Beer, wine, food. What could be bad? Oh, and then add entertainment, canoe races, puppy pens where you can pet the humane society pups up for adoption and, now and then, a facial hair competition. Get your dance card out and fill it up, because there are festivals waiting, and brewers making beer right this minute, just for you.

Great Falls Brewfest
When: June 23
Where: Simard-Payne Memorial Park, 46 Beech Street, Lewiston
Times: Noon to 2 p.m. is the VIP session; 2 to 5:30 is general admission
Baxter Brewing Company presents the fifth annual Great Falls Brewfest. Boasting 50 breweries pouring 150 plus beers, this festival will also feature food trucks, disc golf, a cornhole tournament (aka bean bag toss), canoe race, a four-mile road race and live music. Facial hair competition? Yup.
Launched in January, 2011, Baxter Brewing Co. is the first craft brewery in New England to can its entire line of beers. This event always sells out early, so get your tix now.
To buy tickets and for more information go to greatfallsbrewfest.com.

Rails, Tails & Ales: The Midcoast Craft Beer Festival
When: July 21, 2018
Where: Boothbay Railway Village, Boothbay
Times: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. railwayvillage.org/event
This is one of the only festivals that welcomes dogs and kids!
Visitors will enjoy great craft beer from Maine breweries, an outdoor car show, plus a family-friendly setting (dogs & kids welcome!) including steam train rides. Imagine a collection of historic Maine buildings surrounding a village green filled with classic, vintage, antique, hot rods, muscle cars and much more. Live music by the Scott Davis Band, a beloved local group, will go from noon – 4 p.m. Admission is $30 in advance or $35 at the door (must be 21 for the beer tasting) and includes Museum admission as well as a unique souvenir beer mug.
Maine Brewer’s Guild summer session 2018
When: Saturday, July 28th
Where: Thompson’s Point,
Thompsons Point Road,
Portland
Times: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
www.summersession2018.com

The premier beer event benefitting the great Maine Brewer’s Guild. This annual summer beer festival in Maine is back at the waterfront venue of Thompson’s Point in Portland, overlooking a stunning estuary. Featuring more Maine breweries than any other festival, as well as their out-of-state brewery guests – this is the biggest beer festival in the state. Food trucks, live music, plenty of space, easy access to trains, buses, transport from Boston and north (walking distance to Amtrak train station and Concord Coach Lines bus terminal) – this is the one to plan your trip to Maine around.
Maine Brewer’s Guild mainebrewersguild.org

Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival
When: September 1, 2018
Where: Main Street,
Skowhegan
Times: VIP, 2-3 p.m.,
general admission, 3-7 p.m.
skowhegancraftbrewfest.com
An array of Maine craft brewers and vintners (yes, there will be local wine), local food vendors like The Yum Truck, featuring farm-to-table fare, live bands, and guided tours of Maine Grains at the Somerset Grist Mill and of Skowhegan’s section of the Langlais Art Trail will combine to make an unforgettable close to summer. Last year’s fest welcomed 1000 attendees and this year’s promises to surpass that. No children, pets or smoking. Please check website for particulars.

Swine and Stein
Oktoberfest 2018
When: October 6, Saturday
Where: Water Street, Gardiner
Times: 11:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Gardiner’s take on a traditional Oktoberfest celebration – An all-day street party on Water Street featuring Maine craft beer, Maine musicians, and a celebration of delicious Maine pork products.
Food vendors from Gardiner and across the state will serve up a variety of interesting culinary dishes featuring local pork along with other quality menu items. Adding to the festivities, a line-up of favorite and emerging Maine bands will entertain throughout the day. A unique array of games and activities with prizes will encourage mingling and general merriment.

Wine events:
Wine events are a bit different from beer festivals, but if you’re a wine lover, they will be just as much fun. Maine now boasts 25 wineries, a meadery and some hybrids (think Tree Spirits in Oakland), some with multiple locations. From north to south, coast and inland, wine-makers are catching up in numbers to the state’s fine craft brewers. Get to one of these events:

Drinks on the Harbor
When: June 2, 2018
Where: United Farmers’ Market,
18 Spring Street, Belfast
Times: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Join the Maine Winery Guild for an evening at the beautiful United Farmers Market of Maine in Belfast. Enjoy wine and spirits from more than ten wineries and spirit producers. Enjoy an evening of sipping and sampling the best of what Maine has to offer in a glass!

Union Fair
When: August 18-25, 2018
Where: Union
unionfair.org
The annual agricultural fair also has a craft beverage and wine pavilion where guests can sample wines from more than twenty Maine wineries. Taste wines made from Maine wild blueberries, fruits, honey and grapes (yes, some grapes are grown in Maine, too). Select Maine-made beer and spirits will also be featured. Pair these with the many and varied foods featured by local vendors and enjoy the view of the river from the pavilion’s deck. For more information and the full fair schedule, check out Union Fair’s website.

Maine Open Winery Day
When: September 15, 2018
Where: Statewide
On September 15th wineries across the state will host tastings, tours and special events to celebrate Maine Open Winery Day. It’s an opportunity for Maine’s winemakers to showcase their wineries and for customers to learn more about making wine from traditional and not-so-traditional products.
Starting with a single winery in 1983 making blueberry wine, Maine winemakers are now using grapes, native fruits, and even maple syrup to produce wines that are garnering regional, national and even international awards. Each winery has special products, great stories, and a lot to share with the public about what makes their products special whether it’s wine, mead, cider, or spirits. This is an opportunity for them to share their stories and showcase their products.
The Maine Winery Guild’s website is a great start to exploring the state’s wineries. With a printable map and a full listing of names and addresses, it’s all you need to get going on the winery trail. mainewineryguild.com.