Overview
UPDATE, January 4, 2021: Due to COVID-19, Melonfest 2021 has been cancelled. The event's organisers are aiming to host the festival again in 2022.
Every two years, the town of Chinchilla — located 3.5 hours from Brisbane — puts on the one-and-only Melonfest, celebrating all things watermelon. The farming town is the self-proclaimed 'melon capital' of Australia and, as of November 2018, is home to the Big Melon. For the better part of a week, Chinchilla plays host to a bunch of strange, watermelon-themed events and competitions, including watermelon skiing, a watermelon juice slip and slide, celebrity melon eating contests and a melon-fuelled ironman race, to name a very few.
With the small town tripling in size during the festivities, the program has a surprisingly broad range of free and ticketed events, includes movie nights, lawn bowls, markets, golf, a rodeo, a beach party, trivia and a car show. Mark your calendars now, because the next festival won't be held until February 2021, giving you plenty of time to plan ahead.
We'll let you know when the exact dates for the 2021 festival are confirmed.