Maine Cheese Festival Returns to Pittsfield for Its 10th Year With Local Food, Farmers and Plenty of Cheese

 A Very Maine Kind of Festival

There are few things more Maine than spending a September day outside, eating cheese made by people who probably know the cows by name. On Sunday, September 13, the 10th annual Maine Cheese Festival returns to Manson Park in Pittsfield, bringing together cheesemakers, farmers, food producers and plenty of hungry Mainers.

This isn't really the kind of festival you rush through. It's more of a wander-around-with-your-friends kind of day. Grab a cheese sample, talk to the person who made it, listen to some live music and then somehow end up holding another piece of cheese five minutes later.

More Than Cheese

According to the Maine Cheese Festival, more than 65 Maine-made vendors are expected this year. Along with all that cheese, there will be local food, Maine craft beverages, demonstrations, a cheese competition and educational experiences. Families can come along too, with kids' activities included in the day's lineup.

What makes this one worth the drive is how Maine-derived the whole thing feels. You're not just trying cheddar at a booth. You're meeting the farmers and makers who are keeping Maine's small food and agricultural communities going.

The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with general admission beginning at noon and early access from 11 to noon. It's basically an excuse to grab a few friends, head to Pittsfield and spend a fall Sunday tasting your way around Maine.