ROCKPORT — The Town of Rockport is bringing back the Donut Festival for its second year on June 7 and 8, 2024. While paying homage to the history of the donut, the two-day summer kick-off event will be jam packed with family-friendly activities in downtown Rockport and the Harbor Marine Park, music, food trucks, craft vendors, a beer/wine garden and parade, and thousands of donuts from vendors from the Midcoast and beyond.

Friday donut vendors include School House Farm, Moody’s Diner, Ricker Hill Farm and Beth’s Farm Market, followed by a sweet and satisfying line-up of donuts on Saturday from Ruckus Donuts, Old Time Donuts, The Only Doughnut, Eighty 8 Donuts, The Gluten Free Kitchen, and The Holy Donut. Rock City Coffee will be pouring piping hot coffee to complement your donut experience. 

Admission to this volunteer-supported event is free, thanks to the generous support of individual and business sponsors, on-site donations from the community, and revenue from select ticketed events scheduled throughout the weekend.

Ticketed events include the limited-capacity Dinner on the Bridge experience, brought to you by E. Wales Catering, and Main Stage performances by The Right Track, The Hot Suppers, and Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish. 

“It has been said that the esteemed Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory of Clam Cove, Rockport, invented the donut with a hole in the center in 1847,” said Rockport Town Manager Jon Duke, in a news release. “We are looking forward to celebrating that legacy with our neighbors – and with people from all over Maine and beyond – with an outrageous amount of fun and donuts!” 

The community is encouraged to enter the 5K Donut Dash Fun Run, the Anything That Floats Race, the “Donut Dip” into Rockport Harbor, the Homemade Donut Contest, and to help decorate a community float on Friday for the big parade on Saturday morning.  

The MaineStay Media Kids Tent will be bustling with non-stop activities including cookie decorating, face painting, hula hooping, coloring contest, donut-themed games, and a kids-only gift card raffle. 

Savory and alternative food options will be offered by a variety of vendors and food trucks, including Flat Bread, Stone Fox Farm Creamery, Vintage Dogs, Brother Shucker, Portable Pie Place, Crepe Elizabeth, The Ugly Dumpling, Cheese the Day, and the West Bay Rotary. 

A multitude of craft vendors and local artists will be on-site, including Katydid Bows, Old School Crafting, Sampo Silver Studio, Ancestral French Soaps, Two Daughters, Whimsies & Bljux, Walking Wool Studio, Repurposing Mimi, Be Hivin, Jesse Mixer Metalsmith, Campground Critters, Turtlecraft Shack, Fermanagh Farm, CreativeCreations4U, and Fantasy Designs Maine. 

Generous sponsors who offset festival expenses and help keep this event free to the public include – but are not limited to – MaineStay Media, Adventure Advertising, Colby & Gale, Rockport Harbor Hotel, Cedar Works, Hay Runner, The Samoset Resort, Barnswallow Books, Maine Sport, Maine State Credit Union, The Country Inn, Danica Candleworks, First National Bank, Artisan Boatworks, Camden Hills Dental, Cates Real Estate, Rockport Building Partners, and Allen Insurance. 

Volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, along with a full list of vendors and the schedule of events, directions, and parking information can be found on the official Donut Festival website https://www.rockportmaine.gov/rockportdonutfestival. 

“ And donut forget to follow the Rockport Donut Festival on Facebook for exciting news and real-time updates leading up to the big event,” said the Town of Rockport.