and musical entertainment.

  • July 15-16 — Pageland Watermelon Festival in Pageland featuring a watermelon-themed parade and “seed spittin’ and watermelon eatin’ contests for all ages.” Various types of food, assortment of music, including beach, country, and gospel.