The Maine Lobster Festival is pleased to announce that seven candidates will compete for the title of 2024 Maine Lobster Festival Delegate at the 77th Maine Lobster Festival. At the Delegate Banquet, Friday, July 26 at the Samoset Resort, participants will each have a turn to present to the panel of judges about who they are, why they are participating, and discuss the local charity their participation is supporting. The coronation will be held Wednesday, July 31 at 6:30 pm on the main stage on the Festival grounds at Harbor Park in Rockland, Maine. Also crowned will be a Runner-Up and Most Co ..read more

If you’ve never been to Rockland, Maine, it’s a historic New England Town (which doesn’t lend itself to easy parking). The Maine Lobster Festival is situated down by the Rockland harbor at Harbor Park, which will be blocked off to traffic from July 31 to Aug. 4, 2024. If You’re Coming Up Without a Car Rockland is an entirely walkable town with plenty of lodging, restaurants and bars, grocery stores, and interesting things to do. And if you don’t feel like bringing your car at all, the easiest way to get into town is to take a Concord bus from most points in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts ..read more

When The Maine Lobster Festival pivoted to free admission several years ago, they stayed true to their promise of including free, live music. The Festival’s tradition of showcasing top-notch Maine-based bands continues along with those who have special ties to Maine. Let’s look at highlights of the music lineup happening at the Maine Lobster Festival July 31 to August 4 in Rockland, Maine. Headliners on the Main Stage On Friday, Aug. 2, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Dirty Deeds – The AC/DC Experience will shake the stage, delivering a power-packed performance that takes the audience on the ultimate A ..read more

Sharon Lombardo, a long-time volunteer and Director of Maine Lobster Festival has been in charge of coordinating the arrival of Navy ships for the past 20 years and is excited to announce this year’s invited guest to Rockland: The USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119). The USS Delbert D. Black is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy, which was launched in 2017. It weighs approximately 9,200 long tons, is 510 feet long, and houses 280 officers and enlisted. According to its history on Wikipedia, “The ship was damaged at the shipyard [in 2019] when a heavy-lift ship collided with ..read more

Did you ever wonder how that delicious steamed lobster got to your plate? The cold, clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean provide the biggest and most flavorful lobsters in the world. Rewind to the mid-1600s, when lobsters were casually nabbed inshore using nothing more than a hoop net and a dory. Over time, those methods evolved, giving rise to rounded wooden traps that paved the way for modern, plastic-coated metal frames used by Maine lobstermen today. Sustainable Harvesting These modern lobster traps are equipped with escape vents, resembling mail slots, measuring 2 x 6 inches. These vents se ..read more

Waldoboro artist Jean Kigel knows her lobsters. Her two red lobsters embracing in a “claw shake” were featured in last year’s Maine Lobster Festival poster. But this year, Kigel decided to paint one of the rarest-colored lobsters for the 2024 poster — a blue lobster. Here’s what one looks like in real life. To recap from one of our past blogs, “The Rarest Colors of Lobsters,” lobsters are born with pigments called astaxanthin, which determine their shell color (the normal mottled greenish to blackish-brown typically seen). However, mutations sometimes occur in those pigments. According to ocea ..read more

Every July/August when the Maine Lobster Festival kicks off an unforgettable week, thousands of people from all over the country — and world — make Rockland, Maine, their primary destination. Yet, there are many unique locations around the Midcoast that you should also check out while you’re here. Put these fun side trips on your bucket list for the week of July 31 to Aug. 4, 2024. Lighthouses Of course, lighthouses top the list — you’re in Maine! It would almost be a crime not to see these charming pieces of maritime history. Here are three must-see lighthouses all within 30 miles of the Fest ..read more

As we recently outlined in our February blog, “How This Winter’s Storms Have Impacted Maine and The Lobster Industry,” it wasn’t just piers, pilings, wharves, boats, and the shoreline that suffered damage. (Astoundingly, Maine has just endured its fourth 100-year storm in early March, damaging even more lobster wharves and shoreline property!) For artist and sculptor Richard Johnson, the storms generated by this El Niño winter got personal. Last year, he began a quest to cast his King Neptune sculpture in bronze to donate it to the Maine Lobster Festival in honor of long-time volunteer Alice K ..read more

Let us introduce you to Adelaide Hendricks, 19, who served in the new role of Maine Lobster Festival Delegate this year (historically known as the “Maine Sea Goddess”). While the title might be different, the role has always been the same — to serve as MLF’s ambassador during the Festival and as an advocate for the Maine lobster industry throughout the year. As Maine Lobster Festival President Celia Knight defined the new gender-neutral role in a Penobscot Bay Pilot article, “This is not a beauty pageant. It is an event to find the best person to represent the lobster industry, the Festival, a ..read more

Mainers have weathered some pretty nasty storms over the years. Many long-time residents remember the Ice Storm of ’98 and the April Fool’s Day storm of ’87. But they weren’t prepared for the wallop Mother Nature brought on Dec. 18, 2023 and then twice again with back-to-back rainstorms a few weeks later on Jan. 10 and 13 of this year. Piers, pilings, boats, property and the shoreline were severely damaged by flooding in December with significant power outages around the state and nearly $20 million in damage to public infrastructure. Eight Maine coastal counties that suffered severe flooding ..read more