7 Best Performing Arts in Penobscot Bay, Maine

Every August, Bay Chamber Concerts mounts a three-week series of mostly classical concerts in the Rockport Opera House and in a variety of other venues, both indoors and out. Some events are free; others are ticketed, with discounted admission for young audience members. There's also a Bach for Breakfast series held in the Camden Amphitheatre.

Throughout the year, Camden's historic opera house presents a full calendar of concerts, plays, and dance performances, as well as an annual film festival.

One of the biggest and most colorful events of the year is the Camden Windjammer Festival, which takes place over Labor Day weekend. The harbor is packed with historic vessels, there are lots of good eats, and visitors can tour the magnificent ships.

Every year, a professional troupe of actors presents a midsummer festival of Shakespeare plays beside the harbor. Held in Camden's beautiful amphitheater, the performances strive to engage audiences of all ages, including children. The festival is presented in association with the Camden Public Library.

Rockland's annual Maine Lobster Festival, held in early August, is the region's largest annual event. About 10 tons of lobsters are steamed in a huge lobster cooker—you have to see it to believe it. The festival, held in Harbor Park, includes a parade, live entertainment, food booths, and, of course, the crowning of the Maine Sea Goddess.

About a dozen well-known musicians gather for the North Atlantic Blues Festival, a two-day affair held the first or second full weekend after July 4. The show officially takes place at the public landing on Rockland Harbor Park, but it also includes a "club crawl" through downtown Rockland on Saturday night. Admission to the festival is $45 at the gate, $75 for a weekend pass.