Maine Lobster Festival 2014
Tens of thousands of people will descend on Rockland, Maine the first weekend in August for the Maine Lobster Festival. The Maine Lobster Festival is the largest festival dedicated to the Maine Lobster in the country and has been celebrating this favorite crustacean for almost seven decades. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your visit.
- If you are coming for multiple days consider buying a four pack of day passes this will save you some money for more lobster! All tickets allow you to come and go from the Festival grounds for that day. Sunday is Community day so admission is free for all ages all day long.
- Parking – if you are driving to the Lobster Festival there are parking area close to the grounds that are run as fundraisers for local civic groups. Typically they are $6 to $12 dollars a day. They do fill up early. Otherwise use the shuttle service and park at the OceansideHigh School, MacDougalSchool or the RocklandDistrictMiddle School for free and take the shuttle to and from the festival grounds. It runs continuously through the hours of the Festival.
- Eat at off-peak times. The lines for the “Eating Tent” for lobster will be the longest for lunch on opening days and prime meal times for the weekend. Try staggering your meal time to be “off peak” so you do not have to wait in the hot sun in line. Don’t worry they cook that fresh lobster continuously throughout the day so you will not miss out.
- Make your lodging accommodations early. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are the most difficult nights to get accommodations in town for the Lobster Festival. If you only want to catch a day or two of the Lobster Festival try getting accommodations right in town (walking distance to the Festival) for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. This will allow you to see the opening ceremonies for the Festival at 12 noon when King Neptune officially opens the festivities, the coronation of the Sea Goddess and gives you the chance to return on Thursday if you missed things you wanted to see. View our Rockland, ME lodging options.
- The other great option for accommodations near the Festival grounds is to book Sunday and Monday nights of the Lobster Festival. Plan on getting to town early to get as many hours as you can at the Festival and enjoy plenty of Lobster and the Great Lobster Crate Races. Sunday is also community day so there is no admission fee. This gives you Monday to recover from your lobster frenzy and enjoy the sites of the Rockland area without all of the crowds.
- If you cannot find any accommodations in the area for the Lobster Festival and want to come for the day, consider taking the Maine Eastern Railroad from Brunswick (connects to Amtrack Downeaster) or hop on from the Bath, Wiscasset or Newcastle stations. The Maine Eastern Railroad will get you to Rockland at 11am daily and departs at 8pm daily for all 5 days of the Festival.
- If you are interested in any of the headliners that are performing at the Festival (as posted on the Maine Lobster Festival website) you can purchase advanced tickets for the reserved seating area through the website. This allows you to have an actual chair throughout the performance rather than just standing on the outskirts and watching the show. Seats are not assigned and are available on a first come first served basis before the show.
- Pick up some wet naps to take with you to the festival if you are planning to get down and dirty with some fresh Maine Lobster. Although all of the lobster dinners (single, double and triple) are priced very competitively, the best deals for lobster indulgence is the triple lobster dinner.
- If the butter gets to you with your lobster meal, try just using lemon on your lobster or visit FIORE Artisan Olive Oils and Vinegars and purchase a Meyer Lemon olive oil and drizzle a little on the lobster instead of dipping it in the butter.
- Make a reservation on Captain Jack’s Lobster Adventure and go out lobstering on a working lobster boat for an hour and fifteen minutes. You will learn how lobsters are caught, how to tell a male from a female and gain an understanding on Maine’s strict fishing rules that have certified Maine Lobsters as sustainably caught. He only holds 6 people at a time so make your reservations in advance at Captain Jack’s website or 207-542-6852.