New England Events – August 2012
Boats, music, arts, and New England culinary favorites are what it’s all about for New England events in August. Whether it’s jazz in Newport, Rhode Island, overlooking the bay, a lobster dinner or blueberry celebration in Maine, or oysters in Connecticut, you’ll be having fun and great food.
For more New England events in August, check the individual state web sites at the bottom of the page.
15th Annual Vermont Festival of the Arts
August 1 - Labor Day (September 3), 2012
Mad River Valley, Vermont (Central Vermont)
Named “One of America’s Top Summer Activities” by Travel and Leisure magazine. This annual festival has 50 free events in 50 stunning locations. Choose from exhibits, performances, workshops and demonstrations of painting, poetry and crafts, poetry workshops, lectures, a full moon celebration and culinary extravaganzas. On August 6, come for the 15th year of A Taste of the Valley – the most talked about event of the summer season!
Maine Lobster Festival
August 1-5, 2012
Rockland, Maine
Love lobster? This is the festival for you. You’ll find fresh Maine lobster under nine tents overlooking Penobscot Bay — plus a sea goddess, a big parade, top notch entertainment, Maine arts and crafts, US Navy ship tours and more. In addition to lobster, you can choose from steamed and fried clams, fried Maine shrimp, shrimp cocktail, steamed mussels, and many varieties of traditional summer fair food, all prepared in the traditional Maine way.
Salem's Annual Maritime Festival
August 3-4, 2012
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem’s Maritime Festival at Derby Wharf celebrates New England’s long seafaring history and traditions. Come for music, exhibits, demonstrations, tours of the Custom House and the Derby House, harbor cruises, food and family-friendly activities. Head down the street to visit the House of Seven Gables. Climb aboard a reconstructed 1797 merchant ship and immerse yourself in the stories surrounding the Salem witch trials of 1692 – all in the same day! Get to Salem easily from Boston on the Salem Ferry.
5th Annual Festival of Fools
August 3-5, 2012
Burlington, Vermont
The Festival of Fools features the best international street performers from around the globe. Four main stage locations surrounding the Church Street Marketplace and City Hall Park will feature continuous street theater, performing to over 10,000 visitors to Church Street each day. The Festival wraps up on Sunday, August 5th with a grand finale featuring all the performers of the festival. Produced by Burlington City Arts.
Newport Jazz Festival
August 3-5, 2012
International Tennis Hall of Fame & Fort Adams – Newport, Rhode Island (Southern Rhode Island)
The 2012 Newport Jazz Festival®, presented by Natixis Global Asset Management, features Pat Metheny Unity Band with Chris Potter, Antonio Sanchez and Ben Williams; Dianne Reeves; Jack DeJohnette’s 70th Birthday Celebration featuring his Quintet and an All-Star group performing two sets; Bill Frisell – John Lennon Songbook; Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas Quintet: Sound Prints; The Bad Plus with Bill Frisell; James Carter Organ Trio with Special Guests Rodney Jones and Miche Braden; Dafnis Prieto Sextet; 3 Clarinets: Ken Peplowski, Evan Christopher, Anat Cohen; Christian McBride’s Inside Straight; John Ellis & Double-Wide; Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society; and Pedrito Martinez Group on Saturday, August 4, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm, on three unique stages at Fort Adams State Park.
79th Annual Craftsmen’s Fair
August 4-12, 2012
Mount Sunapee Resort – Newbury, New Hampshire
America’s oldest craft fair, the League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair is one of the finest, most prestigious craft events in the USA today. This annual nine-day event features both traditional and contemporary fine craft work by juried members of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. Shop more than 200 individual craft booths featuring jewelry, wood accessories, decorative glass, pottery, fiber arts and more.
Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival
August 5, 2012
Waterfront Park - Burlington, Vermont (Northern Vermont)
A dragon boat is a human-powered boat traditionally made of wood and a kind of traditional Long Boat from throughout Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands. At this unique festival, over 80 teams compete in dragon boat racing (a sport that originated in China over 200 years ago) to raise money for individuals battling cancer and to send out an inspirational message encouraging all cancer survivors to live life to the fullest .
