Five blocks of vendors, a tomato eating contest, fried green tomatoes, a salsa contest, a car show, live entertainment all day, a Gospel concert, and the freshest tomatoes in Texas — Jacksonville’s Tomatoville comes alive on June 13.
Jacksonville, Texas didn’t earn the title of Tomato Capital of the World by accident. And every second Saturday of June, the whole town reminds you exactly why that title still means something.
The Jacksonville Tomato Fest transforms downtown into a celebration of farming heritage, food, and small-town fun — one of East Texas’s most flavorful summer traditions. The 42nd Annual edition runs Saturday, June 13, 2026, along Commerce Street in historic downtown Jacksonville, and it is completely free to attend.
How Jacksonville Became Tomatoville
In the early 1900s, farmers across Cherokee County discovered that the area’s sandy, well-drained soils were ideal for tomato production. At the same time, the arrival of railroads and refrigerated rail cars made it possible to ship tomatoes long distances while they ripened in transit. By the 1920s and 1930s, nearly 15,000 acres of tomatoes were under cultivation in the county, and about 3,000 rail cars of tomatoes left Jacksonville each summer for markets nationwide. Tomatoes were far more profitable than cotton — bringing in roughly $250 per acre compared to cotton’s $20 to $40.
Jacksonville launched its first Tomato Festival in 1934. The city even named its WPA-built high school football stadium the Tomato Bowl, completed in 1940 — a red iron-ore stone landmark that still stands as a civic icon today.
Ninety-two years later, the tomato is still the heart of Jacksonville — and Tomato Fest is the day the whole town celebrates that heritage together.
What Five Blocks of Pure East Texas Fun Looks Like
A plethora of events surround Jacksonville’s annual tomato festival, creating an atmosphere of celebration throughout the week in Tomatoville. Festival highlights include five blocks of vendors, food, a farmers market, fried green tomatoes, tomato eating, peeling, and packing contests, a salsa contest, the best homegrown contest, live entertainment, a talent show, car and motorcycle shows, soccer and tennis tournaments, a history display, the Top Tomato Poster Contest, and an annual street dance.
The Gospel Concert is one of the most beloved traditions of the day — voices filling the East Texas air between sets of live entertainment on the main stage. The Kiwanis Auction gives the community a chance to bid on local items while raising money for charitable programs. And everywhere you look, there are tomatoes — fresh from Cherokee County farms, eaten whole, sliced, fried, and pressed into the best salsa anyone in the contest can make.
The most popular feature of Tomato Fest is the renowned Jacksonville tomatoes. People drive hours just to sink their teeth into these legendary ruby-red globes. That reputation is genuine — Cherokee County’s sandy loam soil produces a tomato with a sweetness and depth that grocery store varieties simply don’t match.
Plan Your Visit
The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. along Commerce and Austin Streets in downtown Jacksonville. Jacksonville sits about two hours south of Dallas and an hour and a half east of Waco on US-69 — a Piney Woods drive that delivers you into one of the most welcoming small cities in East Texas. While you’re there, stop by the Tomato Bowl — even if there’s no game, the historic stadium is worth seeing, and it is one of the most uniquely named sports venues in America.
Event Details
Event: 42nd Annual Tomato Fest Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026 Hours: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Location: Historic Downtown Jacksonville — 307 E. Commerce St., Jacksonville, TX 75766 Admission: Free
Highlights: Five blocks of vendors, farmers market, tomato eating and peeling contests, salsa contest, fried green tomatoes, Gospel concert, live entertainment, talent show, car and motorcycle shows, sports tournaments, street dance, Kiwanis Auction
Chamber of Commerce: (903) 586-2217 Website: jacksonvilletexas.com/tomato-fest Facebook: Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce / Tomato Fest
