SKOWHEGAN CRAFT BREW FESTIVAL

The Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival returns Saturday bringing Maine-made beer, cider and spirits, local food and live music from 2-7 p.m. to downtown Skowhegan.

Presented by Main Street Skowhegan, the festival offers guests a chance to sample beverages from Maine producers while enjoying food and entertainment along the way. General admission begins at 3 p.m., with the taps flowing until 7 p.m.

The festival is a celebration of Skowhegan and the growing energy surrounding its downtown. Visitors can make a day of it, checking out local shops, restaurants and the Kennebec River before settling in for an afternoon of Maine flavors and music. Proceeds from the festival support Main Street Skowhegan and its ongoing community revitalization efforts.

THUNDER ROAD FARM

Thunder Road Farm opens its annual corn maze and seasonal attractions, offering families a chance to celebrate autumn with pumpkins, games and plenty of time outdoors.

The fourth-generation family farm will open its 2026 corn maze Sept. 12, with weekend hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 31. This year’s five-acre maze celebrates America’s 250th birthday. The farm has offered its elaborate corn maze since 2004 and draws about 6,000 visitors during a typical fall season. Favorable growing conditions have produced corn reaching 6 to 7 feet tall this year, a significant improvement over last season’s drought-stunted crop.

Admission includes the maze, wagon rides, a cow train, jumping pillow and play area, with additional activities including tricycle races, duck races, tire swings, a corn box and barnyard games. Visitors can also pick their own pumpkins, explore the farm’s sunflower field and stop at the snack shack for chili, grilled cheese, walking tacos, cider, hot chocolate and other treats.

The season will culminate on Halloween, when the farm will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and children can collect candy during the day. The maze will not be haunted, keeping the final day geared toward younger visitors and families. 

Admission will cost $12 for ages 4 to 59, $10 for those 60 and older, and free for children 3 and younger.

MAINE CHEESE FESTIVAL

Pittsfield’s Manson Park will be the site of the Maine Cheese Festival set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 51 Peltoma Ave.

The festival is a celebration of Maine’s vibrant food, beverage and artisan community, bringing together more than 65 Maine-made product vendors.

Attendees can sample new cheeses and meet the makers behind them and enjoy live music throughout the day. 

MAINE MAPLE FALL FEST

Maple season may be associated with steaming sugarhouses and melting snow, but Maine maple producers will offer another chance to celebrate the state’s signature sweetener this fall during the annual Maine Maple Fall Fest.

The statewide event, organized by the Maine Maple Producers Association, is held in early October and offers visitors the opportunity to travel to participating sugarhouses for an autumn version of Maine’s popular spring maple weekend. Individual producers offer their own mix of activities, which can include sugarhouse tours, maple syrup tastings and demonstrations, along with maple candy, cotton candy, ice cream, baked goods and other maple products.

DAMARISCOTTA PUMPKINFEST & REGATTA

Pumpkins will take over downtown Damariscotta in October as the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta returns for Indigenous Peoples Day weekend.

The main festival is set for Oct. 9-12, although pumpkin-related activities begin earlier in the month with growers’ weigh-offs Oct. 3 and 4. During the festival, enormous pumpkins grown by local and regional growers are transformed into works of art and displayed throughout downtown and neighboring Newcastle. The volunteer-run festival is free to attend and includes a pumpkin parade, pumpkin derby, children’s activities, food, street performers, contests and other events.

The signature event arrives Sunday, Oct. 11, when the Pumpkinboat Regatta takes to the Damariscotta River from noon to 2 p.m. Competitors climb inside hollowed-out giant pumpkins — some weighing hundreds of pounds — and race them in paddle and motorized divisions.

Other weekend highlights include the Pumpkin Parade from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10; the Pumpkin Derby on Sunday morning; and a pie-eating contest Sunday afternoon. The celebration continues Monday with the Tour de Gourd 5K, a children’s pumpkin hunt and the popular Pumpkin Drop, in which a giant pumpkin is hoisted high into the air before being dropped.

SWINE & STEIN BREWFEST

Beer, pork, live music and unconventional competitions are set to take over downtown Gardiner this fall when the annual Swine & Stein Brewfest returns to Water Street.

The outdoor festival, organized by Gardiner Main Street, is scheduled for noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Now in its 17th year, Swine & Stein celebrates Maine’s craft beverage industry with more than 20 breweries, wineries, cideries, distilleries and meaderies expected to offer samples throughout the day. Food trucks and area restaurants plan to offer pork dishes and more.

The festival will feature live music and games and competitions, including the annual Beard and Mustache Competition, a frozen T-shirt race, cornhole, giant Jenga, and the Maine State Rock, Paper Scissors Championship. The festival is held rain or shine.

VIP admission begins at noon and general admission begins at 1 p.m. General admission will cost $40 in advance, while VIP tickets are $50. Designated-driver admission is $10 and includes unlimited soft drinks and water.

​​Looking for more? Check out the online calendar listings for other entertainment offerings.