Many people tell the Maine Lobster Festival’s event planners they wait all year to come to Maine just to dig into the food—and for good reason.  Maine is considered the seafood capital state of the U.S., and Rockland is one of the state’s biggest lobster harvesting spots.

So, if you’re coming to the 75th Annual Maine Lobster Festival this August, bring a hearty appetite.

No Better Seafood in the World

During the Festival, the Main Eating Tent is where the magic happens from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

In 2019, the Festival served 19,000 pounds of freshly cooked lobster with all of the fixings—a dinner roll, farm-fresh sweet corn, and butter — lots of butter. The Shore Dinner upped the ante with locally harvested steamed clams and up to three 1 ¼ lb lobsters. Decadent!

In the Lobster Cafe located near the entrance of the Main Eating Tent, you can try Maine lobster in every delicious way:  lobster rolls, lobster mac’n cheese, lobster bisque, lobster stuffed risotto balls, lobster Caesar salad, and lobster won-tons.  And that’s not all. This is the place to also try steamed Maine mussels, smoked mussels, scallops, shrimp, and salmon, homemade New England clam chowder, seafood chowder, lobster bisque, and lobster, shrimp, and corn chowder. For the kids, the Festival will still be serving classic “fair food” such as fried dough, popcorn, cotton candy, and lemonade.

Seafood Cooking Competition

On the third day of the Festival, starting at 9 a.m., amateur cooks compete in the fan-favorite Seafood Cooking Contest, attracting visitors and contestants from all over the world.  The recipes can encompass any style as long as it contains Maine seafood. And the best part if you are selected to be in the audience, you’ll get to sample the prepared recipes in the cooking area and pick up the contestants’ recipes after the awards are presented.

In 2019, Sue Jobes of South Carolina was awarded the grand prize of $525 for her Lobster and Scallop Corn Chowder.

Steins and Vines

What better way to enjoy the gorgeous view of Penobscot Bay than while sipping on a Maine craft brew, Maine-made wine or spirit? The 7th Annual Stein and Vines Event proudly announces two tasting events this year with two sessions each day on Thursday, Aug. 4 and Friday, Aug. 5. This local article on a past Steins and Vines Event shows how fun the event is and how friendly the people are. 

Rockland is a Foodie Town

If you still haven’t gotten your lobster fix by the end of the day, there are a number of Midcoast restaurants that will happily provide you with delectable offerings. Here’s a list of local restaurants, which are known as “The best places to get lobster in Midcoast Maine.”

Did you know the 75th Maine Lobster Festival is FREE this year?

Now, back on again after a two-year hiatus, the week of Aug. 2-7, 2022, is going to be bigger and better than ever. Find out more about how to get here, where to stay, and what to do on our website: https://mainelobsterfestival.com