JawsFest: The Tribute
August 9-12, 2012
Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
A three-day fan-centric event exploring the experiences, filming, and memories from the making of JAWS©. The event will be held on Martha’s Vineyard Island, aka “Amity Island.” Fans, families, cast, and crew will join together to share their personal stories, memorabilia, and experiences. This event will explore how the making of JAWS has impacted the lives of those who came to Amity in 1974 and how the blockbuster film they created continues to impact lives today. Included in the event is a substantial shark conservation component. Sharks, Arts, & Conservation is an “event within an event” that includes the opportunity to meet with globally recognized shark experts such as Dr. Greg Skomal and members of Discovery Channel Shark Week.
Lake Champlain Maritime Festival
August 9-12, 2012
Burlington, Vermont
This festival promises exciting events and activities within a spectacular setting: Burlington’s waterfront on the shores of Lake Champlain. Stroll along the shores from venue to venue; view the classic boats, long boats, canoes, and kayaks; watch Dragon boat demonstrations. Experience boat building, sample local fare, enjoy music and bring the children for hands-on exhibits along the spectacular shores of Burlington Vermont’s Waterfront. The Waterfront Wine & Food Tasting takes place at the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival on Burlington’s Waterfront Park. More than 40 participating exhibitors will be featured!
10th Annual Maine Boats & Harbors Show
August 10-12, 2012
Harbor & Buoy Parks – Rockland, Maine
Come see Maine’s finest artists, architects, boatbuilders, craftsmen, designers, furniture makers, jewelers, and marine gear vendors in person. There will be live music, an area for children of all ages, exhibits, fine food, the running of the 10th Annual World Championship Boatyard Dog® Trials. As the only in-water boat show in the state, with more than 70 boats in the water and 150 exhibitors on land, there is something for every member of the family.
Litchfield Jazz Festival
August 10-12, 2012
Goshen Fairgrounds - Goshen, Connecticut
The Litchfield Jazz Festival is a favorite of the public and critics alike. This year’s event will include: The Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, Salute to George Coleman with Gary Smulyan and Eric Alexander, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Four Freshmen, Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks, Benny Green Quartet, Hubert Laws Quartet, Gregoire Maret Quartet, Donny McCaslin Group, Sojourner Truth Project with Avery Sharpe, Dave Stryker and Kevin Mahogany’s Kansas City Swing, Helen Sung Trio, Miguel Zenon Quartet and more.
48th Annual Winter Harbor Maine Lobster Festival
August 11, 2012
Winter Harbor, Maine
North of Acadia National Park, Winter Harbor is on a scenic pennisula and full of an active fleet of lobster boats. Each August, the harbor draws many visitors for this annual event. Watch lobster boat races, eat a Maine lobster dinner and take in the parade. Winter Harbor is accessible by ferry from Bar Harbor in the summer months.
Boston Pops on Nantucket
August 11, 2012
Nantucket Island, Massachusetts
Join us for the 16th annual Boston Pops on Nantucket concert to benefit Nantucket Cottage Hospital. Experience outstanding music and a stunning fireworks show on one Nantucket’s most well-known beaches. Rated ‘Best Summer Event on Nantucket’ by readers of the Inquirer and Mirror for 15 years in a row! Presented by Nantucket Island Resorts, Jill and Stephen Karp.
54th Annual Mystic Outdoor Art Festival
August 11-12, 2012
Historic Downtown Mystic - Mystic, Connecticut
More than 250 fine artists will exhibit oils, watercolors, photography, pastels, sculpture and acrylics along the streets of Historic Downtown Mystic, during this annual art festival, the oldest of its kind in the northeast.
8th Annual Provincetown Jazz Festival
August 11 & 13, 2012
Provincetown & Cotuit, Massachusetts (Cape Cod)
Two days of great jazz in two towns on Cape Cod. At the very tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown is a colorful community with many shops and restaurants, whale watching, and beautiful beaches.
27th Annual TD Bank Pops by the Sea Concert
August 12, 2012
Hyannis, Massachusetts (Cape Cod)
The TD Bank Pops by the Sea concert is Cape Cod’s single largest cultural event. This is the only time of the year that the Boston Pops play on Cape Cod. This fundraising concert regularly sells out to a live audience of over 15,000 – the Cape’s largest single audience. Cape Cod residents and visitors from throughout the United States and abroad gather for this magical afternoon event.
