2025 Maine Ocean Festival
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.
Acadia Birding Festival
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.
Acadia Night Sky Festival
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.
Abbe Museum Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas
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.
73rd Annual Art in the Park Celebration
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.
Acadia Half Marathon
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.
Mother’s Day Brunch at the Bar Harbor Inn
Join us in the Reading Room Restaurant for Mother’s Day Brunch. More details to come.
2025 4th of July Celebration
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