These 8 Maine Towns Have The Most Unique Festivals
The rugged yet majestic state of Maine has a plethora of awesome small towns, like Fort Fairfield and Fryeburg. These picturesque communities host some of the most unique festivals in the United States every year. From the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland to the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, these phenomenal attractions supply an important economic stability to their individual host towns. They also provide a connection between visiting guests and those who choose to live there year-round. This not only produces a satisfying experience. It also offers distinctive new adventures to be enjoyed with friends, family, or even solo. Here are eight of the most unique festivals in the state of Maine.
Rockland - Knox County
Though there are multiple ways to experience lobster in Maine, the Maine Lobster Festival, occurring in downtown Rockland since the summer of 1948, is the most popular. Drawing people from all over the world, this phenomenal attraction serves up to twenty thousand pounds of lobster to thousands of visitors every year. Some of the main events include a seafood cooking contest and the “Big Parade” down Main Street.
Rockland is known for another popular yet unique festival. The North Atlantic Blues Festival takes place every July, promising two full days filled with music by some of the best Blues musicians in the world. Another great event of the festival, the Club Crawl, takes place along Main Street on Saturday night and includes several local establishments.
Yarmouth - Cumberland County
Seventy miles down the Maine coast from Rockland, the scenic town of Yarmouth showcases some awesome festivals annually. Prominent among these, the Yarmouth Clam Festival, which began as a clambake in 1965, takes place every July, drawing in over a hundred thousand people and serving over 6,000 clams through a variety of vendors.
The Yarmouth Clam Festival also includes several welcoming events, including a clam shucking contest, a blueberry pie eating contest, a diaper derby, and ending the evening with mind-blowing fireworks. Pat’s Pizza Clam Festival Classic, a five-mile run and one of the more common events of the clam festival, as it has been over forty years since its inclusion, is also well worth checking out.
Fryeburg - Oxford County
The tiny town of Fryeburg, with fewer than 4,000 people, is most famous for the Fryeburg Fair. While the Fryeburg Fair is another of multiple agricultural fairs in New England, it is the most well-known. Now around 175 years old, as it was first inaugurated in 1851, the Fryeburg Fair draws in over 225,000 guests annually.
The Fryeburg Fair offers several unique activities, showcasing everything from truck pulls to horse shows to a horse and pig scramble. Visitors can experience lawn mower races, exotic animals like alpacas and pygmy goats, a fabulous parade, and even a skillet and anvil throw. There are also a variety of awesome amusement rides to be enjoyed at the Fryeburg Fair.
Lewiston - Androscoggin County
The town of Lewiston, interconnected with its twin town, Auburn, is located 45 minutes north of the city of Portland. Famous for several phenomenal locations and events, including the Great Falls Balloon Festival, Lewiston encourages visitors to return again and again. You can even stop by Bates College Museum of Art to check out artwork by painters like Marsden Hartley.
The Great Falls Balloon Festival, now called the Lewiston & Auburn Balloon Festival or LABalloonFest, takes place in mid-August. It has been taking place since 1992 along the banks of the Androscoggin River. Some festivities include food and craft vendors, live music, fun for the kids, and a parade. This fabulous summer event draws over a hundred thousand people annually.
Ogunquit - York County
Half an hour up the coast from the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the tiny town of Ogunquit is home to a plethora of great attractions, like Ogunquit Beach and the Marginal Way. The Marginal Way is over a mile of paved path along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It offers scenic vistas of the ocean at its most calm, as well as its most fierce.
Ogunquit is also the home of Christmas By the Sea, in case you find yourself in the area during the winter holiday season. Christmas By the Sea is held every year. Some of the events include a tree and bridge lighting, a fun-filled parade, a bonfire, and fireworks. There are even some children’s activities available to keep the kids entertained.
Farmington - Franklin County
About 75 miles north of Portland and the Atlantic Ocean, the small town of Farmington hosts several unique events and festivals every year. Two of these, the Farmington Summer Festival and the Farmington Fair, taking place during July and September, respectively, draw thousands of locals and visitors to the Farmington Fairgrounds annually.
Like most other summer festivals in New England, the Farmington Summer Festival offers food and drink vendors, a children’s parade, and local live musicians. It also has a petting zoo, a firetruck tour, and much more. The Farmington Fair, which is just under 200 years old, is perhaps best known for its rodeos, 4-H shows, and carnival rides.
Fort Fairfield - Aroostook County
Across the upper tip of the state of Maine from Quebec City, the small town of Fort Fairfield is perhaps best known for the Maine Potato Blossom Festival. Every year this town of barely 1,500 people get together in mid-July and host a festivity that draws hundreds of new and returning visitors to its rural setting.
With some awesome events like a fabulous Beer Garden, a Cornhole tournament, car shows, and a Tater-Tot eating contest, the Maine Potato Blossom Festival is worth the visit. Plus, while you are in town, check out the Aroostook Valley Country Club, just across the border in Canada. They offer a great combination of golf, good food, and excellent service.
Unity - Waldo County
Just below Unity Pond and 35 miles southwest of Bangor and the western banks of the Penobscot River, the tiny town of Unity is best known for the Common Ground Country Fair. This agricultural fair, taking place at the Education Center fairgrounds every third weekend after Labor Day, offers a variety of fun activities to entertain people of all ages, from two to ninety-two.
Along with sheepdog demonstrations, draft horse and donkey shows, and farmers markets, the Common Ground Fair also features traditional skills and alternative energy demonstrations and a 5K Organic Foot Race. And the kids are not excluded. The Children’s Area, which includes the Vegetable Garden Parade, is a fun yet educational experience they will talk about for some time.
Celebrate Maine
From Unity, with the Common Ground Fair, to Rockland and Yarmouth, with their Lobster and Clam festivals, respectively, the rugged state of Maine has a wide choice of festivals that encourage visitors to return over and over again. Whether it is the Fryeburg Fair in downtown Fryeburg or the Maine Potato Blossom Festival in the town of Fort Fairfield, one can always find some of the most unique festivals within the Pine Tree State.
