August in New England: Best Events and Things to Do
Don’t leave August fun to chance. Yankee‘s your bestie, enticing you to experience New England’s best August events and scoop up the region’s best late-summer deals.
By Kim Knox Beckius|Jul 23 2025|
The food vendors at Rhode Island's annual Charlestown Seafood Festival serve more than your everyday chowder and lobster rolls.
Photo Credit: Charlestown Seafood FestivalSummer days are numbered once the eighth month of the year rolls around. So before daylight hours contract, there’s a chill in the morning air, and the kids head back to school, make plans to live like August is the best month in New England. Because many New Englanders will tell you… this is true.
Even if it’s been decades since you went back to school, the pressure’s on to have interesting experiences to share when you’re asked: What did you do on your summer vacation? From summer street festas in Boston’s Italian North End this August to lakeside fun for everyone, Yankee always knows the answers to this assignment. And we love it when you copy our homework like this Mainer did!
So here are my top New England event picks for August weekends. I’ll also give you the lowdown on August travel deals that have caught my eye and tell you how to attend a tasty Yankee-sponsored weekend event at Spruce Peak.
Weekend of August 2-3, 2025
Photo Credit: Kim Knox Beckius
Maine Lobster Festival | Rockland, ME
Opening July 30 and serving up fun straight through August’s first weekend, the Maine Lobster Festival is as much about entertainment as it is about delicious crustaceans. Bands and indie artists take the stage, and Saturday’s big parade is always something to see. A dog show on Friday, August 1, is this year’s newest addition to the festivities, and you can dress up your pup and compete for prizes (register by July 31). Here’s a hint from me: If you find a food stand dishing up smoked shrimp, you have to try it.
Charlestown Seafood Festival | Charlestown, RI
While we’re talking about the ocean’s bounty, southern New England has its own celebration of seafood this weekend. Head to the 40th Annual Charlestown Seafood Festival, which runs Friday through Sunday, for everything from chowder and raw oysters to lobster rolls and fish and chips. There’s non-stop entertainment and a fireworks display on Saturday night. You can even park your RV and spend the entire weekend indulging. Actually, there’s so much to love about Charlestown, you may want to extend your stay.
Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon | Cornish, NH
If you haven’t been to Blow-Me-Down Farm this summer, the first weekend in August’s your last opportunity to experience a memorable performance at Opera North’s scenic venue. On Sunday, August 3, join the JOSA Ensemble as these musicians recapture the magic of jazz sessions in Chicago and NYC in the 1930s and ’40s. Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon tickets are $30 online in advance.
Weekend of August 9-10, 2025
Photo Credit: Windwood Productions
Craftsmen’s Fair | Newbury NH
It’s the 92nd year for the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s annual Craftsmen’s Fair, held at Mount Sunapee Resort. And this is actually the second and final weekend of the event’s nine-day, August 2-10, run. Featuring handcrafted goods across all media, it’s an opportunity to shop or to simply be inspired by the creativity of hundreds of the League’s juried members.
Mass Tax-Free Weekend | MA statewide
Want to get a jump on your holiday (and back-to-school) shopping? August 10 and 11 is Massachusetts Tax-Free Weekend, when most items priced at up to $2,500 are exempt from sales tax. Keep your eye out for retail promotions statewide that add to the 6.25% savings shoppers will realize by timing their purchases just right.
Photo Credit: Fred Collins
John Williams’ Film Night | Lenox, MA
You’ve never seen beloved movies like this! On Saturday, August 9, spread out a stellar picnic on the lawn at Tanglewood, and view movie clips on large screens as the Boston Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, plays excerpts from iconic scores by John Williams. Maestro Williams has curated this Film Night program, and I’m betting his score for Jaws makes a not-so-sneaky appearance during the movie’s 50th-anniversary summer.
Weekend of August 16-17, 2025
Photo Credit: Sarah Salvasco / Spruce Peak
A Taste of New England | Stowe, VT
Yankee is once again teaming up as media partner for A Taste of New England at Spruce Peak Resort. This immersive culinary weekend featuring top New England chefs kicks off Thursday, August 14, with “A Taste of Vermont,” a special five-course meal prepared by some of the state’s most notable chefs. You can buy tickets for one event, like Friday evening’s sampling extravaganza with a cast of star chefs, or for all of them. Saturday night’s Chef Collaboration Dinner is an extraordinary feast, featuring five courses prepared by five chefs, expertly paired with selections from the Domaine Bousquet Winery.
