Membership
With major issues facing Maine’s lobster industry, Your membership matters more than ever. Join or renew today. New members only $200.
Membership Renew, join or find out more about membership
Business Discounts Are you an MLA member? Check out discounts at local businesses
Business Directory Support the businesses that support us.
Monthly MLA Pages Find out what’s going on in the lobster industry!
Want to know more about what we do? Watch this short video! https://youtu.be/jExXuyosZs0
“For the past 62 years the Maine Lobstermen’s Association has advocated for lobstermen from all parts of the Maine coast. Its longevity is due to the men and women who make up its membership. Staying strong and relevant means successfully drawing new members into the association year after year..”
Read more here
Events
Every year approximately thirty non-profit groups volunteer thousands and thousands of hours to bring the Festival to life. Come join us for a long weekend (always the 3rd Friday in July) and enjoy all that we have to offer; Friday night parade, Saturday night fireworks, live music from 3 stages, fantastic food served by our non-profit volunteers, arts & crafts shows, road races and more. The Carnival on the Midway opens Wednesday evening and runs through Sunday. All other Festival activities start Friday at 10:00 am
Sign up 8-9 am: Races start at 10am
Follow on Facebook at Friends of Maine Lobster Boat Racing. Listen on VHF 10.
**the event is free but registration is requested as seating is limited**
An Ocean of Life:
One Drop of Seawater, One Million Organisms
Led by Dr. Ramunas Stepanauskas
The Human Genome Project forever changed the field of biology when it published the first genetic blueprint of a human being in 2000. Today, scientists have expanded upon those methods and are working to map the blueprints of marine microorganisms – millions of which live in each teaspoon of seawater. Using novel molecular techniques developed at Bigelow Laboratory, researchers have built the largest library of single-celled microbe genomes to date. Join Dr. Ramunas Stepanauskas to discuss the multitudes contained in a single drop of seawater, and the technologies that are revealing this incredible diversity.
About Café Sci
Bigelow Laboratory’s Café Sci is a fun, free way for you to engage with ocean researchers on critical issues and groundbreaking science. Pick a chair, grab a drink, and let’s talk about the mysteries, challenges, and opportunities of the sea.
We’re looking forward to our 2019 Café Sci series, which is again being made possible through sponsorship by HM Payson. Each event will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. We hope to see you there, as well as at our annual open house on Friday, July 19.
Seating is limited at this popular summer series. Please register today!
Agenda:
•Amendment 21: Develop draft alternatives based on Committee tasking, and consider data needs for affected environment and analysis of valued ecosystem components (VECS).
•FY2018 & FY2019: Review landings and VMS data.
•Georges Bank yellowtail flounder (GBYT): Consider results of conservation engineering studies focused on reducing bycatch of GBYT, as well as bycatch estimates from observer data. Develop options for mitigating impacts on this stock, and discuss a draft memo to Groundfish PDT.
•2019 Surveys –Discuss timelines, standardization, and outputs for FW32.
•Other business may be discussed.
The races are best watched by water, and will feature 31 race classes with a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finish. All race proceeds will be donated to The Harpswell Santa Fund.
About The Harpswell Lobster Boat Races
There is nothing more uniquely Maine than a day at the Harpswell Lobster Boat Races! For nearly 30 years, the Harpswell Lobster Boat Races have attracted fishermen, boat builders, and race fans alike due to the venue’s extreme beauty and fun, family atmosphere.
About Maine’s Lobster Boat Racing Association
Maine’s lobster boat racing circuit starts in Boothbay and ends in Portland, drawing boats from all over the state of Maine up and down the coast.
**the event is free but registration is requested as seating is limited**
nds of the Earth:
A Year of Research In the Arctic and Antarctic
Led by Dr. Paty Matrai
Microbes thrive everywhere, even in harsh and uninviting polar regions. In a single 12-month period, Dr. Paty Matrai’s research team traveled to both the Western Antarctic Peninsula and the North Pole to study interactions between ocean bacteria and phytoplankton. In both places, their goal was to understand how these interactions effect the important gases and aerosols that contribute to cloud formation. Join Dr. Matrai to discuss how marine microbes shape clouds, which help control the temperature of our planet.
About Café Sci
Bigelow Laboratory’s Café Sci is a fun, free way for you to engage with ocean researchers on critical issues and groundbreaking science. Pick a chair, grab a drink, and let’s talk about the mysteries, challenges, and opportunities of the sea.
We’re looking forward to our 2019 Café Sci series, which is again being made possible through sponsorship by HM Payson. Each event will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. We hope to see you there, as well as at our annual open house on Friday, July 19.
Seating is limited at this popular summer series. Please register today!
We can’t wait to welcome you to beautiful mid-coast Maine and the world-renowned Maine Lobster Festival!
The Maine Lobster Festival is five days of fun and feasting on the fabulous coast of Maine. This annual event takes place during the first weekend of August, from Wednesday through Sunday. The Maine Lobster Festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Rockland, Maine, each year with the promise of fresh, local lobster dinners, nationally renowned entertainers, cooking contests, carnival rides, Maine craftsmen and artists.
What started as an idea for a local marine festival to revive Midcoast Maine communities has turned into an internationally-recognized celebration of local seafood. The Maine Lobster Festival attracts visitors from as near as Owls Head, Maine, to visitors from countries throughout Europe and Asia.
Since 1947, the Maine Lobster Festival has given more than $500,000 to Midcoast Maine’s communities. As a non-profit organization, the Maine Lobster Festival donates all proceeds back to the Midcoast Maine communities each year. We support local food pantries, high school sports teams, community service groups, local emergency services, and offer college scholarships for graduating high school seniors.
The Maine Lobster Festival is run exclusively by volunteers. More than 1,300 volunteers from the community and “from away” help us year after year on the festival grounds. From our board of directors right down to the wonderful men and women who serve lobster dinners to our visitors, our hard work is repaid in the form of happy visitors and the satisfaction of supporting Maine’s lobster industry.
- Main Events
- Food
- Seafood Cooking Contest
- Arts and Crafts
- Entertainment
- Steins and Vines
- Smokey’s Greater Shows
- The Great Lobster Crate Race
- The Big Parade
- Maine Sea Goddess Pageant & Coronation
- Road Race, Fun Run and Walk
- Marine Tent
For more information click here –
The festival wouldn’t happen each year without our more than 1,100 volunteers. Our volunteers come from our local community and all over the country. Learn how you can volunteer and earn one of our highly coveted Maine Lobster Festival volunteer T-shirts!
Tickets Available HERE!!!
