2025 Local Events
January
February
March
April
Easter Egg Hunt at the Bar Harbor Inn
April 19, 2025
Complimentary Community Easter Egg hunt at the Bar Harbor Inn, including 1,000+ eggs, plus Golden Eggs with free nights, spa treatments, and dinners hidden in the eggs.
Easter Buffet at the Bar Harbor Inn
April 20, 2025
The Bar Harbor Inn will be hosting an Easter Brunch in the Reading Room Restaurant on Sunday, April 20th. Reservations can be made by calling our Front Desk at 207.288.3351.
May
Mother’s Day Brunch at the Bar Harbor Inn
May 11, 2025
Join us in the Reading Room Restaurant for Mother’s Day Brunch. More details to come.
Acadia Birding Festival
May 29, 2025
Acadia’s birding community invites you and your family to celebrate the ecological wonders of the birds of the Gulf of Maine at the Acadia Birding Festival. Explore Mount Desert Island and its birds through numerous events and venues.
June
Acadia Half Marathon
June 1, 2025
The Acadia Half Marathon and 10K is one of the YMCA’s largest fundraisers of the year. The money raised through your entry fees help sustain the YMCA’s scholarship programs, ensuring that individuals and families have access to the care, services, and programs that can help them improve their lives through healthy living or community activities. Course features breathtaking view of Acadia National Park and Maine’s rocky coastline. It is a Spectacular 13.1 mile course traveling on the scenic Acadia National Park Loop road. The second largest island on the eastern seaboard, Mount Desert Island boasts an impressive 41,000 acres of land devoted to the Northeast’s only National Park, Acadia – an amazing array of mountains and sea, cliffs and coastline.
73rd Annual Art in the Park Celebration
June 14, 2025
Join us for the 73nd Annual Art in the Park, Bar Harbor’s longest running art show. Supporting and showcasing artists in the two-dimensional art mediums or painting, print making, and photography.
July
2025 Maine Ocean Festival
June 21, 2025
The Maine Ocean Festival will host speakers discussing the challenges and opportunities to the Gulf of Maine as well as educate us on the marine life that exists beneath the ocean’s surface and along our shores. The speakers will challenge us to take action and to think deeply about how our individual efforts can aid in the health and existence of the Gulf of Maine. We will also host a carnival with games, art, live music, and local Maine artists where children can play, interact, and learn about the Ocean. We also invite everyone to enjoy the Oceanarium and our many incredible exhibits including our a 29-Foot authentic indoor lobster boat, 2000 gallons of authentic Gulf of Maine habitat, rare Maine lobsters, a brand new Jellyfish exhibit, and a 650-gallon touch pool.
Bar Harbor Music Festival
July 2, 2025
Acclaimed by Phi Beta Baton as “…one of the nation’s proving grounds for gifted young artists,” the Bar Harbor Music Festival, founded by violinist Francis Fortier in 1967, has gained national recognition for its unique and pioneering work.
2025 4th of July Celebration
July 4, 2025
Celebrate the 4th of July with the Town of Bar Harbor Parade at 10am and Fireworks at 9:15pm. Bar Harbor’s Fourth of July has been voted the #1 Fourth of July celebration in America by the Today Show, and recognized by National Geographic as one of the top ten in the U.S. 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM Pancake Breakfast 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM Craft Fair/Marketplace 10:00 AM Independence Day Parade 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM Seafood Festival 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM Bar Harbor Town Band 9:15 PM (approx.) Fireworks Over Frenchman Bay
Abbe Museum Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas
July 12, 2025
The Abbe Museum’s Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas returns on July 12-13, 2025, at the College of the Atlantic (COA) in Bar Harbor, Maine. This annual celebration showcases Wabanaki art, music, and culture, bringing together Indigenous artists, performers, and storytellers in an immersive two-day experience. Steps from Acadia National Park’s entrance, this outdoor summer festival in Maine invites you to browse a Native arts market with over 50 talented Indigenous artisans, enjoy live music and performances celebrating Native traditions, and engage in workshops and discussions by Wabanaki and other Indigenous leaders about climate change, food sovereignty, and the power of storytelling.
August
Bar Harbor Fine Arts Festival
August 8, 2025
Bar Harbor Fine Arts Festival: Held on the grounds of the Bar Harbor Inn on the town waterfront August 8 – 10. This is the “flagship” show and has established a reputation with both artists and patrons as one of the top shows in northern New-England. Show hours are Friday noon to 8 pm, Saturday 9 am to 8 pm and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm
September
Acadia Night Sky Festival
September 20, 2023
Join us for one of the premier night sky events on the eastern seaboard. With workshops, internationally recognized speakers and hands-on experiences, there truly is something for everyone from families to the serious amateur astronomer.
Bar Harbor Fine Arts Festival II
September 5, 2025
The follow up to the Bar Harbor Fine Arts Festival will be held the weekend following Labor Day weekend; September 5 – 7. This is still a busy time of the year on the island and cruise ship port calls increase compared to peak summer months. “Relaxed” customer shopping now that the kids are back in school! Show hours are Friday noon to 7 pm, Saturday 9 am to 7 pm and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm will be held the weekend following Labor Day weekend; September 6 – 8. This is still a busy time of the year on the island and cruise ship port calls increase compared to peak summer months. “Relaxed” customer shopping now that the kids are back in school! Show hours are Friday noon to 7 pm, Saturday 9 am to 7 pm and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Half Marathon
September 13, 2025
In 1913, John Rockefeller Jr. built a series of carriage roads so he could avoid cars in the Acadia National Park. Nine miles of the Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Half Marathon run on that still-existing system of hard-packed trails. The hilly course starts in the small, picturesque fishing town of Bar Harbor, then cuts into the National Park. Dense forest engulfs runners as they cross several old granite bridges before looping back to town.
October
Island Arts Association’s Oktoberfest Craft Fair
October 11, 2025
The Island Arts Association’s Annual Oktoberfest Craft Fair will be held at the Atlantic Oceanside Event Center Lawn, 119 Eden Street, Bar Harbor. Stop by and shop with the local artisan’s selling their beautiful handmade crafts.
MDI Marathon
October 19, 2025
North America’s premier destination road race. The award-winning course features miles of pristine terrain – all set against the awe-inspiring backdrop of Acadia National Park in peak fall foliage season.
November
2025 Pajama Sale & Bed Races
November 8, 2025
Roll out of bed and shop local to find some deals at Bar Harbor’s finest retail locations for the annual Early Bird Pajama Sale, where those who shop in their pajamas receive even better savings! Details coming soon.