I had a super time in Kennebunkport this past weekend! Wonderful music, beautiful weather and…read morefantastic food! What else could you ask for? If you're a Mainer, you know it's a must to take advantage of the few months of good weather we are blessed with out of the entire year! This festival is definitely one of those events you want to keep your eyes peeled for in June. It's about a week long and you can purchase individual tickets for separate days. I went to the brews and tunes event on Saturday and relaxed to amazing music on the lawn while eating vegetarian pierogi I bought from the food truck (picture attached)! Tickets may be pricey, but fine wines, acclaimed artists, top chefs, musical talent, and the oceanfront charm of Kennebunkport is quite irresistible for those seeking a getaway from it all!

If you love art, cocktail parties and fine dining and have ever considered coming to Maine this…read morefestival really is worth attending. A full week of the best music, food, and art set in the most stunning seaside town. For me the highlight are the dinners hosted by locals in their homes. They feature award winning chefs free of all restrictions to let loose with their best. Each one trying to outdo the others. Just over the top indulgence. The tickets are pricey but it a significant portion of proceeds go to feed hungry children.

My family and I have been coming to the Moxie Festival for 20 years and still love it. The parade…read moreis crazy and super fun. There are lots of food trucks, vendors and family fun activities. Plus plenty of the strangely likable soda that the festival honors!!

This is our local festival here in Lisbon, Maine! Celebrating everything Moxie, a recipe contest, a…read more5k road race, a chugging contest, whoopie pie eating contest, rides, booths, concerts. And of course Moxie!!!! Come and join the fun, oh did I mention the longest parade in the State? It's a lot of family fun for the entire weekend!

Super Roll Local…read moreCeltic celebration here in Belfast that's been going on for eighteen years (ca. 2006) and takes course annually over a weekend in August. We happened to be in town for the last day of the few festival, which held the most important event: the cheese roll! The Good: *Free to attend *Chill atmosphere and didn't seem overly crowded *Lots of food trucks *Great location at the Belfast Ha'bah *Family-friendly *Live Celtic-themed ingredients *Heavy Games (aka Scottish Highland games) *Cheese roll was epic and totally worth watching. It seems like the stupidest thing on earth, but I promise you it's fucking hilarious and so much fun to watch. The Meh: *Didn't really notice a lot of crafty booths around, but it's possible they might've been gone since we showed up for only the final hours of the event. The Ugly: *Parking down at the Ha'bah can be a giant PiTa, but not impossible. Conclusion: Great local festival with some fun events--and don't miss the cheese roll!

Top quality musicians, many of whom also give workshops in fiddle, accordion or whatever their…read morespecial instrument happens to be. There are also music sessions each day where one can bring one's own instrument and join in with a group to jam. The Scottish "heavy games" are amazing to watch as burly men (and women) compete in traditional events such as the caber toss, hammer throw and stone put, all while wearing kilts. Lots of food vendors and craft or information booths. There's also a Renaissance 'travelers' village. And there are fireworks Saturday night! All of this takes place on the waterfront within walking distance from downtown Belfast. Entry is by donation and well worth the contribution!

Ok, I love free stuff. I mean, if you don't, you're probably a bit of a weirdo…read more.. As I was running the shipard half the following morning, I only had a few beers at the festival but the tunes were great and the vendors were fun and full of knowledge! I'm pretty sure I walked away with five new coozies and a whole lot of coupons and stickers! I'll be back next year!

Epic fest. Tons of sponsors. Good music. Nuff saidread more

Such a fun, family friendly place!! The walking trails are well maintained and clearly marked…read more There's plenty for kids to do around the grounds. It was really fun to walk the trails and see all the trolls! The grounds are really pretty this time of year with the hyacinths and daffodils blooming. Soo many varieties and colors! The gift shop was cute and well maintained. Service at the Cafe was great.

