An attendee of the 2024 Maine Needham Festival samples jam from Pembroke-based Pen & Cob Farm. (Photo courtesy Drew Soucy Media)
The third annual Maine Needham Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Maine Tasting Center in Wiscasset.
This free, family-friendly event celebrates the rich history and modern revival of the Maine Needham, a unique chocolate-covered coconut and potato candy, with a full day of treats, games, music, local vendors, and plenty of surprises.
The festival was launched in 2023 following the passage of a state bill officially designating the last Saturday in September as Maine Needham Day. Signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills, the act honors the confection’s 150-year-old legacy and the small businesses that keep it alive.
The event is co-founded and organized by Maine Needham Company and Maine Tasting Center with the continued support of planning committee members Robin’s Confections and Wilbur’s of Maine Chocolate Confections, two iconic Maine candymakers who have long upheld the Needham tradition.
At the heart of the festival is a lively vendor marketplace featuring both returning favorites and exciting new participants, including candy makers, food trucks, craft vendors, and local artisans. Guests can shop, snack, and play while enjoying live music from Maine musicians Judd Caswell and Isaac Boll, plus a full schedule of family-friendly activities like potato sack races, themed lawn games, and Needham-making demos and classes hosted by the Maine Tasting Center culinary team.
Returning this year is the popular homemade Needham contest, sponsored by Maine Made, which invites home cooks to show off their own take on this iconic treat. A special guest judge for this year’s contest is Susan Bregman, author of “New England Sweets: Doughnuts, Bonbons & Whoopie Pies,” who will also be on-site to meet festival-goers and sign books.
New for this year is the Needham-themed product contest, a playful competition encouraging vendors to dream up creative Needham-inspired offerings, from foods to crafts and beyond.
“The idea was sparked by some truly amazing products vendors brought to the 2024 festival,” said Sara Gross, executive director of the Maine Food and Beverage Education Center. “One of the standouts was a series of intricate, hand-sculpted Needham-themed earrings and necklaces by Shameless Bits. Every person on the planning committee ended up buying one of them. They’ve become some of our favorite and most-worn accessories, and they reminded us just how much creative potential there is in celebrating the Needham!”
For more information or to sign up to be a festival volunteer, go to meneedhamfest.com.
