"Melon Festival" in Khiva sets world record

Khiva's "Melon Festival" breaks world record

On August 7-9, 2026, the "Melon Festival" was held at the "Ichan Qala" and "Arda Khiva" complexes in the city of Khiva. This was reported by the Tourism Committee.

This year, a total of 186 thousand guests visited the festival, of which 150 thousand were local and 36 thousand were foreign tourists.

One of the most notable events of the festival was the establishment of the world record for the "Largest Melon Tasting". At this event, 259 people tasted more than 10 varieties of melon at the same time.

According to the official certificate issued by Guinness World Records, this record was recorded in Khiva on August 9, 2026. The official judge of the Guinness World Records organization, representative for Turkey and Central Asia, Sheyda Subashi Gemiji, participated in the process of confirming the record.

During the festival, districts of the Khorezm region, leading farms and other participants demonstrated dozens of melon varieties at their stands, as well as other products, technologies and achievements of the region. Guests had the opportunity to taste various melons, talk to producers and get acquainted with the agricultural traditions of Khorezm.

In the final part of the festival, the winners were announced: third place went to Urgench State University, the Khorezm branch of "UzAuto" and the Khorezm regional administration of the Highways Committee. Second place was taken by the Khorezm regional administration of Agriculture. First place was awarded to the Yangiarik district administration, and the main prize was awarded to the Khiva city administration.

"The "Melon Festival" once again confirmed the high tourism potential of the Khorezm region and was an important step towards developing agrotourism and strengthening the region's reputation as a modern and hospitable tourist destination," the report says.