New England BIPOC Fest | Portsmouth, NH
Strawbery Banke provides the setting for the New England BIPOC Fest on Sunday, August 17, and you’re invited to experience the joy and exuberance of people from all backgrounds coming together to celebrate the music, art, food, and culture of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots Festival | Manchester, VT
Four days of live bluegrass, roots, and Americana music kick off on August 14 and continue clear through the third weekend in August, as Hunter Park at Northshire Civic Center hosts the Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots Festival. Camping is an option (reserve in advance), but even if you only opt for a day pass, you’ll feel part of this community of music lovers.
Weekend of August 23-24, 2025
North Country Moose Festival | Colebrook, NH, and Canaan, VT
For the 35th year, the North Country Moose Festival is your excuse to plan a moose safari. Even if you don’t spy one of these majestic mammals in nearby Dixville Notch State Park, there’ll be plenty of moose sightings starting with Friday-night festivities in Colebrook, New Hampshire, on August 22. The festival moves across state lines to Canaan, Vermont, on Saturday, August 23, for an old-fashioned country fair and moose’t-see events like Cow Plop Bingo and the Moose Calling Contest.
Porchfest | Wethersfield, CT
The oldest town in Connecticut is anything but sleepy, especially on Saturday, August 23, when Porchfest turns architecturally beautiful Wethersfield into an outdoor concert venue. With more than 40 bands and musicians performing and more than 90 vendors adding to the allure of Main Street, you’re in for an unforgettable day of free entertainment.
Black Ships Festival | Newport and Bristol, RI
A culturally immersive weekend awaits as the Japan-America Society hosts the 42nd annual Black Ships Festival, with many free and some ticketed events, August 22-24. On Saturday, August 23, Bristol’s Independence Park is the setting for a full slate of free activities, from karate workshops and craft demonstrations to taiko drumming performances. Round out your experience by booking a spot on a Sushi Sake Sail on Friday or Sunday.
Labor Day Weekend, August 30-September 1, 2025
Photo Credit: Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce
Garlic Town U.S.A. | Bennington, VT
Start your Labor Day weekend in New England at a destination that comes to life just one day each year: Garlic Town U.S.A. On Saturday, August 30, more than 100 purveyors of garlicky goods will gather in downtown Bennington, Vermont, to tantalize your tastebuds (yes, there will be garlic ice cream). This beloved community festival is about more than the venerable bulb, though. Bands play all day, there are games and activities for kids and adults, and the bar tent serves up Garlic Bloody Marys.
King Richard’s Faire | Carver, MA
New England’s largest and longest-running Renaissance festival opens this weekend for its 44th season. Can’t get there August 30-September 1? You’ll have a realm of opportunities to visit King Richard’s Faire on weekends and Monday holidays through October 19. Do go in costume… and do devour a two-pound turkey leg.
New This Month in New England
Photo Credit: Red Jacket Resorts
Sam Adams Beer Garden at Red Jacket Beach Resort | South Yarmouth, MA
There’s never been a Sam Adams Beer Garden at a U.S. hotel before, so this is revolutionary. Head to Cape Cod’s newly refreshed Red Jacket Beach Resort to enjoy some seaside suds while this pop-up is in town, 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily this month.
Photo Credit: Dry Dock
Dry Dock | Portland, ME
Be among the first to dine at the reimagined Dry Dock restaurant on Portland’s waterfront, which reopens on July 26. This is the first voyage beyond the brand for the Luke’s Lobster team, and the docks, which have been more than doubled in size to accommodate 160 guests outside, will be the place to sip rum-forward boat drinks and savor coastal cuisine in August.
August’s Best Travel Deals
Photo Credit: Brian Samuels
Dine Out Boston
Boston’s annual summer dining promotion makes August 3-16 the best time of the year to eat out in the city. Dine Out Boston participating restaurants (there are more than 175!) offer prix fixe lunch and dinner menus at set prices that typically reflect a savings over a la carte pricing, and chefs step up their creativity for these meal deals. How tempting is the poached pear salad (pictured above, bottom left) on the Dine Out Boston menu at The Bosworth (located at Hotel AKA Boston Common)? Then again… the tuna poke (top center) looks yummy, too!
Overnights at the Spa at Norwich Inn | Norwich, CT
If you’re like me, you’ve been saying all summer: I need a spa escape! The Spa at Norwich Inn makes midweek pampering more affordable than you might imagine with a Stay & Spa package, priced from $290 per person double occupancy, including a massage (individual or duet) or facial, a room for the night, complimentary transportation to Mohegan Sun Casino, and breakfast.
Yankee Out & About in August
Join senior food editor and Weekends With Yankee co-host Amy Traverso in Stowe for A Taste of New England at Spruce Peak (details above).