A great spot in mid-coast Maine to enjoy flora from around the world. It's large enough that you…read morecan spend a day there, but not too large that you feel like you can't see enough of it. If you enjoy a bit of a scavenger hunt, they have these huge wooden troll sculptures scattered throughout the park that are fun to hunt down and makes sure you get your steps in. I mean, they're clearly marked on the map and on signs, but we enjoyed finding the right paths to see all of them. Definitely take your pictures but don't take too long in front of them so other visitors can get theirs! The park is very accessible for people of all mobility levels, and the less accessible/steeper paths are clearly labeled. Most of the paths have a slow rise and fall, so they're not strenuous. They have little features like waterfalls, a meditation garden, a town of fairy houses, sculptures, information on conservation and the local indigenous tribes, a dock into the bay that you can walk out to, a butterfly garden, and kinetic sculptures (some of which you can make music with). Also highly recommend stopping by their cafe! We ended up eating lunch there and were happy that they had a number of vegetarian and vegan options. The lentil soup was so tasty, particularly on a more temperate summer day. The Botanical Gardens are a must visit!

From Reno, Nv. we flew into Portland, ME. to the Maine Lobster Festival. Yes, finally scratching…read morethis off my bucket list. Festival runs from July 30- August 3rd. The Festival is located at Rockland's Harbor Park, is easy to find on Main Street. There is FREE parking at South Elementary School (30 Broadway, Rockland, ME) where a free shuttle bus will take you downtown to the Festival. Buses run every 30 minutes or less. Entrance gates are located on Main Street and Park Street. It was sprinkling our first day at the festival therefore the lines were nonexistent; loved it! I was here for the Lobstah but there were quite a lot of food vendors if I wanted to have fish, chicken or pork. A lot of drink options as well, boba, beer, lemonade and plenty of other soft drinks. We purchased the 3 lobster dinner for 85 dollars it came with a corn in the cob, hot drawn butter, slaw, bib, salt, pepper, 1 napkin, 1 wet wipe and a plastic wobbly pick I'm guessing to aid with getting the lobster out of the shell(useless). We also got a Shore dinner for 59, which came with 1 lobster, big steamed clams, corn on the cob, chowder of your choice, they had about 5 different types, we got the haddock, it was chunky and had a lot of flavor.They sell lobster crackers for 8 dollars shaped like a claw but they are also useless without a real handle and once you get butter on them, which it's inevitable, they get slippery and you have the 1 thin paper napkin to work with. Anyway, BYO cracker and napkins; Messy transaction but lots of fun! They have a tent with lots of arts and crafts. Local artists showcase their work and it's all available for purchase. I saw a few ladies selling knitted items and home made jewelry too. So many beautiful things, you're sure to find something for everyone to take home. All people working here are volunteers and they are sweet and friendly. I plan on returning for sure. It was a super chill and fun experience. Loved it!

I was a little disappointed for the most part in this festival, personally I was expecting more…read morelobster options than a main tent and one very bad frozen lobster food truck. I expected a larger variety of lobster food items. But there was a tent with hand crafted local items, something I enjoy and a bounce house area for the kids, although a little overpriced. Another take away was the lack of seating areas other than the main food tent, if you did buy food here there were little to no areas to sit and eat or take a break. All in all we had been trying to get to this festival for years, but once was enough.

The OPF. Where people come by the tens of thousands to buy local art, drink, listen to music, ride…read morerides, eat a corn dog or funnel cake... you know the typical festival happenings. For some reason, although it's no one's fault, the OPF seems to have the rainiest or hottest weather of the summer. I think the June in Maine is always a toss up. The highlight of this event is vast amount of local artisans and craftsman who sell their homemade items. I also like the kickoff event of the Shoestring Theater Puppet show at 11 am. Going early may be the best time to grab some freebies and some handcut fries... You beat the heat and the intense crowds. This year I took a LYFT ride down... ProTip. For me, this festival is OK. The prices are high, the streets are packed, parking is a s**t show, and by the end there are many highly intoxicated twenty-somethings. Maybe this would have been my jam back in the day, but unless I'm working downtown, I'm probably not going to go.

