Jun 06 2008
Old Port Festival – Fun in the Sun
This past Sunday (June 1) marked the 35th annual Old Port Festival in Portland’s Old Port (what, like you were expecting it to be in Saco or something?). With most of the Old Port blocked off to vehicular traffic, street vendors and bands set up everywhere to serve the throngs of Mainers and those From Away looking to celebrate the unofficial start of summer.
Amber and I were only able to attend for an hour or so due to other social obligations. We managed to get into the Temple Street parking lot (no mean feat given the snarled–by Portland standards–traffic and number of pedestrians exercising their right of way). A band was set up just outside, in front of the Nickelodeon Theatre. Several vendors were set up with food and merchandise along Middle and Exchange Streets.
We were looking for a quick bite to eat and didn’t really feel we had time to explore all that the Festival had to offer, so we grabbed two chicken and veggie wraps from a nearby vendor. After getting our wraps (which were piled high with veggies and really necessitated fork-and-knife consumption), we took a quick jaunt down Exchange Street and headed to Novare Res Bier Café for a beer to wash it down. The clouds you can see encroaching the scene in the photo above yielded two or three rain drops while we were seated on the huge deck enjoying wraps and some great beers, but the sun broke back through and made for a lovely afternoon.
If a quiet stroll through a “rustic” New England sea village is your thing, well, you probably wouldn’t be in Portland in the first place, and definitely should avoid it during Old Port Festival. However, if you’re looking for a good time, some food and live music, and a way to celebrate the arrival of nice weather to southern Maine, I think you owe it to yourself to try Old Port Fest at least once. Amber and I will be doing an extended visit next year.