Welcome to Grand Lake Stream, Maine, and the 26th Annual Grand Lake Stream Folk Art Festival!
A celebration of Grand Lake Stream’s natural beauty and unique cultural heritage, the festival brings together artists, artisans, and craftsmen to display and demonstrate their works, musicians to perform and entertain, and families and friends from near and far to enjoy all of this in a magical setting just off the beaten path.
The quaint village of Grand Lake Stream is nestled in the woods of Washington County, Maine, about ten miles off Route One, which runs along the Canadian border. Eastern Maine’s commercial center, the city of Bangor, is about a two hour drive away. The Grand Lake Stream Area has a long history of catering to those desiring outdoor activities including fishing, hunting, canoeing, hiking, birding, wildlife watching, photography, and the winter sports of cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. Although lumbering, the tanbark industry, and mills have historically played a major role in supporting the towns of Grand Lake Stream and nearby Princeton, the abundant wilderness and many pristine lakes and streams created the perfect setting for lodges, inns, and sporting camps dating back to the 1800s…and many still to be found today! The outdoor experiences in this unspoiled corner of Maine are incomparable and keep folks coming back year after year to escape from the stresses of their busy lives and enjoy the lost art of relaxation!
FOLK ART
Browse the unique creations of more than 60 folk artists and craftsmen. Watch as many demonstrate their talents! Shop for traditional and contemporary folk art and handcrafts in a wide variety of mediums. Kids can enjoy arts and crafts instruction all day long!
MUSIC
Enjoy live performances on stage all weekend by Maine’s premier American roots, Celtic, Bluegrass, Folk and Jazz musicians. Local favorites, The Grand Lake Stream Strummin’ Wildcats, will delight the crowd each day. You won’t want to miss it!
CULTURE
Immerse yourself in the culture and history of Grand Lake Stream, with canoe-building displays and historical photos in our Remembrance Tent. Browse the gorgeous displays of handmade quilts from the talented members of the St. Croix International Quilters Guild, including many antique and heirloom pieces.
FOOD
Satisfy your cravings in the food tent, with something for everyone’s tastes! Local vendors will tempt you with downeast favorites like lobster rolls and smoked salmon; traditional burgers, hot dogs and fried chicken; authentic Cajun gumbo and ice cream sundaes!
3 weeks ago
Memorial Day...
A day to remember and honor all the brave heroes who served to hold our flag high.
❤️💙🇺🇸
2 months ago
This is news that we truly hate to deliver, but we have made the tough decision to cancel the festival for this year. With a great deal of uncertainty still surrounding us in the next few months, we are just hesitant to commit to contracts for tents, insurance and other services. We were also concerned about bringing in several thousand visitors to our relatively isolated and tiny town, let alone trying to enforce masks and distancing in our tents. While the vast majority of our exhibitors, musicians, and volunteers were eager to participate, we feel that we must rule on the side of caution. We know there's an economic impact for many and we hope that you will contact our vendors who are online to make purchases, when possible. We were so looking forward to seeing all of you and hope that some will still opt to spend a day or two this summer exploring beautiful Washington County and take a drive to the stream! Our hearts are heavy, but we remain committed to the health and well-being of all so that we may all gather in a more normal fashion in July of 2022. Be well, friends...we appreciate your understanding.
If people—many of whom will be vaccinated—are wary, then they could just stay home. I’m not putting my life on pause anymore. Especially not if the government says so. We’ve been enjoying gatherings with friends and family. And we’re all fully vaccinated. And live to talk about it. 🤗
I think that you’ve made the right decision, this virus is particularly dangerous. Be safe until we see you again.
I think people are paranoid!
I can relate and understand.
Thank you from Pam in GLS
See you in 2022!! ❤️❤️
tough times with hard decisions but 2022 could be awesome!
3 months ago
It's the first day of spring! Dance a jig, play a tune, tie a fly and dust off the canoe...just 126 days until Festival 2021!
3 months ago
The melt is on in Grand Lake Stream and things are looking promising for the festival this summer. 135 days. 🤞
4 months ago
We know you're anxious to hear what's up with the festival for this year. At this point, we're proceeding optimistically and cautiously! We've polled our exhibitors, musicians and sponsors, and the majority are in favor of holding the festival if we can do so safely and without having to impose too many restrictions. Of course, this is dependent on the state's restrictions being eased by the end of July and barring any other "excitement". Please continue to follow us here on Facebook for more updates. We have missed you all and are hopeful for a grand reunion in Grand Lake Stream on July 24th & 25th!
David Salomaa
Fingers crossed 🤞
Cautiously optimistic makes my heart sing!!
Hopefully we’ll all be there.
That was an amazing week!
Marking my calendar right now! My favorite weekend, so much talent!
I sure hope so
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