What's on in Maine's northernmost county and just over the border in New Brunswick, checked against each organizer, with the drive from Eagle Lake for every listing. Kept by Laura and Matt Rode at Eagles Landing Lakeside Cottages.
Aroostook County is the top of Maine: lakes, big woods and potato country along the New Brunswick border. Fall means peak color and craft fairs, winter means snowmobiles and sled dogs, and summer is festival season.
Every listing links to the organizer. Date confirmed means we checked it with the organizer, venue or state; Listed by Visit Aroostook means it comes from the county tourism calendar and the organizer hasn't posted it yet; New date not announced shows last year's date so you know roughly when to plan.
Country and folk from singer-songwriter Dave Fenley, in trio format. Listed by the arts centre as an English-language show.
A night of country music an hour from the cabins, just over the Madawaska bridge.
Source: Centre des arts d'Edmundston season listing · checked October 1, 2026
The bestselling crime novelist talks at UMFK as part of the university's visiting author series.
Doiron's novels are set in the Maine woods; a free evening 25 minutes up the road.
Source: The County, Sept. 17, 2026 · checked October 1, 2026
Four days of college sports, student activities and family events on the UMPI campus.
An easy way to catch Owls games and a lively Presque Isle weekend.
Source: The County, Sept. 24, 2026 · checked October 1, 2026
Maine's regular archery season for deer runs October 3–30, 2026.
Bowhunters get most of October in the big woods around Eagle Lake.
Source: Maine IF&W 2026-27 hunting seasons · checked October 1, 2026
A one-day fall festival headlined by the Mallett Brothers Band, with food trucks, a beer garden, a bonfire and chairlift rides over the foliage. An ATV/UTV charity ride comes in from around the county.
Peak-color chairlift rides and a big Maine band; proceeds go to local food pantries and Meals on Wheels.
Source: Festival website · checked October 1, 2026
A touring show of country hits from the '50s through the '80s.
Classic country in English, the Friday of the long weekend.
Source: Wow Edmundston ticketing · checked October 1, 2026
Van Buren's first film festival, aimed at independent filmmakers and film fans from New England and Atlantic Canada.
A new event in one of the St. John Valley's oldest towns; pair it with the Acadian heritage sites along the river.
Source: Visit Aroostook · checked October 1, 2026
The October bull-only moose week covers the districts around Eagle Lake. An antlerless-only week follows October 26–31 in districts 1–6 and 8.
Eagles Landing sits in District 3, next to District 2; cabins sleep a full hunting party with room for trailers.
Source: Maine IF&W 2026-27 hunting seasons · checked October 1, 2026
Caribou's long-running fall craft fair: around 140 regional makers selling woodwork, pottery, paintings, textiles and jewelry.
Early holiday shopping, then lunch on Sweden Street.
Source: City of Caribou 2026 exhibitor form · checked October 1, 2026
Two days set aside for young hunters, ahead of the regular firearms season.
A good first deer hunt for a kid, with a warm cabin to come back to.
Source: Maine IF&W 2026-27 hunting seasons · checked October 1, 2026
The Saturday before the firearms season opens is reserved for Maine residents.
Nonresident hunters: plan to arrive for the Monday opener.
Source: Maine IF&W 2026-27 hunting seasons · checked October 1, 2026
The main deer season, November 2–28, 2026. Muzzleloader follows November 30–December 5.
A heated cabin that sleeps ten is an easy base camp for a deer camp crew.
Source: Maine IF&W 2026-27 hunting seasons · checked October 1, 2026
A historic barn filled room by room with trees and wreaths decorated by local families and businesses, with hot chocolate by the fire pit and a visit from Santa.
A holiday outing for families on a long drive south; it raises money for local charities.
Source: Visit Aroostook · checked October 1, 2026
Edmundston-born singer Roch Voisine performs Gordon Lightfoot's songs in an acoustic set, alongside his own hits.
Lightfoot classics from a hometown star, the day after Thanksgiving.
Source: Centre des arts d'Edmundston · checked October 1, 2026
A tribute show to Simon & Garfunkel and Cat Stevens.
Songs everyone in the group knows, on Thanksgiving weekend.
Source: Centre des arts d'Edmundston season listing · checked October 1, 2026
Lit floats, music and Santa's arrival down Main Street, from the UMPI campus to the North Street Plaza, run by the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce, with late shopping hours and hot chocolate from local businesses.
A classic small-city Christmas night.
Source: Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce · checked October 1, 2026
A country Christmas show.
Holiday country music an hour from the cabins.
Source: Centre des arts d'Edmundston season listing · checked October 1, 2026
The Presque Isle Historical Society's 1875 house museum dressed for a Victorian Christmas, with costumed guides, live music in the parlors, wassail and a Twelve Days of Christmas scavenger hunt for kids.
