Maine’s festival season is here! Maine has some incredible and unique festivals each year. Our festivals celebrate everything Maine including food (whoopie pies, lobster, Moxie, clams, beer, blueberries), nature (lupines, the night sky), boats, music, and our heritage. Come and enjoy one of Maine’s fun and vibrant festivals this year! This list will be updated as more festival dates come in, so check back often!
June
13 – 17 Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass Festivals @Litchfield
Some of the Greatest Bluegrass music you can see and hear at one of the largest family musical events in New England! The Blistered Fingers Bluegrass Festivals has something for all ages and it takes place twice every year bringing thousands of Music lovers from all over the World to hear banjos, fiddles, and those high, lonesome harmonies which features many National and Local bands from all over the world.
16 Pirate Rendezvous @ Damariscotta
The Damariscotta River Pirate Rendezvous promises a host of pirates, both large and small, to invade the Twin Villages in search of piratical fun and lost treasure. At 10 a.m. the event will open at the Pirate Bazaar located at Schooner Landing, where there will be games, activities and pirate history displays. The authentically costumed Pirates of the Dark Rose re-enactors will be on hand at their Tortuga Village to interact with the event-goers. Volunteers from the Second Congregational Church in Newcastle will be on hand with a table that includes children’s activities and a crew of sea shanty singers, while volunteers from Blessings in a Backpack in Jefferson will have a table loaded with piratical crafts that children can enjoy.
16 Bangor’s Beer Festival: Tap Into Summer
We are increasing the roster of Breweries to 30! They’ll offer you samples of their different brews. There will be music, food & vendors.
23 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival @ Dover-Foxcroft
For one glorious day, festival attendees have the opportunity to sample the whoopie pie in a wide variety of creative flavor combinations and vote for their favorites while strolling beautiful downtown Dover-Foxcroft. But we do know you can’t just eat whoopie pies from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (believe us, we’ve tried), so there are plenty of other things do to at the festival. Start your day off as a spectator or participant at the “Earn Your Whoopie Pie 3K Race/Walk” at 8 a.m., then browse and enjoy the arts, crafts, and foods offered by more than 100 vendors while listening to live music performed in the town center. There are also rides and games for kids of all ages, whoopie pie eating contests, a best-dressed pet contest, and more.
23 Lupine Festival @ Oquossoc
The Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce and The Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum hosts this Annual Art and Antique Show in Oquossoc. The grounds of the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum will come alive with numerous vendors featuring; antique dealers, booksellers, craftspeople, and artists sharing their talents and selling their goods in an annual celebration of the fabulous flowers filling the region’s fields.
24 – 30 56th Annual Windjammer Days @ Boothbay Harbor
Windjammer Days marks the kick off to summer in the Boothbay region and is a time to reconnect with family, friend, and neighbors after the long winter, an opportunity to support local businesses and welcome visitors. It is a time to honor our maritime history and celebrate the vital role it plays in the lives of all who live here.
30 The 7th Annual Cornish Strawberry Festival
Each year, this FREE festival continues to grow with visitors and vendors. Featuring over 30 vendors, strawberry shortcake, and fresh strawberries by the pint, local live music performance, shopping, local food vendors, and more!
July
12 Rangeley Region Guides & Sportsmen’s Association Outdoor Sporting Heritage Strawberry Festival @ Oquossoc
The annual Strawberry Festival features multiple arts and crafts vendors, fresh strawberry shortcake, and the Guides famous french fries.
13 – 15 Moxie Festival @ Lisbon
Since 1982, The Moxie Festival has been held on the second weekend in July in Lisbon, Maine. Join Moxie lovers from Maine, the US and abroad at the one and only Moxie Festival.
20 – 22 53rd Annual Yarmouth Clam Festival
The Yarmouth Clam Festival is an annual summer event that promotes the community and provides opportunities for Yarmouth-based non-profit organizations to raise funds in support of their missions. Admission to the Festival is FREE!
August
1 – 5 Maine Lobster Festival @ Rockland
What started as an idea for a local marine festival to revive Midcoast Maine communities has turned into an internationally-recognized celebration of local seafood. The Maine Lobster Festival attracts visitors from as near as Owls Head, Maine, to visitors from countries throughout Europe and Asia!
4 – 6 Dam Blues Fest @ Damariscotta
Celebrating blues music in beautiful Damariscotta, Me every August since 2010. National artists and local artists featured.
10 – 12 Acadian Festival @ Madawaska
Celebrating Acadian heritage with food, music, and fun.
11 Winter Harbor Lobster Festival
Watch lobster boat races, enjoy blueberry pancakes and lobster dinner, shop at the craft fair, cheer for the parade.
