Did you know that the pawpaw is one of America’s largest fruit trees? Pawpaw trees grow all throughout Ohio, and they’re also found in most of the eastern United States as well, bar only a few exceptions. The fruit produced by the pawpaw trees is ovular with mottled green skin covering it, but once you cut it open, it reveals a delicious golden yellow flesh that’s bursting with flavor.
This fruit that tastes like a mix between a banana and a mango is so popular that the Pawpaw Festival happens every year in Ohio right outside of Athens. People gather to celebrate the fruit through various Pawpaw-themed events and live music.
What Happens at the Pawpaw Festival?
As with any sort of festival, there are dozens of events and attractions to choose from happening in every direction. The Pawpaw Festival returns to Lake Snowden in Albany, Ohio from September 13th-15th in 2024, and it promises to bring pawpaw lovers en masse from around the United States.
When attending the festival, you’ll have the opportunity to walk around various tents and setups, watch live demonstrations and talks regarding the fruit and its uses, along with other topics centering around Appalachian Ohio, holistic wellness, and other unique offerings.
Other Events and Entertainment the Festival Offers
You’ll also find plenty of pawpaw-related competitions and events—one of the most iconic being the Food Vendor Pawpaw Cook-Off, where all of the food trucks serving the festival go head-to-head in competition to see who has the tastiest pawpaw dishes. Be sure to check out to the Best Pawpaw Contest and hit up the Brewers’ Round Table and Pawpaw Beer Tasting if you’re a beer fan—you’re sure to find a new favorite here.
If you’re planning on sticking around for a while, the Pawpaw Festival also brought in tons of delicious food truck vendors to enjoy. All of the menus for the festival feature special, pawpaw-inspired dishes to help celebrate. The festival also sets up a community marketplace where you’re free to roam around and check out local businesses and makers who have set up pop-up shops and booths for the weekend’s festivities.
While taking part in all the festival offers, you can enjoy some live music from a wide roster of local and up-and-coming acts who help bring even more energy to an already great venue and weekend. Headliners play later in the night on Friday and Saturday while others jam out earlier in the day all three days the festival runs for.
If a festival devoted entirely to pawpaws sounds like a good time to you, it’s because it is! Ohio has a lot of weird and wacky festivals, and while this is technically one of them, it’s also both a celebration for one of the only tropical-tasting fruits native to North America and a celebration of the Appalachian area in Ohio that produces some of the best-tasting, most prolific pawpaw trees. There’s a lot to do and see at the pawpaw festival, and it should be experienced at least once—especially if you live in the Athens area, which is right near Lake Snowden and Albany. For more information on parking, tickets, and more, check out their official website.