When you wander into an event as large and lively as the Yarmouth Clam Festival, it’s good to have a plan.

And that plan should include a lot of clams.

The Yarmouth Clam Festival is marking its 60th anniversary and some 100,000 visitors are expected during its three-day run, July 18-20. It’s the biggest summer party in southern Maine and there are dozens of things to see and do and eat and drink every day. There’s live music and entertainment, kids activities, a parade, fireworks, a car show and lots more.

So to avoid being overwhelmed, you should consider prioritizing your visit a little bit. To help with that we’ve assembled a list of the 11 things you really should see or do (or eat or drink) to get the full clam fest experience. You can get a schedule of everything happening during the three days by going to www.clamfestival.com. 

CLAM FESTIVAL PARADE

6 p.m. Friday, Main Street.

Take a drive to Main Street in Yarmouth a week or more before the parade and see how many camp chairs are already lined up, if you want to get an idea of how popular it is. This year’s theme is “Come Together: A Retro Rewind to the ’60s,” so you can expect marchers and floats to be decked out in groovy style. The parade lasts about an hour, and stretches a mile and a half through town.

MAINE STATE CLAM SHUCKING CONTEST

11 a.m. Saturday in the Memorial Green tent.

See how much skill and nerve it takes to slice open a clam shell as fast and efficiently as possible. The contest includes heats for professionals, people who shuck for a living in restaurants or other places, as well for amateurs. It’s hard to believe some people shuck just for fun, but they do. There will also be celebrity heats, featuring local TV and radio personalities donning aprons and yellow sou’wester hats and bringing their best “Aw, shucks” attitude.

 

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BLUEBERRY PIE EATING CONTEST

1:30 p.m. Saturday at First Parish Church stage.

You can’t have a festival in Maine in the summer without lots of blueberry pie. People compete in age groups, with no utensils. Getting very blue in the face is mandatory. Pies are provided by the First Parish Church.

FIREWORKS

9:15 p.m. Saturday.

After a day spent with your feet on the ground, going from one festival attraction to another, the fireworks display is a time to stop and look up. The fireworks are best viewed from the Memorial Green or behind the carnival area. It’s one of the festival’s biggest draws, so find a spot early.

DIAPER DERBY

Noon Sunday, at Memorial Green tent.

A Yarmouth Clam Festival tradition, this is a series of races for youngsters who can’t yet run. There are three divisions; Crawlers, for babies 1-12 months; Toddlers, for ages 13-24 months and another Toddlers, for ages 25-36 months. There will be prizes for first and second place in each division.

MAIN STREET RUMBLE

1-3 p.m. Sunday, Main Street in front of Memorial Green tent.

This is an invite-only car show which begins with a parade. All the cars drive into town with a police escort.

STEAMER SELFIES

Various places and times.

You just cannot leave the festival without getting your photo, or your kids’ photo, with Steamer. This smiling clam with legs is the official mascot of the Yarmouth Clam Festival. People can meet and greet Steamer, and take photos, on Friday at 2 p.m. on the library lawn. Some of the other chances to have photo ops with Steamer include Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on the library lawn, Saturday at 7 p.m. at Memorial Green and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the North Yarmouth Academy tent.

CARNIVAL

10 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Bennett Field by the Rowe School.

The festival boasts one of the biggest carnivals in the state, with a midway of rides and amusements run by Smokey’s Greater Shows. Besides rides, there’s carnival food and games with prizes.

FRIED CLAMS

The festival features dozens of local nonprofit groups making and selling food in various locations, and it seems like half of them do fried clams. (Maybe not quite that many, actually.) In 2022, a record-breaking 217 gallons of clams were cleaned, breaded and cooked for the festival. So you’ve got no excuse to finally try some.

LIME RICKEYS

This old-fashioned summer drink has been a staple of the festival for years. It’s fresh-squeezed lime juice, seltzer water, ice, and simple syrup for sweetness. The Downeasters barbershop chorus is usually in charge of making them, and thousands are sold.

MAINE MUSIC 

There are performances by Maine musicians throughout all three days. A few of the highlights this year include Maine’s Got Talent winner Amy Stacy Curtis at 2 p.m. Friday, the Mallett Brothers Band at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Toby McAllister & the Sierra Sounds at 1 p.m. Saturday and former “American Idol” contestant Julia Gagnon, who performs as Jul’ia, at 3 p.m. Saturday. All of the above shows are at the Memorial Green.