Maker’s Market at the Point will host hundreds of craftspeople and vendors in November and December. Photo by James Liebowitz
This time of year, there are so many ways to get crafty.
Whether you’re shopping for holiday gifts or treats for yourself, Maine has craft fairs around every corner from now until just before Christmas – places where you can find handmade arts and crafts, donated finds from somebody’s attic or other one-of-a-kind treasures.
Since there are so many craft fairs, we’re here to help you narrow down the field to the spots that best suit you. Maybe you’ll pick fairs based on parts of the state you’ve always wanted to visit, the homemade foods offered or the types of crafts for sale. Or because they remind you of the craft fairs of your youth.
Here are some suggestions to help you craft your fair itinerary, but if you want even more to choose from, see our list online list of craft fairs – with dates, descriptions and links – at pressherald.com. And check back throughout the rest of the holiday season, as we’ll be updating and adding events.
Italian filled cookies that will be available at the Fiera de Natale at the Italian Heritage Center. Photo by Melissa Martin
AROUND THE WORLD
Fiera de Natale is an Italian-themed fair, complete with Italian pastries and held appropriately at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland. There’ll be more than 30 tasty baked treats, including cannoli, cookies, stuffed breads, lobster tails (a kind of pastry) and more. There’s also a juried craft show and Italian foods for lunch. It’s Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For a fair with Irish flair, check out the Celtic Fair on Nov. 9 at the Maine Irish Heritage Center. The annual craft fair will feature crafts made by local artisans, lunch treats and performances by the Stillson School of Irish Dance. It’s from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is part of the State Street Stroll, an annual holiday event with fairs and sales at several sites, including the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and State Street Church.
ART OF THE MATTER
Wearable art for sale is the focus at Designing Women Freeport, Nov. 23 at the Maine Coast Waldorf School in Freeport. The event features fiber artists and jewelry makers, plus glass, pottery and wood creations as well.
For a wide variety of art – including the kind you hang on the wall – check out Art on the Hill, Dec. 6, 7 and 8 at East End School in Portland. The school will be filled with paintings, pottery, home goods, soap, candles, pet products and more. There’s also a cafe, so you don’t have to browse art on an empty stomach. On the same weekend, the Maine College of Art & Design Holiday Sale will be held Dec. 6 and 7 in Portland. It will feature creations by students, alumni and faculty. If you go on Friday night, it will coincide with Portland’s First Friday Art Walk, which means arts and crafts will likely be for sale all around the downtown.
Maine College of Art and Design will host a holiday sale, Dec. 6 and 7. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
RAISING THE BAR
The Merry Maker’s Market will be held at Broadway Bowl in South Portland on Dec. 8. Craftspeople will be selling their wares at the scenic spot, just over the Casco Bay Bridge from Portland. You can get a drink or food from Broadway Bowl – which is also a restaurant – and even bowl a few strings before or after shopping.
Another place where you can grab a drink at the bar is at the Maker’s Market at the Point. These events feature hundreds of makers and creators on Nov. 10 and 24 and Dec. 1 and 15, in the Brick South events building at Thompson’s Point, on the Fore River in Portland. The Brick South bar will be open and food trucks will be on hand as well.
CRAFTSMANSHIP ON DISPLAY
The Society of Southern Maine Craftsmen, founded in 1968, is sponsoring a number of shows in the coming weeks around the area, featuring the work of Maine artisans and crafters. Society members create a wide variety of crafts and products, including baskets, ceramics, decorative arts, fiber arts, fine art, food, glass, graphics, jewelry, leather, metal and photography.
The South Portland Holiday Craft Show will be held at South Portland High School on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 31st Annual Made in Maine Craft Show will be Nov. 23 and 24 at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham,. The Home for the Holidays Craft Show will be Nov. 29 and 30 at Scarborough High School, and the Walnut Hill Holiday Craft Show will be Dec. 7 at Westcustogo Hall and Community Center in North Yarmouth.
Shoppers at the 2023 Home for the Holidays craft show in Scarborough. Photo by Cindy Robbins
EVERTHING OLD IS NEW
If folks on your gift list are into vintage stuff, head over to the Lost and Found Market onSunday, from noon to 5 p.m. at Thompson’s Point in Portland. More than 60 vintage vendors will be on hand. The focus is on clothes, but vendors are also expected to be selling records, jewelry, decor, housewares, art and accessories. It’s being held inside the Brick South events building. There’ll also be food trucks, a tintype photographer and clothing repair and alterations.
Maine’s many church Christmas fairs are usually a good place to find vintage or interesting used stuff as well. The St. Anne Church Fair in Gorham on Nov. 16 will feature just such an area called “Gramma’s Attic,” for people seeking vintage finds. But there will also be handmade knits and crafts, jewelry, baked goods, a children’s room, as well as breakfast and lunch served. Mr. and Mrs. Santa are also slated to make an appearance.
