Laura Walters
Have you ever tried fruit from a pawpaw tree? If so, you are in a lucky minority. This is one of America’s lesser-known, but most delicious fruits. Though pawpaws look and taste like an exotic tropical fruit, they are native to North America and, in fact, they are the largest fruit native to the continent. If you’re looking to try a pawpaw for the first time or just want to feast on lots of different tasty dishes featuring the fruit.
If you don't grow pawpaws or know someone who does, then attending a festival is a great way to try them. These rare fruits can be hard to find. Don’t expect to see them at the grocery store. They have an extremely short shelf life, so you’ve got to get them while the getting’s good right after harvest. The best time to pick pawpaws is late summer to early fall, depending on where you live.
You might be wondering: Are there pawpaw festivals near me? If you live in the eastern half of the U.S. there’s a chance you can find a pawpaw festival close to you. Here’s a list of some of the best pawpaw festivals 2025 has to offer. Add them to your travel list for August and September, pack the car, and get ready to feast on delicious pawpaws!
Best Pawpaw Festivals 2025
Whether you're interested in learning how to grow this native fruit tree or just want to sample all the different edible uses for pawpaws, there's a festival on this list for every pawpaw enthusiast.
1. The Ohio Pawpaw Festival
The Ohio Pawpaw Festival, which takes place September 12-14, 2025, is a community event held at Lake Snowden Campground in Albany, Ohio. It spans a whole weekend and is all about honoring the pawpaw. It's the biggest and longest running festival for this fruit.
Attending this festival will not only allow you to taste pawpaws, but it will also teach you everything you need to know about the history of the fruit. Plus, you can taste a range of different pawpaw-infused foods, like delicious pawpaw pie.
You will find a complete lineup of pawpaw activities, including “best of show” contests that award the biggest fruit and the tastiest pawpaw. There is also a pawpaw cooking contest, pawpaw art, and a fabulous pawpaw eating contest. The activities include demonstrations of how to grow pawpaws and how to cook them.
2. Indiana Pawpaw Festival
This is the third year of the Indiana Pawpaw festival in Merom, Indiana. The even takes place September 6-7, 2025 at Merom Bluff in a gorgeous park that overlooks the Wabash River towards Illinois.
There are 40 vendors, including food vendors selling pawpaws and food made with pawpaws, but you’ll also find lots of family fun. There's a bounce house for the kids, a mechanical bull for urban cowboys, and a best pawpaw contest.
3. SC Pawpaw Festival
The SC Pawpaw Festival at Blue Oak Horticulture on August 30, 2025 is one of the earliest pawpaw festivals in the country. Held in Taylors, South Carolina, the event introduces attendees to this delicious native fruit during peak harvest season.
There are educational plant walks with expert horticulturists and tours of the nursery, greenhouse, and gardens of this hobby farm.
This fun one-day event also offers tasting booths and live music. This is a nonprofit festival, intended to educate the public about the pawpaw fruit and how to grow it.
4. West Virginia Pawpaw Festival
Head to the West Virginia Pawpaw Festival at WVU Core Arboretum in Morgantown, West Virginia on September 28, 2025 for an annual event celebrating the Appalachian autumn fruit.
Family-friendly and free, this festival is open to the public and you don’t need to reserve a spot beforehand. The festival is held in the lawn area at the arboretum, with parking in the WVU Coliseum lot.
What’s on the program? You will find Peterson Pawpaws select varieties to sample and buy. There will also be chef-prepared pawpaw dishes. Don’t miss the booth of the North American Pawpaw Growers Association. If you want to buy a pawpaw tree or other native plants, this is the place to go.
5. Pawpaw Festival in Paw Paw, IL
You know the Pawpaw Festival in Paw Paw, Illinois on September 20, 2025 is going to be good since the whole town is named after this amazing fruit. According to the local public radio station, the event is "pawtastic!"
Enjoy pawpaw tastings, educational talks, tram tours around the town named for the famous fruit, live music, and a beer garden. And if you want to work off the calories from all the tasty foods at the festival, register for the scenic Paw Paw fun run.
Don't miss the weigh in event to see who has the biggest pawpaw fruit. It will inspire you to grow your own fruit at home and see if you can break the record.
If you can't make it to any of these events, purchase a pawpaw tree from Fast Growing Trees to grow your own fruit and start a pawpaw festival in your town!
