Maine’s best food festivals & events

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One of Maine's Best food festivals
Three of Maine’s best food festivals celebrate lobster. ©Hilary Nangle

Hungry for a taste of the real Maine? Feast upon this tasting portion of some of Maine’s best food festivals and events. (Updated April 2, 2024)

March

Maine Restaurant Week

Restaurants from throughout Maine participate in this annual 10-day event. Take advantage of set-price menus and enjoy special food/drink-oriented events. Note: most participants are in Greater Portland, but each year more and more participate from other parts of the state.

Maine Maple Sunday

The sweetest day of the year! Maple sugar houses statewide are open for tours, tastings, and other activities.

April

Smelt Fry Dinner, Columbia Falls

Never tried a smelt? Here’s your opportunity. The menu at this annual community supper might include Pleasant River smelts, Maine Potato Growers potato, salad, moose stew, coleslaw, Maine-grown baked beans & DSF-grown organic blueberry cobbler; hatchery tours, music, and more.

Seaweed Week, statewide

Celebrate Maine-grown and harvested seafood with food and drink specials and events, such as seaweed field ID workshops, science cafes, and a seaweed art, film, and science expo.

June

a whoopie pie. One of Maine's best food festivals celebrates this sweet treat.
Now THIS is a whoopie pie, the official Maine state sweet. You’ll find plenty at the annual Maine Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft. ©Hilary Nangle

Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, Dover-Foxcroft

Make whoopie! More than 20 bakers from throughout Maine offer their versions of Maine’s official state treat at one of Maine’s best food festivals. Also on tap: concerts, activities, and other whoopie-themed family fun.

South Berwick Strawberry Festival, South Berwick

Strawberry shortcake! And live music, artisans, children’s activities, and more. Dishing out the sweetest berries since 1976.

a ploye
Mmmm! Ployes! Taste them in Fort Kent during the annual Ployes Festival. ©Hilary Nangle

Ploye Festival, Fort Kent

Celebrating the traditional buckwheat pancake with the world’s-largest ploye and ploye-eating and ploye-wrestling competitions.

Portland Wine Week celebrates wine and everything it goes with

Portland Wine Week, Portland

This full week of events highlights Portland’s independent restaurants, chefs, and sommeliers through collaborations with Maine-based farmers, fishermen, cheese mongers,  and specialty purveyors, along with wine distributors.

Maine Donut Festival, Rockport

New in 2023 and back for 2024: According to the organizers: “Rockport is widely celebrated as the home to the creator of the donut, Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory – commemorated on a plaque in Rockport and acknowledged by the Smithsonian. Given this, it is a great reason to bring the community together to celebrate – on a weekend that also happens to coincide with National Donut Day – the first weekend of June each year!”

Maine Oyster Festival, Freeport, MaineMaine Oyster Festival, Freeport

Go ahead and slurp! Your world is an oyster — tastings, tours, demos, live music, kids’ activities, shucking contest, and much, much more. Admission is free, but individual events and activities may have a fee.

Portland Greek Festival, Portland

Feast on authentic Greek fare, listen to Greek music, and dance at this annual festival put on by Holy Tribity Greek Orthodox Church.

July

Moxie Festival, Lisbon

Patented as a medicine by Dr. Augustine Thompson in 1876, Moxie was guaranteed to cure such ills as paralysis, softening of the brain, and loss of manhood.” Maybe not, but it’s always worth celebrating this unusual soft drink. Always the second weekend in July.

Yarmouth Clam Festival, Yarmouth

Awe shucks, always the third Friday in July, always crowded, always worth it.

Potato fields in bloom in Aroostook County.
When the potato fields bloom in mid-July, the county’s undulating countryside is colored with white, yellow, and shades of rose and lavender. Celebrate potatoes at the Potato Blossom Festival. ©Hilary Nangle

Maine Potato Blossom Festival, Fort Fairfield

Celebrating the Maine spud since 1937 with farmer Olympics, road races, arts & crafts, fireworks, river races, mashed potato wrestling, and more.

The Kneading Conference & Artisan Bread Fair, Skowhegan

You knead to attend this: Promotes grain traditions from earth to the hearth. A must for bread bakers and/or lovers.

August

Maine lobster at one of Maine's best food festivals
Lobster is the focus at three Maine lobster festivals, with the one in Rockland being one of Maine’s best food festivals. ©Hilary Nangle

Maine Lobster Festival, Rockland

The Jaws of claws when it comes to Maine’s lobster festivals. Five days of food and fun, including arts and crafts, entertainment, steins and vines, a seafood cooking contest, an international crate race, a huge parade, races, competitions, children’s events, and more.

Frenchboro Lobster Dinner

Annual shindig with music, silent auction, the All the Road We Got footrace, and a lobster+ dinner. The ferry makes a special run from Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island to the island for this event.

Winter Harbor Lobster Festival, Winter Harbor

Lobster, of course, but also a craft fair, parade, and lobster boat races.

Red Hot Dog Festival, Dexter

It’s a Maine thing. And yes, there’s a hot dog-eating competition.

slice of blueberry pie with ice cream, at one of Maine's best food festivals
Blueberry everything, from pie to musicals, is the focus at the annual Maine Wild Blueberry Festival in Machias.

Machias Wild Blueberry Festival, Machias

Feeling blue? This will cure ya. Wild times in Machias with blueberry everything. Themed events include a musical, baking and eating contests, food vendors, and public breakfasts and suppers. Note: Other blueberry festivals are held in Wilton and Union.

Chili-Fest, Wells

Hot enough for ya? Category winners at this International Chili Society-sanctioned event may qualify for the World Chili Championship Cook-Offs.

September

Maine Salmon and Seafood Festival, Eastport

Celebrating the salmon; always Labor Day weekend

Maine Cheese Festival

Cheese it’s good to see you at this all-cheese, all-the-time annual winding.

Common Ground Fair, Unity

Annual agricultural fair sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Organic foods, progressive organizations, traditional fair fun without the carnival, sideshows, or usual fried fare. Always the third weekend in September.

Maine Lobster Week

This week-long celebration held during the week of National Lobster Day (Sept. 25) highlights Maine’s favorite crustacean with lobster-focused specialties and menus at participating lobster shacks, food trucks, and restaurants, from fish shacks to fine-dining venues.

Maine Lakes Brew Fest, Point Sebago

A real brewhaha. Always the last Saturday in September.

October

three chefs in a harvest on the harbor program
Portland’s Harvest on the Harbor is one of Maine’s best food festivals. ©Hilary Nangle

Maine’s Garlicfest, Skowhegan

Come for the music, crafts, and kids’ activities at this annual harvest festival highlighting the stinking rose.

Harvest on the Harbor, Portland

Maine’s biggest foodie event, with workshops, tastings, celebrity chefs, cook-offs, and more.

November

Maine Harvest Festival, Bangor

Celebrating farm-fresh fare, of course.