If it’s the second Sunday in August, or the hottest day of the year, it’s probably time for you to head down to Cary St. for the Annual Carytown Watermelon Festival.
If it’s the second Sunday in August, or the hottest day of the year, it’s probably time for you to head down to Cary St. for the Annual Carytown Watermelon Festival.
Sure enough, this Sunday is aiming to be both hotter than hell and have the streets of RVA’s favorite local shopping district closed to nearly 100,000 watermelon fans as they drink, shop and celebrate one of the summer’s tastiest fruits.
“We’re anticipating great crowds and have a lot more shops participating,” said Camille Bird, President of the Carytown Merchants Association who works with 311 Productions to put the event on every year.
After winning Virginia Living Magazine’s ‘Food Festival of the Year’ last year, Bird and friends are expecting a huge turn out, but they’ve also expanded the network of folks they work with to help with some of the usual concerns and complaints with the fest.
For one, cooling tents will be provided by Capital One to help save folks from the heat. There will also be a cooling tent for our furry friends, even though dogs are discouraged from attending.
“We don’t want them to burn their furry little feet,” Bird said. “But we know people bring them anyway, so we got a cooling tent for them too.”
But the cooling tents are only one solution to escape the heat. Bird said all the local shops aim to be open during the fest with their AC’s blasting to offer a bit of sanctuary where they can.
“It’s important to remember that Carytown is open,” she said. “It’s not just what’s going on in the streets, it’s what’s on both sides too.”
But beyond the legendary heat index, there’s the general pro-watermelon atmosphere that really helps bring the area and the community together.
That’s why we’ve created, for the first time, (big reveal) the Carytown Watermelon Festival Window Decoration Contest!
We walked around Carytown this AM with Bird in tow, and took some photos of the best watermelon-themed window displays we could find. Sure enough a number of stores went above and beyond to get in the spirit and below are the winners of the contest:
1st Place: Creme de la Creme
I might just be a sucker for blown up fruit, but their display nailed the fun and seasonal atmosphere associated with the event. This home-goods store was packed to the brim with some fun watermelon-themed offerings, so be sure to check them out this Sunday.
2nd Place: EuroTrash
One part nightmare fuel, three parts watermelon cut outs, this display stuck out to me because I really enjoyed the idea of these manikins coming to life and getting in on the fun. Maybe I’m just weird like that though.
3rd Place: Clover
Two words: watermelon diapers! Not only are these things adorable, they are probably also affordable as Clover offers some dang cute baby and toddler second-hand clothes. I’ve gotten my godson a few things from this place and he seems to love it, but babies lack object permanence so they love everything.
Honorable mention: Sacred Waters Holistic Spa & Boutique
I know, it’s a little sketchy to put the head of the organization that got the contest together on the winner’s list, but I really dug their use of multicolored balloons to look like watermelons. It’s freak’n cute so I regret nothing!
“You walk around, you stay in the shade. You eat watermelon which is full of hydration,” Bird said as far as advice for folks coming out this weekend. “Go into the shops and cool down. Post your pictures with the hashtag #ILoveCarytown and have a good time.”
There were plenty of other businesses that got in on the fun this weekend and you’ll get your chance to see them for yourself when you come down to Carytown this Sunday, 10AM-6PM for the 33rd Annual Watermelon Festival.
