AUBURN — The Auburn Lobster Festival will kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Festival Plaza on Main Street.

The event, which started as an April Fool’s Day joke in 2021, will feature a lobster shore dinner, food trucks, local breweries, and music and entertainment.

Under the banner “May is for Mainers,” the festival’s theme this year is “Lobsters in Paradise,” a nod to Jimmy Buffett who died Sept. 1, 2023, said Liz Allen, Auburn’s director of communications and community engagement. Headlining the event will be the premiere of a Buffett tribute band to give the laid-back “tropical state of mind” the event aims for this year.

“Our team was taking a break during the Auburn Blues & Brews Festival … and the band on stage was playing ‘Margaritaville,’” Allen said. “We sang along, then said how great it would be to celebrate Jimmy somehow. And just like that, we had our theme for the 2024 Lobster Festival. Sometimes the universe just sends a sign.”

The Exchange Club of Auburn will return to host the lobster shore dinner. The dinner serves as a fundraiser for the nonprofit which supports veterans and students from Lewiston and Edward Little high schools and Saint Dominic Academy. The organization also provides around 80 children with presents at Christmastime and supports several other local programs.

Musical acts at this year’s festival include Gary Roland & the Landsharks, The Smith Collaboration and Brian & Jen. Breweries slated for the event include Craft Brew Underground, Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co., Geary Brewing Co., Lost Valley Brewing Co., Side By Each Brewing Co. and Nonesuch River Brewing. Food trucks include L/A Taco, Roaming Eats, Ye Olde English Fish & Chips, Mac’s Downeast Seafood, Lucky Cat Coffee and Cheese the Day.

One of this year’s noteworthy additions to the festival is the Sea Bus from the Lobster Institute at University of Maine at Orono. The Sea Bus is a portable marine touch tank the institute uses to teach school classes and crowds about Maine’s many sea creatures.

“The Lobster Festival is a great opportunity to celebrate the end of winter and the start of the summer season … (and) Downtown Auburn is a great place to get together with family and friends,” Auburn Mayor Jeffrey Harmon said. “It’s easy to get to, there is convenient parking, and we always have a fun time.”

While Auburn may not be a coastal community, Allen said the city prides itself on seizing the opportunity to support those in the lobster industry. All city staff involved with last year’s festival were thrilled with how locals and visitors alike embraced the fun spirit of the event, Allen said, and many at the festival’s 4,000-person turnout asked if the event would be recurring.

“It’s tucked into May, before the real ‘season’ begins. It’s a time when Mainers can shake off the winter ‘blahs’ and have some presummer fun together,” Allen said. “And what could be better than Jimmy Buffett-style music, fresh seafood, sunshine and fun?”

Tickets for the lobster shore dinner cost $35 and include a steamed lobster, one pound of steamed clams, potatoes, corn on the cob and melted butter. Prepaid reservations are encouraged as walk-ins will be accommodated based on availability. Three seatings are planned for 12:30, 2 and 3:30 p.m. Purchase reservations online or learn more at https://www.auburnlobsterfestival.com/lobster-bake.

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