Annual Events

Skowhegan and the surrounding area offer a host of delightful annual events, from the time-honored (our state fair dates to 1818!) to the newly established (the first annual Somerset SnowFest took place in February 2019).

To view events for a specific month, click on the links below:

February

Somerset SnowFest

Main Street Skowhegan and Lake George Regional Park teamed up to present this celebration of all things winter! Activities include dog sled rides, a box sled race, an ice-fishing derby, skating, tubing, and the Northeast's only equestrian skijoring competition, featuring a horse and rider pulling an alpine skier or snowboarder down a course of jumps and gates!

FMI: Somerset SnowFest

Great Maine Outdoor Weekend Fun Day

Join the Skowhegan Parks & Recreation Department at the Skowhegan Fairgrounds to celebrate the annual winter edition of Great Maine Outdoor Weekend! Events typically include ice skating, snowshoeing, broomball, and more.

FMI: Great Maine Outdoor Weekend

Fairfield Chocolate Festival

Like chocolate? You won't want to miss this delicious winter diversion in nearby Fairfield featuring 30 vendors with an array of goods and crafts, including at least one chocolate offering per vendor. Drawing approximately 600 attendees every year, this event also offers music, entertainment, food, door prizes, children's activities, and more. Held on the Saturday preceding Valentine's Day (or on Valentine's Day itself when it falls on a Saturday).

FMI: Fairfield Chocolate Festival

March

Maple Festival

Celebrating Somerset County’s status as the top maple-producing county in the United States, this festival offers fun activities and events for all ages with a maple-themed breakfast, maple-marshmallow roasting, maple snow cones, a maple leaf hunt, and more. The festival leads up to Maine Maple Sunday (see below).

FMI: Maple Festival

Maine Maple Sunday

On the fourth Sunday in March, sugarhouses around the state open their doors to the public with free maple syrup samples and demonstrations on how pure Maine maple syrup is made. Many farms offer games, activities, treats, sugarbush tours, and much more.

FMI: Maple Festival

April

Skowpendous

This free family event is typically the third Friday evening in April. It usually includes kid-friendly music, a climbing wall, children's crafts and activities, free raffles, wood-fired pizza, healthy snacks, and more. Held  during National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Skowpendous helps raise awareness of and support for prevention of child abuse and neglect. Click on the link below to go the KVCAP Family Enrichment Council Facebook events page—they post a Facebook event for Skowpendous each year.

FMI: KVCAP

May

Memorial Day Parade

This parade features floats and walkers including community bands, little league teams, community organizations, and retired military personnel. Typically starting at 10 a.m., the route proceeds south on Madison Avenue, travels downtown, and turns onto Water Street before ending at Skowhegan Veterans Park beside the municipal building.

FMI: Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce or 207-474-3621

June

AgriCulture

Celebrating Skowhegan's status as an agricultural food hub, this event features an experiential food tour and a vibrant downtown festival of local food and drink with live music. AgriCulture offers an authentic way to experience local food crafts of Skowhegan and Somerset County.

FMI: AgriCulture

July

Concerts in the Park

A tradition for more than 20 years, the Concerts in the Park series features live music at Coburn Park's gazebo Sunday afternoons in July and August. Bring a blanket or some lawn chairs, pack a picnic, and enjoy an idyllic summer day in one of Skowhegan's loveliest spots.

FMI: Coburn Park

Central Maine Egg Festival

Established in 1973 as a celebration of the brown egg industry, this festival is held in nearby Pittsfield in late July. Activities typically include a chicken barbecue, street dance, parade, fireworks, “Egglympics,” and the Kiwanis Karnival with rides. The festival also features the world's largest frying pan, 10 feet in diameter and weighing more than 300 pounds!

FMI: Central Maine Egg Festival

Kneading Conference

Celebrating bread and the local grain economy, this two-day conference brings together professional and home bakers, chefs, cooks, farmers, grain researchers, maltsters, food entrepreneurs, and wood-fired oven enthusiasts to educate one another about the art and science of growing and milling grains and baking artisan breads.

