Maine Lobster Festival
Rockland, Maine
The Maine Lobster Festival began during the late 1940s as a way to bolster the local fishing community of Rockland, Maine, following World War II and gradually grew in scale and diversity. It is now recognized as one of the most popular seafood festivals in America. More than 20,000 pounds of lobster are served during the five-day event. The festival’s famous industrial cooker, the largest of its kind in the world, can steam up to 1,600 pounds of lobster in less than 20 minutes.
“You can sit in the food tent and have a wonderful lobster dinner within a few feet of the harbor where those lobsters came from,” said Cynthia Powell, president of the festival.
This year celebrating its 71st year, the festival takes place during the first weekend in August and attracts more than 60,000 seafood lovers from all over the nation. Among the organized activities are seafood-cooking contests, arts and crafts, road races, the Maine Sea Goddess Pageant and a large parade.
On the fifth and final day, the festival concludes with the Great International Lobster Crate Race, a time-honored tradition in which contestants run back and forth across 50 lobster crates linked between two docks. The goal is to cross as many crates as possible before falling into the chilly ocean, and several years ago a 12-year-old boy set the record with 6,400.
Rockland also has many engaging attractions for groups to explore, from charming downtown shops to nationally recognized museums like the Maine Lighthouse Museum, which houses one of the country’s most extensive collections of lighthouse lenses, foghorns and other maritime artifacts.
Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival
Providence, Rhode Island
Based in the charming waterfront city of Providence, Rhode Island, the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival is the largest public film festival in New England and one of only six festivals in the world that qualify films for three prestigious award ceremonies: the Oscars, the British Academy Film Awards and the Canadian Screen Awards. During its 35-year run, the festival has premiered at least 49 productions that subsequently earned Oscar nominations.
“You get to see the stars of tomorrow, often in one of their first big debuts,” said Kristen Adamo, vice president of the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau. “I remember years ago someone telling me about this actor who was up and coming: ‘His name is Robert Pattinson, and he’s in this film called “Twilight.”’”
During the six-day event in early August, festivalgoers can choose from nearly 300 film screenings all over the city, many featured at the historic Veterans Memorial Auditorium. In addition to film screenings, there are panel discussions with the cast and filmmakers, music video competitions, video game competitions, screenwriting seminars and more.
“It’s a great opportunity to really immerse in the process of filmmaking,” said Adamo.
It is also common to see few A-list actors in attendance, with past appearances by stars like Julie Andrews, Karen Allen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
“There’s a lot of times when you might spot somebody and think, ‘It can’t be them.’ But it probably is,” said Adamo.
In between festival events, groups can take advantage of the beautiful late-summer weather as they wander through Providence’s vibrant culinary scene and downtown area. August tends to be a quieter tourist season in Providence, allowing visitors to relish the laid-back atmosphere and New England scenery.