Old Port Fest is a staple event in Portland come June. In reading a variety of other reviews,…read morepeople have reflected on how it can get incredibly busy and crowded, and it certainly can, however, I appreciate what the Old Port Festival offers Portland. The Old Port Festival includes a variety of local artists, food trucks, and entertainers, so the fact that the Old Port Festival is highlighting what locals have to offer, then I am okay with the mass amounts of people that are out and about on this day. Along with the various offerings and music at Old Port Festival, there are also some restaurants with drink deals, or bars that get busy, but again, it's highlighting what Portland has to offer. I typically spend my time during the Old Port Festival at the Porthole where they also highlight local talent to play music, and they have a great outdoor deck to enjoy the weather. Overall, I appreciate what the Old Port Festival offers Portland, and I will be a supporter every year.

I have stayed for the weekend as well as done just the day of the games. My preference is to come…read morejust for the day. This is a fun festival with a generous host and lots and lots of people just having a good time. You will be entertained by the games, the music, the mud run or some of the other festival attendees. Everyone is very friendly or on occasion just very dunk and happy to say hello. Buying your tickets ahead saves money. Event happens rain or shine. The camping is a couple of open fields, bring your tent, camper or just an air mattress and set up wherever you please. There is a facebook page with a few rules, make sure to check it ahead of time. There are plenty of port a potties, but by day 3 they are always a mess. Bring your own tp and hand sanitizer as a back up. There are two locations of outdoor showers. The water is not heated, but pumped in straight from the brook. It's perfect for cooling off or rinsing off some mud. Keep in mind these are open and no privacy so wear your muddy clothes or swim suit or for those brazen souls nudity is not discouraged. The Olympic Games take place in the afternoon and usually last 2-3 hours. They even open the games with a redneck torch. These are always fun to watch or play. You can even enter by putting your name in one of the orange buckets prior to the games. Tug of war, wife carry, toilet seat horse shoes, beer trot, fire extinguisher toss, bobbing for pig knuckles, greased watermelon carry and barrel roll are the events. If you haven't seen these performed before you may not understand the objective, as the rules are only explained to the participants. I am a gold medalist in bobbing for pig knuckles. (Everyone has there talents). The beer trot is great way to get free beer and if you can chug you can win. The tug of war is often half of the audience partaking. They award medals after every event. They built a nice outdoor amphitheater wih the wooden benches plenty for everyone. The mud runs are exciting to watch. The even installed guard rails for spectator safety. Anyone can try to go thru, just get your vehicle in line. Jeeps, four wheelers, snowmobiles, lawn tractors, jacked up trucks and even the occasional work truck give it a try. Be prepared to get muddy watching, as the vehicles spray mud everywhere as they go by. It's fun to cheer them all on or watch them get stuck and the big tractor has to put them out. There is a pig roast meal that happens in the evening for a small fee. The food is big portions and filling. They also offer concessions all day including onion rings, burgers and cold soda. They have a bar tent too with cold beverages and beer pong. There is always a few vendors selling T-shirts, art work, jewelry , beer hats and much more to peruse through. There is big stage with lots of local bands playing some great music to sing and dance along too. There is a wet shirt contest for your entertainment. There is also a giant late night bonfire, about 20 feet high. There is security in golf carts and they get better each year at controlling the crowdS and enforcing the rules. Each year there is a learning curve and opportunity to improve. There is no ID check at any point, even the entrance. The event is open to families and all ages. There is always underage drinking. Perhaps making this a 21 plus event would be good. There is lots of nudity, boob flashing or girls on four wheelers completely naked. There is also no quiet time. People stay up late and enjoy their time, some loudly. They do ask all atvs and such to shut down by 7pm but don't enforce vehicles such as cars or truck on the property. All day people are drinking and driving their atvs and vehicles. There is walking to and from the areas of entertainment with those same drivers. There is also no medical attention area should an accident or alcohol overdose happen. There is also no list of times for anything, including all the bands. Even the games start at 2ish. It is hard to plan where to be when. Perhaps a list on the facebook page would be helpful and to try to keep to the schedule.

