Annual Statewide Celebration Opens Maine's Working Blueberry Farms to the Public During Peak Harvest Season on August 1-2
MACHIAS, Maine, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine announces the return of Wild Blueberry Weekend, August 1–2, 2026. Now in its sixth year, the statewide celebration invites residents and visitors to experience Maine's wild blueberry harvest firsthand — on the farms, with the farmers, at the peak of the season.
Maine is the wild blueberry capital of the United States, producing nearly 100 percent of the country's commercial wild blueberry crop across more than 500 farms and 40,000 acres. The industry contributes $361 million to the state's economy annually. Wild blueberries are harvested just once a year during a brief late-summer window — smaller, more intensely flavored, and richer in antioxidants than ordinary blueberries. Wild Blueberry Weekend is the one opportunity each year for the public to experience that harvest firsthand, directly on the farms that grow it.
Across Maine, dozens of working farms, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, bakeries, and local businesses open their doors with something to offer. The Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine encourages everyone, local and from away, to bring the family out to meet Maine's wild blueberry growers, including many multigenerational farming families, and try their hand at raking berries. Grab a seat next to neighbors at a pancake breakfast. Watch a harvest demonstration, let the kids loose in a pick-your-own field, or pull up a chair and sip a wild blueberry cocktail while live music carries across the barrens. Across the state, Wild Blueberry Weekend offers a genuine Maine summer experience.
"Wild Blueberry Weekend is about connecting people to the land and the growers behind America's most remarkable fruit," said Eric Venturini, Executive Director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine. "It's a chance to get out, enjoy the best of Maine summer, and connect with the community — neighbors, family, friends visiting from away. Come out to the barrens, show support for family farmers, and enjoy."
Thousands of people join the celebration season after season. Off the farm, Maine's culinary community embraces the weekend enthusiastically. Chefs, brewers, distillers, and bakers across the state create limited-time wild blueberry offerings — from craft beers and cocktails to handmade chocolates, artisan preserves, and seasonal menus built around the harvest. For visitors exploring Maine as a food destination and for locals who know exactly what they're coming for, the weekend delivers.
This year's event coincides with the International Year of the Woman Farmer. In recognition, Wild Blueberry Weekend 2026 highlights the contributions of women to Maine's wild blueberry industry — from multi-generational farm families to women leading farms and cooperatives across the state today.
"Stewarding wild blueberry barrens is such an important Maine tradition," said Lisa Hanscom of Welch Farm, a 6th generation family owned and operated wild blueberry farm located in Roque Bluffs. "Wild Blueberry Weekend is a chance for farmers to open our fields, celebrate alongside the local community, and share our love for this powerful little berry. These are the things that make Maine, Maine."
Plan your visit and find participating farms and businesses at wildblueberries.com/wild-blueberry-weekend. Most farm experiences are free to attend; food, drink, and products are sold by individual participants.
Media Contact
Jesse Baines, Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, 1 (207) 200-8002, [email protected], wildblueberries.com
SOURCE Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine
Share this article