The Maine Lobster Festival is five days of fun and feasting on the fabulous coast of Maine. This annual event takes place during the first weekend of August, from Wednesday through Sunday. The Maine Lobster Festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Rockland, Maine, each year with the promise of fresh, local lobster dinners, nationally renowned entertainers, cooking contests, activities for all ages, Maine craftsmen and artists.

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 Owls Head, Maine, to visitors from countries throughout Europe and Asia.

Since 1947, the Maine Lobster Festival has given more than $800,000 to Midcoast Maine’s communities. As a non-profit organization, the Maine Lobster Festival donates all proceeds back to the Midcoast Maine communities each year. We support local food pantries, high school sports teams, community service groups, local emergency services, and offer college scholarships for graduating high school seniors.

The Maine Lobster Festival is run exclusively by volunteers. More than 1,300 volunteers from the community and “from away” help us year after year on the festival grounds. From our board of directors right down to the wonderful men and women who serve lobster dinners to our visitors, our hard work is repaid in the form of happy visitors and the satisfaction of supporting Maine’s lobster industry. Locals and visitors alike are welcome to volunteer by filling out a volunteer form.