By Bailey Coyle, FOX23.com News Staff
PORTER, Okla. — A Green Country tradition is reaching a sweet milestone.
The Porter Peach Festival returns this week for its 60th year, bringing thousands of visitors to the small town for three days of food, music, vendors and a celebration of Oklahoma’s agricultural roots.
Festival Co-Chair Melanie Merritt said the longevity of the festival comes down to the dedication of volunteers who have worked for decades to keep the tradition alive.
“Not many festivals are able to withstand that long,” Merritt said. “I really attribute it to the fact that we’ve had a very committed group of volunteers at the Alliance Club who puts on and sponsors the Peach Festival.”
The festival began in 1967 and has continued to highlight Porter’s long history of peach production. Merritt said the event is a way to preserve that agricultural legacy while bringing people together.
“It’s a lot of work by a lot of folks, and it’s just so meaningful to me that we have people for 60 years now that have been willing to step in and do that,” she said.
This year’s festival will feature more than 140 vendors, along with live music, food, arts and crafts, street games, tractor pulls, cornhole, pickleball and more.
Organizers say the event has the feel of a classic small-town festival but draws visitors from across northeast Oklahoma.
“It’s a small town festival and it’s got all that small-town Americana you would hope for,” Merritt said. “It’s a small town with a big heart, and we love to have our neighbors come in.”
For the 60th anniversary, organizers are bringing back some fan favorites with a throwback feel. The festival will feature the return of the peaches and cream eating contest and the popular peaches and ice cream tradition.
A planned attempt at creating the world’s largest peach cobbler will have to wait after a late freeze in March caused crop losses and limited the peach supply this year.
“We wanted to try for the world’s largest peach cobbler again, but we just didn’t have enough peaches to be able to do that this year,” Merritt said.
One new addition this year is a pickleball tournament, along with new street games and activities.
Merritt said one of her favorite parts of the festival is seeing familiar faces return each year while also welcoming first-time visitors.
“It is kind of a homecoming for us,” she said. “I’m always amazed at how many new people get to come down and discover us for the first time and become those people that come down every year.”
Organizers estimate around 8,000 to 9,000 people will attend over the three-day festival.
What to expect at this year’s festival
Organizers say whether visitors stop by for a few hours or spend the entire weekend in Porter, there will be something for everyone.
Some festival highlights include:
- Porter’s Got Talent
- Meet the 2026 Peach Festival Royalty
- Live music on two stages
- Shopping with more than 140 vendors
- Antique Tractor Pulls
- Street games and family activities
- 5K Peach Run
- Saturday morning parade
- Prize Peach Auction
- FREE Peaches & Ice Cream
- Peach desserts, festival favorites and more
The festival is free to attend, but visitors will pay for parking.
Festival hours are:
- Thursday: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
- Friday: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
- Saturday: 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Visitors can expect a full schedule of events, with activities beginning early in the morning and continuing into the evening, including live entertainment, competitions and family activities.
Of course, the main attraction is still the peaches. Festival-goers can find peach cobbler, fried peach pies, peach ice cream, peach slushies, peach jams, peach salsa and other specialty products from vendors.
The festival also helps connect visitors with local growers and reminds people where their food comes from.
“My parents actually own the orchard,” Merritt said. “I always loved working Festival Day because you find people that had lived here their whole life but never heard of Porter, and those people almost always become faithful customers.”
For Merritt, the Porter Peach Festival is about more than just peaches.
“It’s a tradition,” she said. “It’s a time just to come down and enjoy maybe a little bit of a throwback of what you remember from your childhood — that small-town feel.”
The 60th annual Porter Peach Festival runs Thursday through Saturday in Porter. For a full schedule of events, visitors can check the festival’s website and Facebook page.