Annual White Mountain Boogie N’ Blues Festival
August 17-19, 2012
Between Waterville Valley and Loon Mountain, New Hampshire
This festival received the 2012 Blues Foundation “Keeping the Blues Alive Award” for Best U.S. Blues Festival. The largest outdoor blues festival in New Hampshire! The festival features award-winning blues artists, food vendors, craft vendors, a climbing wall and many fun activities for children including Saturday night fireworks. The festival is held in the heart of the White Mountains and the boogie stage is in a natural amphitheater located on a 72-acre pasture in the Pemigewasset River Valley.
Great Falls Balloon Festival
August 17-19, 2012
Lewiston/Auburn, Maine
An annual hot-air balloon festival featuring approximately 30 balloons, including some special shapes. Held annually the 3rd weekend of August. Events include balloon rides and tethered balloons (weather permitting), musical entertainment all weekend for all ages, family fun day on Sunday, craft and trade vendors, various food booths, exhibitors, children’s activities, carnival, and much more! Balloon launches are scheduled for 6 am and 6 pm daily, Friday through Sunday, weather permitting.
Machias Wild Blueberry Festival
August 17-19, 2012
Machias, Maine
Come celebrate the powerful little fruit that put this section of Downeast Maine on the map. Come enjoy crafts, food, entertainment, contests, and all things blueberry. Machias is in the northern part of Maine’s beautiful, rugged coast, four hours from Portland, two hours from Bangor, and about an hour and a half from Bar Harbor. Enjoy the festival and stay for whale-watching, hiking and kayaking.
New Haven Open at Yale Univeristy
August 17-25, 2012
Yale University – New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven Open at Yale presented by First Niagara is a women’s-only Olympus US Open Series event and will be held at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale. The event is much more than a tennis tournament with plenty of action both on and off the court. The tournament is also hosting the US Open National Playoffs Championships — bringing mens tennis back to New Haven — and, for the first time, mixed doubles!
38th Annual Milford Oyster Festival
August 18, 2012
Milford, Connecticut
Come to the coast of Connecticut to celebrate oysters! This family-oriented festival is filled with arts and crafts, harbor activities, entertainment for all ages, colorful tents with food and beverages, a classic car show, canoe and kayak races, children’s games, and national and local entertainers. Several varieties of oysters will be sold at the Festival representing some of the most prominent oyster growers on the east coast of the United States. Enjoy oysters both salty and sweet grown from Maine to Virginia.
Newport Blues & BBQ Festival - New!
August 18, 2012
Newport Yachting Center - Newport, Rhode Island
Blues, BBQ, and Beer? You bet – national, regional and local blues artists will rock the Newport waterfront for a full day of soulful riffs, down and dirty ballads, cold brews, and a mouth-watering pig roast. Come see masters of the Blues including Taj Mahal, John Lee Hooker, Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Marcia Ball, and Joanne Shaw Taylor and enjoy a full day of summertime boogie-woogie in the heart of downtown Newport. It’s a summertime celebration of southern comfort with a finger-lickin’ feast pared down with easy ocean breezes, all on Newport’s historic waterfront.
WaterFire
August 18, 2012 (and select dates from May-October)
Waterplace Park– Providence, Rhode Island
WaterFire is a highly unique public art experience that has attracted tens of thousands of visitors to Rhode Island’s creative capital city of Providence. The event is based on an original artistic installation of bonfires lit on the three waterways passing through downtown Providence. On select evenings throughout the year, WaterFire creates a magical artistic event celebrating earth, air, fire and water. Amidst the flicking firelight of 100 bonfires, stroll through Waterplace Park to enjoy enchanting music and entertainment acts from around the world.
39th Annual Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb
August 18, 2012
Route 16, Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire (White Mountains region)
You may have seen these bicycle racers on TV challenging the mountains in Europe, but they call this event the “TOUGHEST HILLCLIMB RACE IN THE WORLD!” – 7.4 miles up the Mt. Washington Auto Road to the tallest peak in the Northeastern US. Come see for yourself why the top racers from the world and local riders travel to Pinkham Notch for this challenge.
