About the Event
Welcome to the Maine Lobster Festival!
The Maine Lobster Festival is five days of fun and feasting on the fabulous coast of Maine! This annual seafood festival takes place during the first weekend of August, from Wednesday through Sunday.
What started as an idea for a local marine festival to revive Midcoast Maine communities has turned into an internationally-recognized celebration of local seafood. The Maine Lobster Festival attracts visitors from as near as our local communities to those from countries around the globe.
Schedule of Events
All Day: Free Shuttle Bus
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: 11AM - 10PM
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday*: 8:30 AM - 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. 3.
All Day
Happy 234th birthday to the U.S. Coast Guard! Thank you for your service to our city and our country.
Art Show in 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
5 to 7 am: Registration for the International Great Crate Race Opens, Information Booth
Registration officially opens at 7 am, but the line starts forming at 5 am and the limited number of slots fill in minutes. There is a fee of $15 for contestants 12 and older and $10 for children 11 and younger.
7 am: Registration for all Children's Events, Information Booth
Register for the Kids' Fun Run, Children's Lobster Eating Contest, and Little Lobster Diaper Derby.
7 to 10 am: Pancake Breakfast (in the Food Tent)
8 am: 5k & 10k Road Race begins near the main gate.
8:30 am: Kids Fun Run begins near the main gate.
9:30 am: Presentation of 10K, 5K, Kids' Fun Run Awards, near the main stage
Awards are presented to overall race winners and top male and female finishers in multiple age categories for our Fun Run, 10K and 5K races.
10 am to 7 pm: USCGC Eagle Tours, 54 Tillson Ave. Rockland
The USCGC Eagle is a 295-foot, three-masted barque used as a training vessel for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. Minors must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. No pets or backpacks are allowed. No backless shoes or flip flops. Tours are free and depart from the Coast Guard pier at 54 Tillson Ave. in Rockland.
Noon to 4 pm: The food tent opens to serve fresh Maine lobsters and other seafood. Menu
11:30 am: Cod Fish Carry, Main Stage
Participants run across the Maine Stage to a skiff, where they must put on fisherman's foul-weather gear, including a Sou'wester (yellow fisherman's hat), big rain jacket, and rubber boots as quickly as possible. After they are dressed, they must run over to a net containing a slippery, 12-pound cod, pick it up, and carry it back to the skiff. This event is for children entering 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade.
Noon: Lobster Eating Contest, Main Stage
The rules are simple—the first person to finish eating a 1 1/4 lb. steamed lobster wins. Participants must finish two claws, two knuckles, and the tail to be considered done. This event is for children age 8-11.
12:30 pm: Little Lobster Diaper Derby, Main Stage
A crawling race for our youngest festival-goers. Parent coaches sit on each side of the Main Stage, cheering them on, coaxing them toward the finish line using a range of creative methods, and ensuring that they stay on course. The first Little Lobster to finish wins! This event is for crawlers only, walkers will be disqualified.
2 pm: International Great Crate Race, Rockland Harbor
The race course is a string of 50 lobster storage crates stretching across a section of Rockland's inner harbor in full view of the festival grounds. While trying to reach the other end, contestants scamper across the barely floating lobster crates. If successful, a contestant turns and heads back to the other end. The "race" for each runner continues until a fall into the water occurs or until exhaustion takes over.
Sign up begins at 7 am day-of on the far end of the Food Tent, but spots fill up quickly, so we recommend getting in line a few hours early.
3 pm: Julia Gagnon, Main Stage
Julia Gagnon, a beloved Maine native and Cumberland resident, captivated the state and the nation during her impressive run on season 22 of the popular reality singing show, American Idol. Rising to the top 7, Gagnon's powerful performances and genuine charm won the hearts and votes of fans nationwide.
5 pm: Wreath Laying Ceremony, Public pier behind the Harbormaster's Office
King Neptune and the 2024 Maine Lobster Festival Delegate lead a wreath ceremony for fishermen lost at sea.
6 pm: 77th Maine Lobster Festival Closes
See you at the 78th annual Maine Lobster Festival, July 30 - Aug. 3, 2025!
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