Thursday - Maine Lobster Festival

Thursday, July 30

7 AM – 11 PM

The festival provides free shuttle services to and from the festival grounds from the following locations. A bus arrives at each location approximately every 30 minutes.

South Elementary School: 30 Broadway, Rockland, ME
Oceanside High School: 400 Broadway, Rockland, ME

Check days for detailed schedule:

Wednesday: 11 am – 10 pm
Thursday and Friday: 8:30 am – 11:30 pm
Saturday: 8:30 am – 9 am & 12 pm – 11:30 pm
Sunday: 8:30 am – 6:30 pm

Bus arrives at each location approximately every 20 minutes. Saturday morning shuttle service will be limited due to the parade. *Shuttle will not be running approximately 9 am – noon Saturday, Aug. 1.

All Day

Art Show at Fine Art & Craft Tent

“Heritage, History, and Ancestry” (at the Maine Heritage Tent at Middle Pier)

Listen for music and festival announcements in the PA booth.

Touch Tank, Books, & Demonstrations of the Maritime Industry in the Marine Tent, on Middle Pier

7 to 10 am

Pancake Breakfast, Food Tent

All-The-Pancakes-You-Can-Eat! Featuring blueberry pancakes, sausage, juice, coffee and milk.

*all you can eat refers to pancakes only

9 am

Pirates of the Dark Rose raid Buoy Park!

9:15 am to 2 pm

Pirate encampment, Buoy Park

10 to 11:00 am

Judd Caswell, Main Stage

A multi-instrumentalist and award-winning singer-songwriter from Maine, Judd Caswell is celebrated for his masterful fingerstyle guitar and keen lyrical observations.

10:30 to 11:30 am

Piracy 101, Buoy Park

Everything one needs to know to be a pirate!

11:30 to 12:30 pm

Jim Gibson, Main Stage

Singer/songwriter/guitarist/vocalist. Known for his engaging performances of originals and cover songs. Blues/rock and maybe a joke or two!

Noon to 6 pm

Paddy Mills, Food Tent

An award-winning folk singer/songwriter whose songs are as salty as the Maine coast he calls home.

Noon to 8 pm

The food tent and Lobster Cafe open to serve fresh Maine lobsters and other seafood. Menu

King Neptune & his Court, 2026 Maine Lobster Festival Delegate, and Black Beard visit the festival grounds to meet visitors.

1 to 2 pm

Aiden Kaczynski, Main Stage

You’ve seen him everywhere else in Maine, now see him here! Quickly rising into the spotlight as one of midcoast’s most highly-demanded artists, Aidan brings an eclectic blend of hits from every era that no one can resist singing along to.

1 to 2 pm

Cannon Lessons, Buoy Park

Our visiting pirates will teach guests all about cannons, and even fire some off.

2 to 3 pm

Everybody Loves Pirates Puppet Show, Entertainment Tent

Eight-year-old Lucy and her goofy pal Little Chucky are searching for buried treasure, but a gang of bumbling pirates keeps getting in the way! The kids get some help from their new ocean-dwelling friends, including enthusiastic superhero Lobster Boy, his reluctant sidekick Crabby, and an overgrown sea monkey. “Everybody Loves Pirates” features 15 hand-crafted mouth and rod puppets, and an 8-foot papier-mache pirate ship. Recommended for children age 4 and up and their parents.

Presented by Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers, a puppetry troupe based in Bar Harbor, Maine, and comprised of three siblings – brothers Erik and Brian Torbeck and sister Robin (Torbeck) Erlandsen.

2 to 7 pm

Pirate Lessons, Buoy Park

Learn what it takes to be a pirate!

2:30 to 3:30 pm

The Returnables

Veteran rock ‘n’ rollers from the coast of Maine who let the jams lead them where they may!

3 to 4 pm

Pirate Weapons Demonstrations, Buoy Park

A demonstration of the piratical arts.

4 to 5 pm

Pirate Weapons Demonstration, Buoy Park

A demonstration of the piratical arts.

4 to 5:30 pm

Smokehouse Boys, Main Stage

Bringing a heavy dose of country-rock passion, the Smokehouse Boys are known for their gritty vocals and high-energy instrumental interplay.

5 pm

Cannon Fire, Buoy Park

The pirates will be firing cannons.

6 to 7:30 pm

Alice Howe and Freebo, Main Stage

Alice, with a voice that channels the classic singer-songwriters of the 60s and 70s, delivers a timeless blend of folk, blues, and soulful Americana. Teams up with Freebo: Freebo is a world-Class musician, best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat and Ringo.