FMI: Kneading Conference

Maine Artisan Bread Fair

Featuring more than 60 vendors, this annual fair offers delectable breads and pastries, handmade pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven, books and equipment for home baking, kitchen linens, pottery, Maine-made foods, and more, all against the backdrop of live music at the Skowhegan State Fairgrounds. The bread fair also offers demonstrations ranging from scything to bread baking. Professional bakers are on hand to answer questions, and a children’s area helps make the event a true family affair.

FMI: Maine Artisan Bread Fair

August

Concerts in the Park

A tradition for more than 20 years, the Concerts in the Park series features live music at Coburn Park's gazebo Sunday afternoons in July and August. Bring a blanket or some lawn chairs, pack a picnic, and enjoy an idyllic summer day in one of Skowhegan's loveliest spots.

FMI: Coburn Park

River Fest

River Fest is Skowhegan's annual multi-day celebration of recreation and life on the Kennebec River. In addition to honoring its roots with popular, time-honored activities such as Moonlight Madness—when downtown closes to traffic and teams race beds on wheels—River Fest also gives a nod to the future, showcasing the potential of the Kennebec River Gorge as the home of the proposed Run of River Whitewater Recreation Area. Join in the fun—from raft rides to fireworks, classic cars to kids' activities, glow sticks to golf, there are lots of ways to celebrate.

FMI: River Fest

Dinner in the Park

On the Saturday of River Fest (see above), enjoy a farm-to-table dinner under the stars in beloved Coburn Park.

FMI: Dinner in the Park

Rural Open Studio Tour

Established in 2010 and featuring more than 20 artists, Open Studio is a one-day event for people to meet and visit with local artists in their studios and experience the connection each artist has with her/his rural Maine setting. From Wellington to Skowhegan to Mercer, explore the arts as well as the countryside. Art includes oil paintings, watercolors, pastels, landscapes, abstract images, still lifes, felting, pottery, sculpture, and more.

FMI: Rural Open Studio Tour

Skowhegan State Fair

The Skowhegan State Fair is the nation’s oldest consecutively running agricultural fair. More than a week long, the fair includes live music, carnival rides, demolition derbies, tractor pulls, livestock showings, harness racing, and more.

FMI: Skowhegan State Fair

New Balance Tent Sale

Usually coinciding with the Skowhegan State Fair in mid-August, the popular New Balance Tent Sale is a great opportunity to purchase quality sneakers and other gear at bargain prices! The sale is held outside of New Balance on Walnut Street.

FMI: New Balance Factory Store or 207-858-6551

Madison Anson Days

This annual late-August event celebrates and showcases the charming nearby towns of Madison and Anson. Enjoy four days of fun, food, and entertainment including a parade, fireworks, old-time games, a chili cook-off, rides, cotton candy, music, and more!

FMI: Madison Anson Days

September

Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival

On the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, an array of Maine craft brewers, local food vendors featuring farm-to-table fare, live music, and more combine to make an unforgettable close to summer.

FMI: Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival

November

Small Business Saturday

Join us in Skowhegan on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to take advantage of discounts at more than 35 local stores! Make purchases at participating local businesses and get your name entered into a drawing for one of two or more prizes (past prizes have included $50 and $100 gift cards to locally owned businesses!). The more businesses you shop at, the more chances you have to win. Show Skowhegan-area businesses some love and shop small!

FMI: Small Business Saturday Passport to Savings

December

Holiday Stroll

The Holiday Stroll has been a tradition in Skowhegan for more than 25 years. It kicks off with a holiday parade the first Friday in December and continues Saturday with a host of free activities and treats, including hot cocoa, visits with Santa, cookie decorating, holiday crafting, holiday movie screenings, and the popular elf scavenger hunt!

FMI: Holiday Stroll

Redington Memorial Home Festival of Trees

Every year local businesses and organizations decorate trees for Redington Memorial Home's Festival of Trees. Traditionally on view starting with the Holiday Stroll (see above) through the end of December, the trees make for a lovely display and representation of the community. Stop by during the season to enjoy the festive ambiance.

FMI: 207-474-2444