What's on in Bar Harbor, United States through the year

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Winter shutdown (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Winter shutdown (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Winter shutdown (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Winter shutdown (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Peak crowds — Cruise ship season, Memorial Day weekend

• Season

  Cruise ship season

  1 May – 31 OctCruise seasonCrowded

  Ships tender into the harbour from May, and the heaviest calls land in September and October with the leaf cruises. The town's thousand-passenger daily cap survived court only for July and August, so the autumn days are the crowded ones. Source ↗

• Opening

  The CAT ferry to Nova Scotia

  14 May – 14 Oct · usuallySummer season opensBook early

  The fast ferry to Yarmouth runs from mid-May to mid-October and takes three and a half hours across the Gulf of Maine. Outside those dates the only way to Nova Scotia is a very long drive. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Memorial Day weekend

  23–25 MayNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  Memorial Day, the last Monday of May, opens the summer travel season: over the long weekend campsites and lodging book out, roads are slow, and parking at the most popular spots fills early in the day. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Cruise ship season, Summer break in United States

• Nature

  Lobster season

  15 Jun – 15 Dec · usuallyForaging season

  Most of the Maine catch comes ashore between the summer shed and the end of autumn, and prices at the pounds follow the boats. Late summer soft-shell lobster is cheaper and sweeter than the hard-shell you get flown out of state.

Still on: Cruise ship season (1 May – 31 Oct), The CAT ferry to Nova Scotia (14 May – 14 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Cruise ship season, Peak summer season

• Season

  Peak summer season

  1 Jul – 31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  A town of five thousand hosting several million park visitors a year does most of it now. Rooms are booked months out, and the Island Explorer bus is quicker than looking for a parking space downtown.

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  3–5 JulNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  The Fourth of July is a federal holiday: banks and government offices close, fireworks draw large crowds to parks and waterfronts after dark, and roads and flights are busy over the long weekend. Claim a viewing spot early. Source ↗

Still on: Cruise ship season (1 May – 31 Oct), The CAT ferry to Nova Scotia (14 May – 14 Oct (usually)), Lobster season (15 Jun – 15 Dec (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Cruise ship season

• Holiday

  Labor Day weekend

  5–7 SepNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  Labor Day, the first Monday of September, is the last big getaway of summer: the long weekend books out campsites and lodging and fills parking early, and families thin out quickly once it has passed. Source ↗

Still on: Cruise ship season (1 May – 31 Oct), The CAT ferry to Nova Scotia (14 May – 14 Oct (usually)), Lobster season (15 Jun – 15 Dec (usually)), Peak summer season (1 Jul – 31 Aug)

Peak crowds — Cruise ship season, Labor Day weekend

• Nature

  Fall foliage

  28 Sep – 25 Oct · usuallyAutumn colourCrowded

  Mount Desert Island turns through the first half of October, later than inland Maine because the sea holds its heat. The colour and the leaf-peeping cruise calls arrive in the same fortnight.

Still on: Cruise ship season (1 May – 31 Oct), The CAT ferry to Nova Scotia (14 May – 14 Oct (usually)), Lobster season (15 Jun – 15 Dec (usually)), Labor Day weekend (5–7 Sep)

Peak crowds — Cruise ship season, Fall foliage

• Festival

  Mount Desert Island Marathon

  11 OctSporting eventCrowdedClosures

  A mid-October point-to-point from Bar Harbor round Somes Sound to Southwest Harbor, timed for the foliage. Island roads close in rolling sections through the morning, so plan the day on foot. Source ↗

Still on: Cruise ship season (1 May – 31 Oct), The CAT ferry to Nova Scotia (14 May – 14 Oct (usually)), Lobster season (15 Jun – 15 Dec (usually)), Fall foliage (28 Sep – 25 Oct (usually))

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

• Season

  Winter shutdown

  1 Nov – 30 AprOff-season shutdownClosures

  Most of the hotels, restaurants and shops close for the winter and the town returns to its year-round population. What stays open is cheap, and the park is yours, but check ahead before driving up for dinner.

Still on: Lobster season (15 Jun – 15 Dec (usually))

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Lobster season (15 Jun – 15 Dec (usually)), Winter shutdown (1 Nov – 30 Apr)