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We say it every year, and it’s always true: There’s nothing quite like autumn in Maine. We live for sweater weather, foliage and all the festivals and other flannel-friendly events we can find. Of course, that includes some of the state’s best agricultural fairs, which we’ll have more details on next week.
For now, we’re offering a cornucopia of other fall events that will carry you all the way through to the holiday season with a smile on your face, a skip in your step and, in some instances, a beer in your hand. The Bee Train at Hurricane Meadows Fall Fest in Falmouth. Photo courtesy of Hurricane Meadows Hurricane Meadows Fall Festival 10 a.
m. to 6 p.m.
Friday to Sunday. Through Nov 3. Hurricane Meadows, 85 Hurricane Road, Falmouth, $15, $60 season pass, free for under 2.
hurricanemeadows.com A visit to Hurricane Meadows Fall Festival can last hours because there’s so much to see and do. You can wind your way through the 5-acre corn maze, shoot a spud out of the potato cannon, ride the Bee Train, pick pumpkins and sunflowers, frolic in a corn pit and much more.
A pair of gigantic jumping pillows are also on the grounds and, for an extra fee, you can play paint ball. Don’t leave without a bag of fresh apple cider doughnuts. Snow Pond On Tap 3-7 p.
m. Sept. 14.
Bowl in the Pines Amphitheater, 8 Goldenrod Lane, Sidney, $40, $65 VIP early entry, $30 designated driver, $10 for parking pass, 21-plus. snowpondontap.com You’ll be in and among the tall pines by Messalonskee Lake (aka Snow Pond) during the 4th annual Snow Pond on Tap festival in Sidney.
Along with all the beverages, the festival includes a performance on the venue’s huge stage by Beatles tribute act Studio Two. Twenty brewers will be on site, including Ambition, Orono and Surfside, along with Ricker Hill Maniac Hard Cider and Dragonfly Farm & Winery. VIP tix include early entry and a custom charcuterie board.
For an extra splurge, book a stay in a lakeside cabin, available through Snow Pond. Apples are picked during Maine Apple Sunday at North Star Orchards in Madison. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Maine Apple Sunday Sept.
15. Statewide. maineapples.
org/events Maine Pomological Society invites you to dedicate your day to celebrating its favorite fruit. For Maine Apple Sunday, orchards all over the state will be offering free samples and family-friendly activities, along with pick-your-own opportunities. For a list of participating orchards and an interactive map, visit maineapples.
org/events. How do you like them apples? Vigorous Tenderness musicians Kal Sugatski right, and Katherine Liccardo play their instruments on a stone wharf on the backside of Mackworth Island for a portrait. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer Vigorous Tenderness 2-3:30 p.
m. Sept. 22 (rain date Sept.
23). Bug Light Park, South Portland, sliding scale donation, $30 recommended. On Instagram .
On the first day of each season, there’s an experiential, outdoor chamber music performance called Vigorous Tenderness, where musicians gather to play pieces by historically marginalized composers. Violinist Kal Sugatski started the series during the pandemic, and the events have been well attended from the start. Welcome in fall by heading to Bug Light Park for an uplifting afternoon of music, right on the ocean.
Andrew Harris as Charles Dickens entertains the crowd during the 2023 Bizarre Victorian. Photo by Sarah Coughlin A Bizarre Victorian Bazaar: An Exhibition of Oddities and the Obscure 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m. Oct.
4. Victoria Mansion, 109 Danforth St., Portland, $21, $8 college students, $6 for ages to six to 17, free for five and under.
victoriamansion.org The lawn of the Victoria Mansion will be transformed into a mysterious wonderland for one day only. A Bizarre Victorian Bazaar features Victorian folklore, camera trickery, spiritualism and other unusual ways to get you into the Halloween mood.
Ever heard of poison books wallpaper? Curious about seances and mummy-unwrapping parties? All will be revealed at the mansion, and there will be opportunities to make Victorian crafts. Charles Dickens will be on site, as will Portland Ballet with a few scenes from “Dracula,” and the pirate-themed band Shank Painters will be playing. If the nibbles strike, Sullivan House Bakery will also be there.
Freeport Fall Festival Oct. 4-6. Downtown Freeport locations.
visitfreeport.com/freeport-fall-festival The Freeport Fall Festival celebrates its 25th year, and it’s shaping up to be an event to remember. Over the course of three days, more than 225 New England-area artists and craftspeople will assemble on the L.
L. Bean campus, behind Freeport Historical Society and in a few other downtown areas. The festival also includes live music on two stages and free kids’ activities, including crafts and scavenger hunts.
Maine Craft Weekend Oct. 5 & 6. Statewide.
mainecraftweekend.org The annual Maine Craft Weekend is a time to get out there and see what the creative people in the state are up to. You’ll find several open studios, along with pop-up shops, demonstrations and other events.