42nd Annual Festival of Arts & Crafts in the Seaside Village of Cotuit
August 18-19, 2012
Cotuit, Massachusetts (Cape Cod)
For two days in August the Cotuit Village Green becomes the largest outdoor crafts festival on Cape Cod. Come to the the quaint, seaside village of Cotuit to see the wares of 100 outstanding artisans and craftsmen. Free parking and free admission.
21st Annual Stockbridge Summer Arts & Crafts Show
August 18-19, 2012
Bidwell Park - Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge Summer Arts & Crafts Show celebrates its 20th year at its new Main Street location on the grounds of the Stockbridge Town Park. Stockbridge, blessed with internationally renowned summer festivals of music, theater and dance, major art museums and historic homes brings hundreds of thousands of art and craft lovers to visit the most famous Main Street in America, as painted by Norman Rockwell. More than 80 jury-selected artists and crafters will display their work ranging from paintings to ceramics, fiberware to glass blowing.
32nd Gloucester Waterfront Festival
August 18-19, 2012
Stage Fort Park - Gloucester, Massachusetts
Historic Stage Fort Park along Gloucester Harbor will once again blossom into the colorful 31st Annual Gloucester Waterfront Festival. A collection of over 175 juried artists and craftsmen from throughout the U.S. will display their unique creations, live music, plus delicious ethnic foods. A pancake breakfast and traditional New England Lobster Bake complement this picture perfect seaport event! Free live “family style” entertainment includes Celtic, Ragtime Bands, Country and Folk Music. North Shore Old Car Club will display over 75 Antique Autos on Sunday. Free Admission. Held rain or shine.
Boston Restaurant Week
August 19-24; 26-31, 2012
Greater Boston Area
With over 180 of the region’s best eateries to choose from, there are plenty of options to enjoy a memorable and affordable lunch or dinner out! Restaurants participating in Boston Restaurant Week will be offering their prix fixe menus for lunch and/or dinner. A perfect time to visit New England’s gateway city!
The Music Festival of the Americas at Stowe
August 23-25, 2012
Stowe, Vermont
The Music Festival of the Americas at Stowe has evolved into one of Vermont’s leading music festivals. Its mission is to present premier international virtuosos and rising young talent from both the classical and world-music genres, while celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Americas. Under the baton of music director Alondra de la Parra, the festival brings unsurpassed music to the Green Mountains of Vermont.
American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront
August 24-26, 2012
Bangor Waterfront – Bangor, Maine
Traditional performers from across the country celebrate the richness and variety of American culture in this free, 3-day, multi-stage event. The festival features four stages of music and dance, traditional craft demonstrations and exhibits; a children’s area with activities for the whole family; dozens of food vendors offering ethnic food, regional specialties and traditional festival favorites; and a Marketplace offering unique, handcrafted items and “Taste of Maine” treats for sale.
32nd Annual Lakes Region Fine Arts and Crafts Festival
August 25-26, 2012
Meredith, New Hampshire
An outdoor, juried arts and crafts exhibition and sale of fine arts and fine crafts, featuring high quality works of over 80 artists and craftspeople. The Festival is held outdoors among the Meredith Village Shops and the Mill Falls Marketplace.
Schemitzun: The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Green Corn Powwow Festival
August 25-26, 2012
The Mashantucket Tribal Grounds - Mashantucket, Connecticut
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation welcomes you to celebrate its rich heritage at this special event. Explore the traditional life style of a 17th century Eastern Woodland setting, where Tribal Members, joined by family and friends of other Woodland Tribes, will perform wampum making, flint knapping, storytelling, net making and beadwork and cooking over an open fire. Join social dances, or watch exhibition dancers and contestants move with skill and power to the ancient rhythms of a grandfather drum. Shop for fine Native American arts & crafts including beadwork, baskets, wampum, paintings AND more! Shuttle Service Available from Mashantucket Pequot Museum, Foxwoods Resort Casino, MGM Grand at Foxwoods and Two Trees Inn.
