The annual Watermelon Festival in Kamyshin in 2019 will be held for the 12th time. This is a bright and juicy holiday, which annually gathers over 30,000 guests. There will be a lot of interactive sites, fairs, a free Watermelon glutton, contests and exhibitions. One of the brightest events of the festival is a large-scale carnival "Watermelon Procession", which passes through the whole city. In addition, there are many spectacular activities on the water - the performances of athletes on aquabike, fun starts and a massive swim on watermelon-mattresses. Since 2017, thematic aircraft have been “flying off” from a special pier with a ramp to the Kamyshinka River as part of the already traditional “Flying Slices” contest.
The basis of the watermelon festival was the Kamyshin legend - a historical event that occurred in 1722, when the flotilla of Peter the Great, visited Kamyshin (at that time, Dmitrievsk). Going ashore, the sovereign took from the hands of the governor a treat - a sweet watermelon. Having tasted the juicy pulp, Peter I enthusiastically exclaimed - “Very good fruit!”. Now Peter I is a regular participant in the theatrical performance and the main taster of the watermelon festival.