| Chinchilla Melon Festival is currently taking expressions of interest for 2011 Festival sponsorship. |
If you or your organisation are interested in providing partnering support to the 2011 Melon Festival, please download our Sponsorship Invitation. |
| For more information about sponsorship, please contact: |
Trish Leddington-Hill |
Rachael Green |
Platinum Sponsors |
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Gold Sponsors |
For more information on becoming a Gold level sponsor, please see our Sponsorship Invitation |
Silver Sponsors |
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Bronze Sponsors |
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Festival Supporters |
For more information on becoming a Festival Supporter, please see our Sponsorship Invitation |
10 Facts About the Chinchilla Melon Festival
The Chinchilla Melon Festival was first held in 1994 by local producers and businessmen in response to the severe drought experienced in the early 1990s.
The Chinchilla Melon Festival is now nationally and internationally renowned, with media coverage from as far away as Turkey, England, and USA. In 2009 John Allwood was invited to the USA to challenge for his current Guinness World Record Title for Melon Smashing.
Estimated numbers at the first Festival were approximately 2,500.
Estimated numbers at the last Festival (Feb 2009) on Saturday (the main day) were 10,000. The Melon Festival Committee decided to hold the Festival biannually because of its dramatic pull on local resources.
The Melon Festival years so far have been 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and the next one will be held in 2011.
The Festival receives no State or Federal funding, although Local Government sponsors the free Family Fun Concert on Saturday night.
The Chinchilla Melon Festival is very popular because it is the only one of its kind and is extremely interactive – you can join in on Melon Skiing, Melon Bungy, Melon Bullseye, Melon Ironman, Melon Chariot, Pip Spitting, Melon Eating races, and witness or even challenge John Allwood for the Guinness World Record of Melon Head Smashing (cracking open the watermelon with the head only – no hands or assistance). Currently his record is 47 melons in a minute.
Chinchilla supplies approximately 25% of Australia’s melons.
The 2009 Chinchilla Melon Festival won the Queensland Regional Achievement and Community Award for Tourism Event, beating the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers and the Multicultural Festival held by Bundaberg Sunrise Rotary Club.