An hour inside a 19th-century Aroostook home at its most festive.
Source: Visit Aroostook · checked October 1, 2026
The traditional start of the Swedish Christmas season, a custom Swedish settlers brought to Aroostook in the 1870s, with pepparkakor gingerbread cookies.
A taste of the county's Swedish Colony heritage.
Source: Visit Aroostook · checked October 1, 2026
The city's holiday season: horse-drawn sleigh rides past downtown storefronts, free classic Christmas movies, live ice carving, a decorating contest and a Saturday Christmas Market with local makers and fresh wreaths.
The fullest holiday calendar in the county.
Last season's program ran from late November into early December, with a Christmas Market on Saturdays in December.
Source: Visit Aroostook and the City of Caribou · checked October 1, 2026
An ice fishing derby on Long Lake in the St. John Valley.
Togue and salmon through the ice, a short drive from Eagle Lake.
Source: Visit Aroostook · checked October 1, 2026
Houlton's winter festival weekend.
A winter weekend of community events in southern Aroostook.
Source: Visit Aroostook · checked October 1, 2026
A snowmobile club winter carnival on Presidents' Day.
Ride there on the trails; it's a club event in the heart of sled country.
Source: Visit Aroostook · checked October 1, 2026
An outdoor pond hockey tournament in the St. John Valley.
Bring a team or come to watch; outdoor hockey at its most northern.
Source: Visit Aroostook · checked October 1, 2026
Northern Maine's biggest winter event: sled dog teams race 30, 100 and 250 miles through the St. John Valley woods, starting from downtown Fort Kent.
Fort Kent's lodging fills fast on race weekend; Eagles Landing is 25 minutes from the start line.
The 2026 races started Saturday, February 28, on Main Street in Fort Kent: the 100-mile race at 8 a.m., the 30-mile at 9:10 and the 250-mile at 10:20.
Source: Can-Am Crown schedule (2026) · checked October 1, 2026
One weekend a year when nonresident riders can use Maine's trails without buying a Maine registration.
The cheapest weekend of the year to bring your sleds north.
Source: Visit Aroostook and Maine IF&W · checked October 1, 2026
Nothing matches those filters. Try "All upcoming", or ask us what's on while you're here.
Drive times are estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, starting at 105 Furlong Road; allow extra time in winter and at the border. Times for New Brunswick events are Atlantic Time, one hour ahead of Maine.
Edmundston, New Brunswick sits across the St. John River from Madawaska, about an hour from the cabins. Its arts centre books a full season of concerts and comedy, mostly in French; these are the shows most likely to suit English-speaking visitors.
A passport, passport card, NEXUS card or enhanced driver's license for everyone, kids included. Check border wait times before you go.
New Brunswick runs on Atlantic Time, one hour ahead of Maine. An 8 p.m. show in Edmundston starts at 7 p.m. Maine time.
Fort Kent–Clair is about 30 minutes from the cabins, Madawaska–Edmundston about an hour, and Van Buren–Saint-Léonard about an hour and a half.
French is the first language for most people in the region; English is widely understood in shops and restaurants. Prices are in Canadian dollars.
Live from the National Weather Service office in Caribou, with the snowfall forecast riders watch in winter.
0.2″of snow forecast over the next 7 days at Eagle Lake
Typical timing for Aroostook's signature events. Exact dates change each year; we add them to the list above as organizers announce them.
| Month | Usually on the calendar |
|---|---|
| January | Ice fishing season on the big lakes; Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby in St. Agatha (late January) |
| February | Moosestompers Weekend in Houlton; Oxbow-Masardis winter carnival; Acadian Pond Hockey Classic in St. Agatha; Maine's winter free fishing weekend |
| March | Can-Am Crown sled dog races in Fort Kent (late February or early March); Free Snowmobile Weekend; the ice carousel in Sinclair |
| April–May | Ice-out on the lakes and early salmon fishing; quiet weeks with the lakes to yourself |
| June | Midsommar Festival in New Sweden (mid to late June) |
| July | Fourth of July in Houlton; Houlton Agricultural Fair (mid-July); Maine Potato Blossom Festival in Fort Fairfield (mid-July) |
| August | Festival Royal in Edmundston (turn of the month); Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle (early August); International Muskie Derby in Fort Kent; Madawaska Acadian Festival (mid-August); Maine's Free ATV Weekend; Crown of Maine Balloon Fest in Presque Isle (late August) |
| September | County Bluegrass Festival in Fort Fairfield (early September); Houlton Harvest Festival; peak fall color in the last week of the month |
| October | Peak color into the first week; County Fall Festival at Big Rock; Caribou Fall Arts & Crafts Festival; moose and deer seasons |
| November | Deer firearms season; Houlton's Festival of Trees; Christmas in Caribou begins |
| December | Presque Isle Holiday Light Parade; Victorian Christmas at the Estey; Santa Lucia Day in Caribou; snowmobile trails start opening late in the month |
How far each town is from Eagles Landing by road, and what's worth the drive.
