The lauded seacoast of Maine—among New England’s defining geographies and America’s classic vacation getaways—is not only about postcard-perfect maritime scenery, charming harbor ports, and picturesque lighthouses. It’s also part of a sumptuous foodshed that draws equally from saltwater farms, orchards, forests, and the superlative fertility of the Gulf of Maine.
The lively little capital of Vacationland, Portland, is the perfect hub from which to explore this foodshed. After all, this is “The Foodiest Small Town in America” and Bon Appétit’s 2018 “Restaurant City of the Year,” with our very own Press Hotel restaurant, UNION, being a marvelous manifestation of that foodie-focused culture.
Along with such eateries—and the varied regional smorgasbord on offer from area farmers’ markets and farmstands to groceries and dockside seafood vendors—you’ve got a plethora of culinary festivals on the Portland-area calendar to take advantage of. And there’s simply no better base of operations for doing so than The Press Hotel!
Annual Portland, ME Culinary Festivals
One fantastic food event here in Portland is just in the rear-view mirror: The Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes, for example, host Saint Peter’s Annual Italian Bazaar (August 9th & 10th this year), the Latino Food Festival (September 7th), and the African Festival (September 28th), while the 22nd annual Greater Portland Festival of Nations—set for July 27th in Deering Oaks Park—includes a globe-spanning array of cuisine among its delights.
And this past April, among the more unique food-and-drink festivals in the country marked its sixth iteration: Seaweed Week, wherein chefs, bakers, brewers, mixologists, and other craftspeople feature that sustainable “superfood” in celebration of Maine’s rich kelp harvest (the largest in the nation).
And mark your calendars now for one of Maine’s great culinary happenings this fall: Portland’s Harvest on the Harbor, taking place October 23rd through the 26th. It’s one huge celebration of Portland’s phenomenal chefs, distillers, brewers, cheesemakers, seafarmers, and other artisans and producers, with highlights including the grand tasting, a Maine distillers’ happy hour, and the crowning of the Best Maine Lobster Chef of the Year.
Other Regional Food & Drink Festivals
The Yarmouth Clam Festival (July 19th through the 21st), has been going strong since 1965 and includes (as you might imagine) some delicious clams among its diverse food offerings, plus live entertainment, a carnival, and much else.
Within day-tripping distance is the famous Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, a five-day extravaganza landing the first weekend in August. It draws people from all over the world to Mid-Coast Maine to honor the state’s best-known crustacean and iconic seafood export.
An Unbeatable Foodie’s Perch in Portland, ME at The Press Hotel
We’ve only scratched the surface when it comes to culinary festivals and seafood soirées in the Portland area and along the Maine coast, but hopefully you get the picture!
You couldn’t ask for a better home-away-from-home to enjoy it all than The Press Hotel, providing singular Autograph Collection accommodations in the historic Gannett Building and serving some of the best eats in the city at UNION Restaurant. Come stay—and dine—with us this summer!