The 79th Maine Lobster Festival brought five unforgettable days of food, entertainment, competition and community to Rockland, Maine, in 2026.
Visitors joined us from all 50 states and more than 20 countries to celebrate Maine’s lobster industry and experience one of the state’s most beloved summer traditions. From longtime Festival favorites to exciting new milestones, the 2026 Maine Lobster Festival gave us plenty of moments worth celebrating.
And, of course, there was lobster. Lots of it. During the Festival, we served an incredible 20,000 pounds of lobster, all cooked fresh in the World’s Largest Lobster Cooker.
Here are some of the highlights from the 79th Maine Lobster Festival.
Meet the 2026 Maine Lobster Festival Delegate Winners
Opening night included one of the Maine Lobster Festival’s longstanding traditions: the Maine Lobster Festival Delegate competition. Leading up to the award ceremony, contestants participate in an industry day on the water with a local lobsterman and other workshops. At the Delegate Banquet held a week before the Festival, each contestant has a chance to speak to the community and judges about their knowledge of Maine’s Lobster industry.
Lindsey Clifford was named the 2026 Maine Lobster Festival Delegate, Kylli Gronros was selected as Second Delegate and Madeline Whytock received the honor of Most Congenial.
Get to know all the contestants.
We are proud to celebrate these outstanding young women and look forward to seeing them represent the Maine Lobster Festival and Maine’s lobster industry throughout the coming year.
Winning Recipes From the Amateur Seafood Cooking Contest
The 2026 Amateur Seafood Cooking Contest brought another delicious round of creativity to the Festival. Contestants have the freedom to make any dish, but it must include seafood found in Maine waters. Dishes are judged by a panel of judges, and then free samples are offered to the audience.
Jan Abendroth took first place with her Maine Lobster Chimichangas. Megan Hardy earned second place with Cajun Lobster Balls With Dilly Bean Remoulade, and David Fulmer placed third with his Matinicus Isle Lobster Pot Pie.
Want to bring a taste of the Maine Lobster Festival home? Recipes from these award-winning dishes, along with recipes from all of the 2026 contestants, are available on the Maine Lobster Festival website.
Congratulations to the 2026 Big Parade Winners
Thousands of spectators once again gathered for one of the Maine Lobster Festival’s most popular traditions, The Big Parade on Maine Street in Rockland.
This year’s Grand Marshall was local historian and author John Bird. The title of his 2019 book, Rockland: Rise and Renewal, was also the parade theme. John grew up in Rockland and graduated from Rockland High School on Lincoln Street in the 1950s. After a 30-year career in education at schools around the country with his wife, John returned to the Midcoast, becoming an active member of the community.
Congratulations to the 2026 Big Parade winners in a number of categories:
- Judge’s Choice – Baltimore Twilight
- Antique Vehicle – Owls Head Transportation Museum
- Commercial – North Atlantic Gymnastics Academy
- Non-Profit – Elks
- Marching Band– Dunlap Highland Band
- Music Performance – Aidan Kaczynski / Breakwater Design & Build
- Theme – Good Tern Co-op
- Honorable Mention – SaltWater Fields Wedding & Event Barn
Thank you to every organization, performer and participant who helped fill Rockland with music, creativity and community spirit.
Runners Hit the Streets for the 5K and 10K Road Races
Sunday morning got off to an energetic start as more than 400 runners and walkers took to the streets of Rockland for the Maine Lobster Festival 5K and 10K Road Races.
In the 5K, Aaron Rubin earned the top overall male finish with a time of 19:14, while Zofie Furmanek was the top female finisher at 20:45. In the 10K, Sapan Bhatt took the top overall male spot with a time of 36:19, and Jennifer Rice was the top female finisher with a time of 43:30.
Congratulations to the winners and to everyone who started their final Festival day with a run through Rockland!
Maverick Ausplund Defends His International Great Crate Race Title
The International Great Crate Race once again brought excitement, determination and plenty of cheering to the Rockland waterfront as runners attempted to cross a floating string of 50 wooden lobster crates.
Maverick Ausplund of Rockland defended his 2025 title with an incredible performance, earning both Overall Champion and Featherweight Champion honors after completing 6,050 crates.
Mauve Poland of Cushing was named Lightweight Champion with 279 crates, Blake Monroe of Owls Head earned the Mediumweight Champion title with 78 crates, and Owen Dakin of Windham took the Superweight Champion title with 31 crates.
Congratulations to all of the 2026 International Great Crate Race competitors and champions!
King Neptune Gets a Lasting New Look
The 2026 Maine Lobster Festival also marked an exciting milestone with the unveiling of the newly bronzed King Neptune monument, dedicated to long-time Festival volunteer Alice Crie Knight, and all the Festival volunteers throughout the years.
The beloved Festival figure now has a lasting new look for visitors to enjoy for years to come. The project is not finished yet, though. The next step is to cast an accompanying mermaid in bronze, completing the display and creating an even more memorable tribute to Maine Lobster Festival history.
Thank You to Our Maine Lobster Festival Volunteers
A Festival of this size simply would not be possible without our volunteers. And there were over 1,000 of them!
From preparing the grounds and serving food to welcoming visitors, supporting events and handling countless behind-the-scenes details, Maine Lobster Festival volunteers make five days of festivities possible.
Their work begins long before the gates open and continues throughout the Festival. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who donated their time, energy and enthusiasm to the 79th Maine Lobster Festival. Thank you for being the heart of this event.
Thank You for an Incredible 2026 Maine Lobster Festival
The Maine Lobster Festival is about much more than lobster. It is a celebration of Maine’s lobster industry, Midcoast Maine and the people who come together each year to make this tradition possible.
Welcoming guests from every state in the country and more than 20 countries around the world was a wonderful reminder of just how far the spirit of the Maine Lobster Festival reaches.
The Maine Lobster Festival is a nonprofit organization and, at its heart, a year-round fundraiser dedicated to giving back to Midcoast Maine. Over the past 10 years alone, the Festival has contributed more than $230,000 in donations, scholarships and awards, supporting more than 110 organizations and individuals throughout the region. Each Festival also brings tens of thousands of visitors to local hotels, restaurants, retailers and attractions throughout Midcoast Maine.
This year, we set a goal of raising $20,000 to give back to our community, and surpassed it by $5,000!
That community impact is powered by people. More than 1,000 volunteers dedicate their time each year to organizing and operating one of Maine’s largest volunteer-run events. Every lobster served, ticket purchased, sponsorship, volunteer hour and visit to Rockland helps the Festival continue supporting local organizations, students, community programs and Maine’s lobster industry.
To our volunteers, entertainers, vendors, sponsors, community partners and everyone who joined us in Rockland this year: thank you for making the 79th Maine Lobster Festival one to remember and for helping us make a difference in our community all year long.
After an incredible 2026 Maine Lobster Festival, we’re already looking forward to an especially exciting milestone next year: the 80th Maine Lobster Festival! Join us August 4-8, 2027, at Harbor Park in Rockland, Maine.
About the Maine Lobster Festival
Five days of fun and feasting on the fabulous coast of Maine, the Maine Lobster Festival attracts thousands of people to the Midcoast region and has a long tradition of giving back to the local community. The 2027 Festival will be held Aug. 4-8 and will celebrate its 80th anniversary. Once again, admission will be free. For more information about the Maine Lobster Festival, visit the website at www.mainelobsterfestival.com, “like” it on Facebook, follow it on X (formerly Twitter) at @MELobsterFest, and on Instagram at @mainelobsterfest.