This is a great festival. Fun events and good music. You can choose to come up for the day or for…read morethe weekend. We chose to camp out for the weekend. Their Facebook page gave the details, if you buy the weekend pass you can come as early as Thursday. My fiancée and I had to work so we arrived midday Friday. When we arrived the place already looked packed. I asked the lady taking the tickets if they had been busy, her response was, yeah we've had people parking their campers since Monday. Monday? How do you get in on Monday when the tickets say Thursday is the earliest. So of course due to the early birds all the shaded spots in the main field were taken. We drove to the second field and found a decent spot to set up camp. The odd part is the camping price is the same whether you bring a tent or 6 campers. There is also no rules about how close someone can set up camp next to you. After our camp was set up we decided to explore, since the main field was full we had to trek back to the area with all the events, this entailed walking down the wrong way of a "one way" dirt road. But not only that the one way sign is apparently only for cars and trucks, if you brought a four wheeler or side by side you could go the opposite way. With traffic flowing both ways it gave very little room for pedestrians or error. The most concerning part of the walk was how many people had a beer can in their hand while driving their off road vehicles down this narrow road. Once we arrived at the main area we watched some live bands and watched people fall off the mechanical bull, which was pretty entertaining. We decided around 9 to head back to our site to find someone had crammed their tent between ours and the one we had assumed would be our neighbors. Herald and his crew have some pretty basic rules, no drinking if you're under 21 and no use of recreational vehicles after 7pm. But there are some other basic rules he seemed to have overlooked, such as no drinking and driving. His security team is a joke, it's more like a few of his family members that have flashlights, there is no medical team on property. With 2500 people drinking, driving, in the sun all day, there is a good chance someone is going to get hurt and they do not seem to be prepared for that. The second day they had Olympics style events which were fun to watch and my fiancée actually took the gold in bobbing for pig knuckles! Great job Rebecca W.! If we go again I'm hoping to see medical staff and some real police or some real security. I would probably only go for the day because at night the noise level is just too high to get any rest. I hope Herald continues to be successful at these events but I'm nervous his laid back business plan may be the wrong way to go.

Great old fashioned state fair. Super nice people with a lot to offer for food and entertainment…read more Lots of helpful people to guide you around. The fried pickles were my favorite.

Went to the fair this past Saturday and overall it was an okay experience. I'm not sure if it was…read morejust because we went on a Saturday but it took us about an hour sitting in traffic before we could even park. Then it was so packed that it was hard to walk around and look at things. We saw the animals and some horse racing which was fun. I got an Italian sausage and that was cold so that was a disappointment. I would check it out again but hope for less people!

It has to be difficult to be the Portland Expo building. You're over a hundred years old, and maybe…read morearen't as cool as some of the other venues around town, or are rockin' the best amenities in the world, or get the chance to host the hippest events, or are even located in a trendy neighborhood, but you're there. Ever present. Doing the dirty work that makes our great city keep on keepin' on. So, hats off to you, Portland Expo. Thanks for being a really excellent polling place. And for being a great spot for our high schools to play and graduate. We appreciate the Red Claws and the Maine Roller Derby. Sometimes you get boxing or beer festivals, comic or mom and baby expos, home shows or car shows; that's pretty badass how you cater to just about every demographic. And Snoop Dogg? Remember that? Whoa. The point is, in the words of Billy Joel: don't go changing to try and please me; you never let me down before." Everything's changing these days, technology is making things speed up at an insane rate, and everyone's trying to top everyone else. But you do you. It's worked for over a century, and - while your parking can be annoying and your bathrooms not always the cleanest - we're always going to need a place like yours to do the normal things, the every day things, the nitty gritty things.

Clean, organized. Food is not badly priced. Most items are $5 or less. French fries, nachos,…read morepopcorn $3. Beer is $5 for domestic Budlight. $6 for Microbrews. Plenty of toilets. They also utilize the restrooms from the SeaDogs stadium when needed.