Watermelon Festival

The 2025 Watermelon Festival in Botrugno was held on Sunday, August 17 and Monday, August 18, 2025, confirming the traditional mid-August appointment in the historic center of the town in the province of Lecce. From 7:00 PM, food stalls offered fresh and sweet watermelon for free, along with refreshing drinks and cocktails, and pairings with typical local products such as friselle, cheeses, and cured meats, accompanied by local DOC and IGP wines.

The two evenings were enlivened by pizzica and folk music concerts, dance performances, street artist shows, and light displays, in addition to the free distribution of watermelon to all attendees, food stalls with local products, and the lighthearted watermelon-eating contest. The event, with free admission, was organized by the Gruppo d'Impegno Sociale APS-ETS with the patronage of the Municipality of Botrugno.

The two evenings, with stalls opening at 7:00 PM, alternated free watermelon distribution, Salento cuisine, and local wines with pizzica and folk music concerts, dance shows, street artists, and the watermelon-eating contest.

• Watermelon offered for free in fresh slices
• Pairings with local friselle, cheeses, and cured meats
• Pizzica, folk music, and dance
• Watermelon-eating contest