Tomato Festival returns Aug. 27 to MU Jefferson Farm and Garden

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou’s annual Tomato Festival returns to the Jefferson Farm and Garden Extension and Education Center on Thursday, Aug. 27. The free event offers visitors the opportunity to sample and rate more than 200 varieties of tomatoes, tomatillos and peppers while learning from University of Missouri Extension specialists and researchers.

Now in its 21st year, the festival combines food, gardening education and family-friendly activities at one of the region’s largest celebrations of home-grown produce, says Tim Reinbott, Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station communicators director and one of the festival’s original organizers.

Attendees can sample produce varieties, including dwarf tomatoes; visit the popular hot pepper tent, which features some of the world’s hottest peppers; attend educational talks and demonstrations; and learn practical gardening tips from experts.

“The Tomato Festival has always been about more than tasting tomatoes,” Reinbott says. “It’s about sharing knowledge, celebrating agriculture and connecting people to where their food comes from.”

Visitors will be able to tour recent additions to Jefferson Farm and Garden, including an educational center designed to increase hands-on learning opportunities and a bee house featuring horizontally sliding frames that make it more accessible for people who may have difficulty lifting traditional hive boxes.

Festival activities will include cooking demonstrations, tomato lemonade and pepper ice cream tasting, children’s activities and interactive exhibits highlighting gardening, pollinators and food production.

The event is 3-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at MU Jefferson Farm and Garden, 4800 E. New Haven Road, Columbia. Admission is free. More information.

Photo

Attendees sample peppers at the 2025 Tomato Festival. File photo.