Maine’s 2025 November Update

November 3, 2025

Haystack at 75

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts has announced Haystack at 75, a year of special programming in 2026, celebrating 75 years since the School’s founding. Founded in 1950 as a research and studio program in the arts,  American architect Edward Larrabee Barnes designed the current Haystack campus on Deer Isle, on a granite ledge overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Haystack connects people through craft and provides the freedom to engage with materials and develop new ideas in a supportive and inclusive community, influencing generations of artists, designers, makers, and architects. To commemorate the diamond anniversary, Haystack will hold regular programming and host new Signature Programs both on the Haystack campus and across the country throughout 2026.

Maine Emerges as a Rising Sports Destination

Maine is gaining recognition as one of America’s most exciting new sports destinations. This past spring, Maine’s first professional soccer team, the Portland Hearts of Pine, took to the field, a sports franchise but also a community-forward movement that’s “culture-led, community-built, and city-backed.” They join a roster of established teams that bring year-round excitement to Maine, including the Portland Seadogs (Double-A baseball), the Maine Celtics (NBA G League), and the Maine Mariners (ECHK hockey). Together, these teams give fans the opportunity to see tomorrow’s stars up close in an intimate, community-driven setting. Maine’s growing sports profile extends beyond the stadium, with events such as Fort Kent’s Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races and the Camden Classics Cup sailing regatta, races, and marathons like the Enduro Race Series,  Beach to Beacon in Cape Elizabeth, and the Mount Desert Island Marathon.

Holiday Celebrations Statewide

Maine gets festive during the holidays, with celebrations throughout the state. “Christmas by the Sea” is how Mid-Coast Maine celebrates in Camden, Rockport, and Lincolnville from December 5-7, 2025.  Freeport Sparkles for the Holidays is now in its 31st season, and the festive events run from December 5-14. It’s the 44th annual Christmas Prelude in Kennebunkport, which runs from December 4-14 and offers tree lighting, fireworks, a candlelight stroll, caroling, and Santa’s arrival on a lobster boat. Maine’s best-known holiday celebration is Gardens Aglow, the annual festival of lights at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. More than 750,000 LED lights are strung among the 14-acre gardens for the largest light display in the state. Gardens Aglow runs through January 3, 2026.

Maine Made Food Gifts

Giving the taste of Maine for the holidays is easy thanks to Maine Made, a consortium of gourmet and specialty foods from the state’s best producers and purveyors who can ship their wares in time for the holidays. Fish and shellfish are synonymous with Maine, and Downeast Day Boat in Bath ships scallops within 24 hours of being caught. Dunstan Smokehouse Co. of Scarborough, Ducktrap River of Maine in Belfast, and Grindstone Neck of Winter Harbor all offer a variety of smoked seafood, from scallops to mussels to salmon. At the same time, Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co. is famed for its lobster mac and cheese, lobster pot pies, lobster rolls, and lobster risotto. Maine maple syrup can be ordered from Kinney’s Sugarhouse in Knox, Sawyer’s Maple Farm in Jackman, Hilltop Boilers Maple Syrup of Newfield, and Maple Moon Farm of Lebanon. Pineland Farms produces an extensive array of cheeses, from smoked cheddar to New Gloucester.  Crooked Face Creamery of Skowhegan offers small-batch cheeses and locally raised meats. More artisanal cheeses are available at Balfour Farm in Pittsfield and Lakin’s Gorges Cheese of Waldoboro. Bleuberet of Ellsworth focuses on wild Maine blueberry jams, fruit spreads, and preserves from blueberries grown locally. One of the best-known companies in the state is Maine Grains of Skowhegan, a gristmill featuring traditional stone milling. Raye’s Mustard is one of Down East Maine’s oldest small family businesses. Pie lovers can reach out to Valley View Orchard Pies, while  Cape Whoopies, Maine’s Gourmet Whoopie Pie of South Portland, sells Maine’s favorite dessert for a stellar finish to a Maine meal.

Maine Made Goods for Holiday Giving

Maine Made not only includes food but an array of locally made gifts, many of them hand-crafted, from some of the state’s finest artists, artisans, and craftspeople. Canvas tote bags are a staple of Maine life, and you can find them at Rogue Life of Lewiston, Rugged Seas of Cape Elizabeth, and Sea Bags of Portland. Fernwood Cottage in Wayne creates wooden trugs for the garden, while Maine Garden Products creates wooden garden hods. Dozens of artists’ galleries have works for sale through the Maine Made site. For sporting gifts, small batch fly rods are the focus of the Maine Fly Company,  Grain Surfboards of York makes handmade boards, and Winterstick Snowboards come from the Carrabassett Valley near Sugarloaf. For home décor, check out the Weathervane Factory in Eddington, and for Maine-branded goods, Original Maine in Portland.