While it’s always a good time to visit Camden, Maine, you might want to add the winter holidays to your list of “extra-good times to visit Camden.”

For more than 20 years, the seaside village of Camden has held a “Christmas by the Sea” festival each winter. The event has spread to include the people and businesses in the neighboring communities of Lincolnville and Rockport.

Santa and his helper, Ellen the Elf, usually show up in a lobster boat instead of a sleigh, and then they zip around town like magic, making sure they get to see each and every child. Santa is available for free photos in both Camden and Lincolnville, and he is known to show up at the famous Camden Public Library for a special Christmas story time!

Stores open their doors and celebrate with holiday sales, and renowned restaurants offer dining specials. Festival goers enjoy the Christmas Parade, which travels through downtown Camden to Harbor Park, where it culminates with a Community Tree Lighting.

If you get chilly, be sure to sip some hot cocoa around the Lincolnville Community Bonfire.

Camden's Christmas by the Sea Festival is certainly a family affair, with fun and Christmas spirit for locals and visitors of all ages. Before you leave, be sure to get a picture of the star on Mt. Battie, shining brightly. A Camden tradition, the folks at Camden Hills State Park light a giant star atop the tower at the summit of Mt. Battie on Thanksgiving night. The star is powered by a generator, which has been manually fired up each night for over forty years. On most nights, you can’t see the outline of the mountain, so the star appears to be magically floating in the sky – a true treat for children (and probably for some grownups too).