The lake itself: kayaks, canoes and a pontoon from our dock, salmon and togue fishing, and snowmobile and ATV trails from the property. Route 11 along the Fish River is part of the St. John Valley/Fish River National Scenic Byway.
The closest town, at the top of U.S. Route 1.
The heart of Maine's Acadian St. John Valley, across the river from Edmundston.
The county's biggest town, with its fairs, festivals and state park.
Sweden Street shops and the county's biggest holiday season.
An old St. John Valley river town on the way to Grand Falls.
Week-by-week events, peak color, hunting seasons and the last farmers markets.
Read the October guide →ITS 85 from Eagle Lake, trail maps, the Thursday trail report, rules and the live snow forecast.
Snowmobiling guide →1,300+ miles of Aroostook trails, the clubs near Eagle Lake, maps, trail status and registration.
ATV guide →Fishing for salmon and togue, hunting districts, day trips and drive times.
Eagle Lake guide →Aroostook County, at the top of Maine, is lakes, big woods and potato farms along the Canadian border. In fall there's peak foliage (usually the last week of September into the first week of October), craft fairs and hunting seasons. Winter brings about 2,300 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, ice fishing derbies and the Can-Am Crown sled dog races in Fort Kent. Summer is festival season, from the Potato Blossom Festival in July to the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest in August. This page lists the upcoming events with the drive from Eagle Lake for each one.
The October 2026 guide lists them week by week. Highlights: the County Fall Festival at Big Rock in Mars Hill on October 3, the Caribou Fall Arts & Crafts Festival on October 17–18, moose week October 12–17, and the youth deer hunt October 23–24. Use the "This weekend" button above for what's on in the next few days.
Fort Kent is 16 miles (about 25 minutes) from Eagles Landing. UMFK hosts author talks and college sports; the farmers market runs at Riverside Park in season; and the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races start on Main Street each winter (the 2026 races began February 28; 2027 dates aren't out yet). America's First Mile, where U.S. Route 1 begins, turns 100 on November 11, 2026.
If you want your own lakefront cabin with a kitchen, a private beach and room for a family or a group, Eagles Landing Lakeside Cottages has five three-bedroom cabins on the eastern shore of Eagle Lake that sleep ten each, with snowmobile and ATV trail access from the property. For all-inclusive meals and guides, a sporting camp up the lake suits better; motels in Fort Kent work for a night on the way through.
Paddling and swimming at Eagle Lake, hiking Quaggy Jo Mountain at Aroostook State Park, chairlift rides at Big Rock's fall festival, watching sled dog teams leave Fort Kent in winter, and the holiday events: Houlton's Festival of Trees, Christmas in Caribou and the Presque Isle Holiday Light Parade.
Eagle Lake holds landlocked salmon, lake trout (togue) and brook trout, and it's open to smelt fishing. Eagles Landing has dock space for your boat, fuel next door at Old Mill Marina, and heated cabins for ice fishing season. See the Eagle Lake fishing guide.
Somewhere on the trail. Aroostook County has more than 1,300 miles of ATV trails, and Eagles Landing has trail access from the property plus room for trucks and trailers. See our ATV guide for clubs, maps and rules.
Yes. Edmundston, New Brunswick, about an hour from the cabins, has a full season at its arts centre; this fall that includes Roch Voisine's Gordon Lightfoot show on November 27 and a Simon & Garfunkel tribute on November 28. Bring a passport or other border-approved ID, and remember New Brunswick is an hour ahead of Maine.
Usually late December to mid-March, depending on snow; the county averages about 120 inches a year. Check Visit Aroostook's Thursday trail report before you ride. Our snowmobiling guide has maps, conditions and the live snow forecast.
By road from Eagles Landing: Fort Kent is about 16 miles (25 minutes), Madawaska about 37 miles (1 hour), Presque Isle about 53 miles (1 hour 20 minutes) and Caribou about 57 miles (1 hour 25 minutes). Edmundston, New Brunswick is about 37 miles, plus the border crossing.
We check events against the organizer, venue, town or state agency, and against Visit Aroostook, the county's tourism office. We don't list anything we can't source, and every card says where its date came from. The list is refreshed on the first of each month: past events come off, new ones go on, and "not announced" dates are replaced as organizers post them.
Running an event in the county? Email lakesidecottagesmaine@gmail.com with the date, place and a link.
Five lakefront cabins, 25 minutes from Fort Kent, with trails from the property.
