Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas
Experience One of Maine’s Best Cultural Festivals

Save the Date! July 12-13, 2025, at College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine

The Abbe Museum’s Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas returns on July 12-13, 2025, at the College of the Atlantic (COA) in Bar Harbor, Maine. This annual celebration showcases Wabanaki art, music, and culture, bringing together Indigenous artists, performers, and storytellers in an immersive two-day experience.

Steps from Acadia National Park’s entrance, this outdoor summer festival in Maine invites you to browse a arts market with over 50 talented Indigenous artisans, enjoy live music and performances celebrating Native traditions, and engage in workshops and discussions by Wabanaki and other Indigenous leaders about climate change, food sovereignty, and the power of storytelling.


Whether visiting Bar Harbor for a weekend getaway or looking for unique cultural festivals and events in Maine, Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas 2025 is a must-attend multi-day event!


Dawnland Festival of Arts and Ideas Logo

“Native arts & cultures

cannot be separated from Native ways of knowing. The Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas continues to celebrate the Native creative economy on Wabanaki homelands while lifting up Indigenous thought leadership vital to the conversation on a healthy planet and society for us all.”

Betsy Richards (Cherokee Nation), Executive Director & Senior Partner with Wabanaki Nations

2025 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE & MAP

SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2025
College of the Atlantic | Bar Harbor, Maine

  • 9:00 am - 4:00 pm - Market Open

  • 2:00 - 5:00 pm - Panels

SUNDAY, JULY 13, 2025
College of the Atlantic | Bar Harbor, Maine

  • 9:00 am - 4:00 pm - Market Open

  • 2:00 - 5:00 pm - Panels

 

A Glimpse at Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas 2024

 
 

Watch Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas 2024 Panels

FESTIVAL PRESS & TOOLKIT

OFFICIAL 2025 PRESS RELEASE (PDF - DOWNLOAD HERE)

Additional materials coming soon.

Need a file? Contact Jessica at Nimble Pixel Studio at Jessica@NimblePixelStudio.com.

THE DAWNLAND FESTIVAL IS ORGANIZED BY THE ABBE MUSEUM

The Abbe’s mission is to illuminate and advance greater understanding of and support for Wabanaki Nations’ heritage, living cultures, and homelands. At the core of our work are decolonizing museum practices including: collaboration with Tribal communities; privileging Native perspectives, voice, and values; a focus on dialogue; inclusion of the full measure of history; and ensuring truth-telling. This is also reflected in the Museum’s governance structure that includes a Wabanaki-majority Board and a Tribally-appointed Advisory Council, resulting in a tremendous institutional power shift. This commitment allows the museum to amplify the art, cultures, histories, and contemporary lives of Wabanaki peoples in ways that serve Tribal communities and activate audiences. Through the Wabanaki Council and community consultation, we work with Wabanaki Tribal Nations to share authority for the interpretation of their living cultures and history, privileging Native voice. 

The Abbe was founded in 1928 as a small trailside museum at Sieur de Monts Spring in Lafayette National Park (today Acadia National Park) with a focus on the archaeology of the Wabanaki Nations. The Abbe soon expanded its scope to include Wabanaki material culture and now features a substantial contemporary art collection. In 2001, the Museum expanded to the downtown Bar Harbor location, creating a 17,000-square-foot museum with spacious exhibition galleries, a research lab, and state-of-the-art collections storage. In 2013, the Abbe Museum became the only Smithsonian Affiliate in Maine and contributes to global conversations through work with the International Coalition for the Sites of Conscience. Learn More | Support

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH