Family events in Sanford, ME

A weekly outdoor music series transforms the farm into a relaxed gathering with local artists spanning rhythm and blues, jazz, Americana, Celtic, bluegrass, rock, pop rock, alt country, and more. Guests can settle in with a lawn chair or blanket, enjoy a pint from local brewers, snack on a bison hot dog, browse the farm store, and let kids meet the resident animals. The season features regional talent such as Killeeshil Traditional Irish Music, Sigrid Sibley & Friends, Seacoast Revival Early Jazz Band, The McCritters Garage, The Hempcats, Toby McAllister & The Sierra Sounds, The Bottom Dollars, Gnarly Darling, a One Longfellow Square presentation of the Melvin Gradiz Band, A Moment of Green, The Lion Sisters, and a One Longfellow Square presentation of Lolabelle. Open air performances set an easygoing scene for families and friends to savor the last moments of a Maine weekend. Tickets are available at the door for $15 per person, with children under 12 admitted free, and the series is supported by Kennebunk Savings Bank.

MOFF in Biddeford presents an outdoor screening on the green outside Ripich Commons at the University of New England’s Biddeford Campus, co-produced with the university. The program runs about ninety minutes and is free for both the campus community and the general public. Arrive early to secure a comfortable spot. Bring a camp chair or blanket, and consider packing a headlamp, warm layers, insect repellent, and a picnic. The lineup features The Proving Ground, which examines the real risks of sliding falls on Mount Washington through accounts of survival and loss, created with the Mt. Washington Avalanche Center Foundation. Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage follows 85-year-old Susan Baur and a determined group of women who clean up waterways while finding community and joy in the process. The Book of George shares George McKenzie Jr.’s path from a violent past to a life photographing the natural world and guiding young people into outdoor spaces. The Marks We Leave profiles artist Hailey Hosken as climbs in the Gallatin Canyon inspire a painting shaped by her connection to Spare Rib and the surrounding landscape. Wild Ride spotlights Sunny, Mo, and Galen as they lead a women’s snowmobile clinic in Alaska that builds skill and confidence. Fish for the Future documents biologists and volunteers in the Santa Monica Mountains racing to save endangered steelhead after the Palisades fire before incoming storms threaten their habitat. Man in the Wave portrays a Massachusetts engineer who discovers purpose and connection through surf photography while living with multiple sclerosis, capturing the quiet rhythms of a tight-knit surf community.

The 2026 Shaker Hill Apple Festival offers a full lineup of activities with no cost for admission or parking. Explore a craft market, enjoy food trucks and music, and browse a yard sale. Children can take pony rides, meet animals in a petting zoo, get their faces painted, and play in a dedicated game zone, with additional attractions planned. Presented by the Friends of Alfred Shaker Museum (501(c)(3)). More information will be shared as the event approaches.

Explore the carefully restored Sweat-Morin Homestead, once home to Reverend Moses Sweat, Sanford’s first Congregational minister. This guided experience offers an immersive window into 18th century life, with a classic colonial layout that includes a keeping room, birthing room, and parlor accented by original woodwork, historic paint colors, and striking 32 foot ceiling beams. Inside the main house you will find three functioning fireplaces and furnishings suited to the period. The grounds feature a carriage house, a family cemetery, and wooded trails, and the barn has been rebuilt using original timber framing with distinctive reverse board and batten siding. The homestead house and barn are handicapped accessible. Admission is free, and donations are welcomed. Signing up in advance is optional and helps with planning.