Yarmouth Clam Festival

Yarmouth Clam Festival

Third weekend of July

Held in a small town in southern Maine, the Yarmouth Clam Festival has been a New England tradition since 1965. For a few days, the town expands to as much as 15 times its size, receiving nearly 120,000 visitors.
The event is a great introduction to the many methods of clam preparation. Festival goers have their choice of steamed clams, whole fried clams, clam strips, clam cakes, clam chowder, and fried clams in batter, among other traditional festival fare. Along with celebrating Yarmouth's seafood, the festival is also a fundraiser, with proceeds from the seafood booths helping to support over 35 local nonprofit organizations.
Other clam-related activities include clam-shucking contests and It's Clamtastic!, a competition added to the festival in 2006. Taking place on the Thursday before the festival officially opens, the competition invites people to sample and judge seafood platters from local restaurants.
Beyond sampling clams and other seafood, attendees can choose from a number of other activities including rides, games, live music, an antique show, a parade on Friday night, and a fireworks show on Saturday.

CONTACTS:
Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce
162 Main St.
Yarmouth, ME 04096
207-846-3984; fax: 207-846-5419
www.clamfestival.com

Celebration days:
2011: Jul 16; Jul 17
2012: Jul 21; Jul 22
2013: Jul 20; Jul 21
2014: Jul 19; Jul 20
2015: Jul 18; Jul 19