17 – 19 Machias Wild Blueberry Festival
Come and celebrate the powerful little fruit that put our corner of Downeast Maine on the map. Centre Street Congregational Church, UCC, rolls out the blue carpet each August with crafts, food, entertainment, contests, and all things blueberry. There’s no admission charge.
22 – 26 Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass Festivals @Litchfield
Some of the Greatest Bluegrass music you can see and hear at one of the largest family musical events in New England! The Blistered Fingers Bluegrass Festivals has something for all ages and it takes place twice every year bringing thousands of Music lovers from all over the World to hear banjos, fiddles, and those high, lonesome harmonies which features many National and Local bands from all over the world.
23 – 26 The 15th Annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest @ Presque Isle
If you are interested in taking a flight this year, you should consider calling in early to secure a flight reservation as soon as possible. Don’t let time run out on you, call as soon as possible. Remember, flights are available for a fee charged by the balloon owner/pilot. To schedule a balloon flight, please follow the instructions on the “Passenger Flights” page on our website.
24 – 26 The American Folk Festival @ Bangor
The American Folk Festival is a large-scale, three-day event. Held each year at the end of August in downtown Bangor, Maine, the Festival presents the music and dance from the many cultures that make up America today.
Aug 31 – Sep 9 Boothbay Region Harbor Fest
A ten-day celebration that showcases the creativity and individuality of our community. The non-traditional festival format takes attendees on an adventure around the Boothbay peninsula to experience local foods, live music, fine arts, creative wares, a 5k, half marathon, a vintage market and a one of a kind fashion show featuring original designs made from the marine industry.
TBA Great Falls Balloon Festival @ Lewiston/Auburn
Based at Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston—with additional entertainment and food offerings at Festival Plaza in Auburn—the festival attracts approximately 100,000 visitors throughout the weekend. The Androscoggin River and rocky Great Falls provide a picturesque setting for the dozens of balloons that visit each year, including some special shape balloons.
September
5 – 9 Acadia Night Sky Festival @ Bar Harbor
Join us for one of the premier night sky events on the eastern seaboard. The 10th Annual Acadia Night Sky Festival will once again be packed with a full schedule of events. With workshops, internationally recognized speakers and hands-on experiences, there truly is something for everyone from families to the serious amateur astronomer.
29 Maine Lakes Brewfest @ Casco
If the words beer and “sampling” are music to your ears, you’ll love the Annual Maine Lakes Brew Fest at Point Sebago in Casco. From 11 am – 4 pm This 21-plus event features live music, over 35 brewers and 15 vendors to satisfy your appetite. Your ticket includes a Souvenir Sampling Glass. The event originated in Casco Village with a handful of local brewers and drew a crowd of around 300. It has now grown to be the premier beer festival in the area, with attendance last year of over 3,100.
29 Cornish Apple Festival
Each year, this FREE festival is held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the center of Cornish village in historic Thompson Park and features more than this season’s apples, freshly pressed cider and other apple products from local vendors.
30 Pemaquid Oyster Festival @ Schooner Landing Restaurant, Damariscotta
Damariscotta’s annual celebration of the working waterfront, marine conservation, and the Pemaquid oyster, celebrates from noon to dusk. The popular event is an important fundraiser for the Edward A. Myers Marine Conservation Fund. The festival will feature a great line-up of entertainment, food, educational exhibits and thousands of oysters fresh from the Damariscotta River. Last year over 10,000 oysters was served at the Pemaquid Oyster Festival.
TBA Camden Windjammer Festival
Celebrate Camden’s maritime heritage and living traditions at the annual Camden Windjammer Festival. From the great age of sail when coasting schooners were launched in the harbor, through the birth of the windjammer business in the 1930s, to today’s windjammer fleet and elegant yachts, sailing ships have always defined our lovely, vibrant community.
TBA Trails End Festival @ Millinocket
Trails End Festival began ten years ago to bring outdoor enthusiasts of all ages together to celebrate all trails into the Katahdin region, to cheer for the AT hikers who scramble up to Katahdin each season, and to showcase our community.
October
6 – 8 Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta
Maine’s giant pumpkin festival and regatta. Events include a pumpkinboat regatta, pumpkin soapbox-style derby, dessert contest, pie eating contests, pumpkin drop, parade, and more!
14 Great Maine Apple Day @ Unity
Celebrate the history, flavor, and tradition of Maine apples, while honoring the importance of a diversified, perennial agriculture.
TBA Sunday River Fall Festival @ Newry
Celebrate the end of summer with events and activities for the whole family at the annual Fall Festival including the annual North American Wife Carrying Championship, music festival, a wine tent and more.
November
17 – 18 Maine Harvest Festival @ Bangor
Celebrating farm fresh.
Click here for a full calendar of upcoming events in Maine!