ROCKLAND — Lobsters are taking center stage as the 65th annual Maine Lobster Festival gets under way in Rockland.

The festival kicks off at noon Wednesday with five days of festivities in celebration of Maine’s signature seafood.

Additional Photos

The crowd funnels into Rockland's Annual Lobster Festival, past a giant crustacean, during last year's fest. File photo

The festival each year draws about 100,000 visitors who put away more than 20,000 pounds of lobster.

Besides lobster, the festival features a sea goddess coronation, a parade, entertainment, tours of a U.S. Navy ship, cooking contests, carnival rides and a lobster crate race where contestants run across lobster crates floating in the water.