Arts & Entertainment

Ready to be astounded?  Maine's arts and entertainment calendar is packed with opportunities - and they happen all year long.

In Maine, you can visit artists in their studios; wander through sculpture gardens; enjoy music performances al fresco; mosey along a back-roads studio tour; view film premieres in intimate theaters; attend local art auctions; hear up-and-coming musicians; see Shakespeare performed in an architecturally stunning building; listen to a symphony orchestra cooled by a lake breeze; and even watch family-friendly Vaudeville-style performances.

Maine has attracted visual and performing artists since the Victorian era and they've left a legacy that continues today. Generations of musicians, both world-renowned and aspiring, traveled to Maine seeking renewal and restoration. Their presence gave rise to chamber-music festivals that  fill the summer calendar. Hollywood legends performed summer stock in theaters that continue the tradition. Artist colonies, visual-arts schools and performing-arts programs offer calendars rich with exhibits, performances, lectures and other presentations.

Some fairs and festivals celebrate the culture and heritage of Maine's people. These include Native Americans and early English and Acadian settlers to more recent arrivals such as Greeks, Franco-Americans and Swedes. Other festivals highlight Maine food icons, from lobster to wild blueberries, and can include concerts and art shows.

The setting for Maine's art events adds to the magic. Concerts, plays, craft shows and some film screenings are hosted in unique, outdoor venues. These include Victorian gardens, riverside lawns, oceanfront parks, historic gazebos on town greens and lakeside amphitheaters. Indoor venues are equally enticing, ranging from historic meeting houses to grand concert halls.