The Maine Craft Weekend website features an interactive map showing all the places you can visit, including locations in Gardiner, Freeport and Biddeford. Revelers fill Water Street during Swine & Stein Brewfest in 2023. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal Swine & Stein Brewfest Oct.
12. Water Street, downtown Gardiner, $45, $55 VIP, $10 non-drinker. swineandsteinbrewfest.
com Gather one and all in Gardiner for the annual Swine & Stein Brewfest. This is a day centered around eating, drinking and enjoying live music on the closed-off streets of Gardiner. Featured events include the beard and moustache competition, frozen T-shirt race and Maine State Rock, Paper and the Scissors Championship.
View of the Boothbay Railway Village in Lincoln County. EQRoy/Shutterstock.com Fall Foliage Festival Oct.
12 & 13. Boothbay Railway Village, 586 Wiscasset Road, Boothbay, $5, free for ages 5 and under, $5 for train rides. railwayvillage.
org This year marks the 56th time for the Fall Foliage Festival at Boothbay Railway Village. Events and activities include local, vintage and handmade vendor booths; an antique car museum; a model railroad; village goats and, of course, train rides. This year’s musical lineup features Katie Delcourt, Tom Clukey, Justin Merle and the Hallowell Band.
Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta Oct. 12-14. Main Street Damariscotta and Newcastle.
mainepumpkinfest.com Part of the Midcoast turns magical during the annual Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta. Painted giant pumpkins dot the downtowns of Damariscotta and Newcastle, and you can see (or participate in) the legendary pumpkin boat race, attend the pumpkin pancake breakfast, enter the pumpkin dessert contest and bring your kids to the pumpkin hunt.
Not enough pumpkin action for you? You can also watch the giant gourds get dropped from a crane and see the pumpkin derby races, featuring cars made out of pumpkins. There’s also a food court, street performers and, if you can believe it, more pumpkins! Harvest Festival 10 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. Oct.
14. Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, 707 Shaker Road, New Gloucester, free. maineshakers.
com The Harvest Festival, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, is an excellent opportunity to submerse yourself in the world’s only active Shaker community. The festival features homemade Shaker doughnuts and other baked goods, live bluegrass music from Albert Price and the Pseudonyms, 19th-century music from Paul and Sally Wells, book and perennials sale, barn tours from Brother Arnold , museum exhibits, wagon rides, traditional craft demonstrations, tintype portraits by Maine Arts Commission Fellow Cole Caswell and much more, including lunch from Maplewood BBQ. 39th Annual Harvestfest 9 a.
m. to 4 p.m.
Oct. 19. York Beach Ball Field, Railroad Ave.
, York Beach, free. gatewaytomaine.org/york-harvestfest Hit the York Beach Ball Field by Short Sands Beach for the almost four-decade-old Harvest Festival.
There, you’ll find a slew of local food, juried crafters and an old-fashioned market with vendors from Maine and the rest of New England. Young ones will enjoy Kidsfest with storytelling, a roaming railroad and other interactive activities. Everyone will enjoy performances by the Don Campbell Band and singer-songwriter Dan Blakeslee.
Blakeslee will also provide spooky Halloween entertainment as his alter ego, Dr. Gasp. Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Festival Noon to 8 p.
m. Oct. 19.
L.L. Bean, 95 Main St.
, Freeport. campsunshinepumpkinfestival.org Be sure to carve out some time for the annual Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Festival that takes over the L.
L. Bean campus with thousands of carved pumpkins. The fun kicks off at noon with music, food, kids’ activities and free take-home pumpkins.
The children’s costume parade is at 3 p.m. Somewhere around dusk, the real magic happens when the pumpkins are lit.
Live music punctuates the entire day, so keep an eye out for the lineup announcement. Pumpkin Harvest Festival 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Oct.
19 (rain date Oct. 26). Main Street, Saco.
sacomainstreet.org/event/pumpkin-harvest-festival If you head to downtown Saco on Oct. 19, you’ll find Main Street closed off to create a pedestrian paradise of arts and crafts vendors, food booths and a huge display of creativity in the pumpkin patch.
The Pumpkin Harvest Festival also includes a pie-eating contest, wagon rides and trick-or-treating for kids. Set your sights on Saco for a fun way to infuse its local businesses with a little love while having a darn gourd time. A lively crowd at a previous year’s Harvest on the Harbor.
Photo by Russell Caron Harvest on the Harbor Oct. 24-26. O’Maine Studios, 54 Danforth St.
, Portland. harvestontheharbor.com Let’s eat! Harvest on the Harbor is a three-day celebration of Maine food and cocktails.
It all starts on Oct. 24 with the Maine Cocktail Classic featuring members of the Maine Distillers Guild who will be pouring flavorful samples that will be paired with Mediterranean food from Tiqa. The next day features the 2024 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year competition and From the Sea: A Culinary Voyage, then the weekend winds down on Oct.
26 with two mouth-watering sessions of the Maine OysterFest. We invite you to add your comments, and we encourage a thoughtful, open and lively exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use .
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