With shorter, colder days upon us, many people are daydreaming about next summer. Many airlines and hotels offer discounts or early bird promotions for travelers who book months in advance. So, if Maine is on your bucket list of summer travel destinations in 2025, you can’t get any more authentically Maine than these five festivals.

  1. Maine Lobster Festival 2025
    July 30-Aug. 3

    Going on its 78th year, the Maine Lobster Festival is the place to be if you love Maine and its most iconic culinary staple: lobster. Our last blog outlines this past summer’s festival highlights. People come from all over the world to Rockland, for this nationally recognized –and FREE– festival, as it is considered one of the best and most unique food festivals in the United States. Beyond getting your fill of the best seafood available, the five-day festival is one of the most fun things to do in Maine! It offers national live entertainment, The Big Parade, road races, arts and crafts, the “Steins and Vines” beer and wine tent, and the famous International Great Crate Races.

  2. Atlantic Blues Festival
    July 12-13

    Another Rockland festival, the world-class Atlantic Blues Festival brings every style of blues to a small town in July, transforming restaurants and bars on Main Street into musical hotspots with its wildly popular Club Crawl. This festival draws top-tier talent from across the U.S. and the world, giving locals and visitors a chance to hear live performances by some of the best blues artists around. In past years, the festival has hosted a wide range of legendary blues performers, including Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Tab Benoit, Shemekia Copeland, and Johnny Winter, to name just a few. For local emerging artists, it’s a way to connect Maine’s cultural ties to the music’s roots as they tell their own stories of struggles and resilience.

  3. Camden Windjammer Festival
    Aug. 26-30

    For anyone who has ever taken a schooner or windjammer trip (or always wanted to)— the Camden Windjammer Festival is for you! Celebrating Maine’s maritime heritage in Camden, this four-day festival is an awe-inspiring experience attracting thousands from across the nation. The waterfront is lively, with tall ships and classic schooners dominating the harbor, allowing visitors and locals a chance to experience life on the ocean with nautical events, live music, food trucks, arts, sailing trips and tours. Highlights include the Windjammer Parade, races, sailing demos and family-friendly events. Not to miss: the annual fireworks display over the beautiful Camden Harbor!

  4. Maine Whoopie Pie Festival

    June 14

    Ever wonder why Maine has so many food-centered festivals? It’s because we’re blessed with abundant local ingredients, many of which are renowned, like the famous Whoopie Pie, an iconic dessert considered to be the state’s official treat. Locals love this cakey, marshmallow fluff cookie so much that they created the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival in its honor. It’s a bit of a haul to drive to Dover-Foxcroft, but the area is beautiful in June. With more than 100 vendors participating, visitors can sample various flavored pies, browse the arts and crafts, and sample other Maine foods. There is also a Whoopie Pie eating contest and live music.

  5. The Rockport Donut Festival
    June 13-14

    The Rockport Donut Festival pays homage to the origins of donut holes, which were created in Rockport by Capt. Hanson Crockett Gregory. This unique, two-day festival features more than 10 local donut makers, a 5K fun run, food trucks, live music, a beer-wine garden, food talks, a parade, harbor games, and contests.

Maine is the place to be in the summer! Start researching your tickets, flights and accommodations during Black Friday sales, and we’ll see you next summer! For event information and accommodation suggestions, visit: www.mainelobsterfestival.com.