Special Events and Festivals
Listed below are special events which highlight the summer season in the Bar Harbor area. The talents and skills displayed during these special events help explain the draw Mount Desert Island exerts on the arts community around the nation. Here is a beautiful location with appreciative audiences who are receptive to a host of performing arts and crafts. The coast of Maine boasts a high density of creative individuals who have enriched the arts and crafts of our entire country. In Bar Harbor, works by these talented people are available to enjoy, and in some cases, to take home.
Information courtesy of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce
19th Acadia Birding Festival
June 1 - 4
Experience the birding wonders of Maine, from boreal to ocean – warblers, puffins and more. Field trips, pelagic trips, paddling adventures and workshops are offered with celebrity birders and experienced guides.
www.acadiabirdingfestival.com
Vettes of Coastal Maine, Bar Harbor Tour
June 2 - 4
A free to the public Corvette display, with all generations of the Corvette from New England and Canada, will be held at the Bar Harbor Athletic Field from 9am to noon.
www.vettesofcoastalmaine.org
First Friday Art Walk
June 2
This dynamic downtown gala showcases a wide variety of fine art and craft, with special performance events including theatre and music at locations throughout Bar Harbor. You’ll find traditional and contemporary art, many by local and Maine artists. Map available at the Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center and at participating venues. Other dates include 7/7, 8/4, 9/1 and 10/6.
67th Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce Art Show – Art in the Park
June 17 & 18, 10 am to 5 pm
Held on the Village Green, this art show features more than 35 artists displaying and selling their original works in oils, watercolors, acrylics, photography and other media. For more information call 207-288-5103.
www.barharborinfo.com
Band Concerts on the Village Green
July & August, Every Monday & Thursday, 8pm
Good old-fashioned fun for the entire family; small-town traditions transport us back to bye-gone days. Sit on the lawn, people-watch, and enjoy the community band doing its stuff. 207-288-5103.
www.barharborinfo.com
Bar Harbor Music Festival
July 2 - 30
Francis Fortier, Artistic Director. Celebrating its 51st season, this acclaimed series of classical and pop concerts have a full schedule for the summer. The series will include such offerings as a Tea Concert, Jazz night, a “Pops” concert, “New Composers”, “An Evening at the Opera” and several presentations by the Bar Harbor Festival String Orchestra, lead by Francis Fortier, Conductor and Violin Soloist. 207-288-5744.
www.barharbormusicfestival.org
Independence Day Celebrations
July 4
A full day of events is planned starting with a Blueberry Pancake Breakfast from 6-10am at the Athletic Field, the Independence Day Parade at 10am, a Seafood Festival beginning at 11:00am, lobster races at 12pm and a Band Concert on the Town Green in the evening. The finale is fireworks over Frenchman Bay off the Town Pier, usually starting around 9pm. 207-288-5103.
www.barharborinfo.com
24th Annual Native American Festival & Maine Basketmakers Market
July 8th, 10am to 4pm at the College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden Street
Co-hosted by the Abbe Museum, the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (MIBA), and the College of the Atlantic, this festival is considered Maine’s largest annual gathering of Native American artists. Meet the artists while learning about and purchasing Wabanaki baskets, carvings, beadwork, dolls and other of handmade items. The day-long event includes Native music, dance, storytelling, craft demonstrations, and food. A silent auction is open to bidding until 3 PM; winners need not be present to win. Proceeds benefit the MIBA Education Program. Free hourly shuttle bus available from Conners-Emerson School on Eagle Lake Road. The festival begins at 10am with early-bird shopping from 9-10am. 207-288-3519.
www.abbemuseum.org
Cultural Connections at the Abbe Museum
July & August, Every Wednesday
The Abbe presents weekly workshops, demonstrations and programs at three locations — Abbe Downtown, Abbe at Sieur de Monts Spring and in Acadia National Park. Visit the Abbe's website for calendar updates. 207-288-3519
www.abbemuseum.org
42nd Annual Directions Craft Show
July 28 - 30, Atlantic Oceanside Event Center, 119 Eden Street
This outstanding craft show, in its 42nd year, is one of the best in the state, offering superb crafts from over 80 of Maine’s finest crafts people; stained glass, pottery, handwoven items, clothing, jewelry, handmade papers, and much more. Opening Friday evening (5-8pm), and then 10am-5pm on Saturday and 10am-4pm Sunday.
207-763-3433.
www.mainecraftsguild.com
Jesup Memorial 48th Annual Book Fair
August 19
This popular one-day event runs from 9am to 4pm. Thousands of books, records, magazines, videos, audiobooks, puzzles, a large baked goods table and more! It provides readers with the opportunity to find some great bargains in books and help the local library at the same time. Jesup Memorial Library, on Mt. Desert Street, is open 10am-5pm Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 10am-8pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 207-288-4245.
www.jesuplibrary.org
14th Annual Bar Harbor Jazz Festival
August 19 & 20
The Criterion Theatre presents the Bar Harbor Jazz Festival with live performances from world-renowned and local musicians and singers. 207-288-0829.
www.criteriontheatre.org
MIFF By the Sea Film Festival
September 15 - 18, 10am to 5pm
MIFF By the Sea brings the best of this summer's Maine International Film Festival to Bar Harbor. Films from Maine and around the world are screened throughout the weekend, with presentations by filmmakers who attend to talk about their work. 207-288-3828
www.reelpizza.net
9th Annual Acadia Night Sky Festival
September 21 - 24
Come enjoy the pristine night skys of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park by star gazing on Cadillac Mountain, a picnic with the planets or a boat cruise under the stars. 207-288-5103
www.acadianightskyfestival.com
16th Annual Mt. Desert Island Marathon
October 15
Six island communities will host the 16th annual MDI Marathon. A weekend of special events ending with the 26.2-mile race through some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere—what a great time of year for this event, the fall foliage will be bursting with colors! This race is a Boston Marathon qualifier.
www.mdimarathon.org