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Maine Lobster Festival - Rockland, Maine

The Maine Lobster Festival is an annual 5-day event that takes place in Rockland. It starts on the Wednesday before the first weekend in August each year. The event attracts more than 70,000 lobster-lovers.

Enjoy a freshly caught, freshly prepared lobster under the Maine Eating Tent while breathing the breeze off Penobscot Bay. Each year, over 20,000 pounds of lobsters are prepared, which the Atwood Lobster Company has exclusively supplied since 1991. If lobster is not your thing, there are plenty of other scrumptious choices, including a pancake breakfast in the morning.

But don’t gorge yourself before the race! Runners gather each year for the Maine Lobster Festival Road Race. More than 200 athletes compete in the 10k road race each year, which stretches from Rockland to Rockport. Thousands of people show their support and cheer them on.

Or try your hand at running on the lobster traps! The annual Great International William Atwood Lobster Crate Race challenges you to navigate a string of 50 partially submerged lobster crates (without falling into the water!). Thousands of people gather to watch as a few brave souls skip and run and hop and squeal their way across the tightrope of slippery, floating lobster traps. (Here’s a tip: if you start to fall, don’t try to save yourself; instead, try to be funny when you fall – it’s a sure crowd pleaser!)

A seafood festival would not be proper without a cooking contest, and all amateur, adult cooks are invited to enter the Maine Lobster Festival Seafood Cooking Contest. Winners receive a handsome cash prize, and of course the fame that goes along with the honor of victory.

The festival also features a Fine Art Tent, where many local artists display their art. The nearby Craft Tent is full of crafts made by local Maine crafters. The festival also offers music of every kind, every day. Major headliners have appeared at the Lobster Festival. (Some music events require advanced ticket purchase.)

The festival is incredibly family friendly, and offers a Children’s Tent, where kids can compete in activities such as: Cod Fish Carry, Diaper Derby, and Lobster Eating. Kids are also invited to be the “opening act” for the adult road race. The Kids’ Fun Run is a 1-mile run down Rockland’s Main Street.

The festival also includes a pageant where local young women compete for the title of “Maine Sea Goddess.” Once crowned, the Maine Sea Goddess is awarded an array of scholarships and prizes, and continues to represent the state of Maine, as well as the lobstering industry, for the entire year at events throughout New England. The goddess’ first task, however, is to wave from the Maine Lobster Festival Parade. The parade, which takes place on Saturday morning, usually draws upwards of 25,000 spectators.

Admission on Wednesday is free. There is a daily fee for the remainder of the days, or you can purchase a cost-saving 4-day pass. Parking is limited, but free shuttle buses are available from Rockland High School and Rockland Middle School parking lots.