File Photo / Peter Van Allen
Parade participants march down Main Street during the 2019 Yarmouth Clam Festival.
July 15, 2022
After three years, Yarmouth Clam Festival returns — and the lawn chairs are already out
Photo / PETER VAN ALLEN
On Friday morning, artists were already working on sand sculptures as the Yarmouth Clam Festival prepared to kick off.
By William Hall
For three years, there’s been clamoring for the return of the Yarmouth Clam Festival, and now the demand has been answered.
First held in 1964 and sponsored by the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce, the public fair typically draws more than 100,000 attendees and dozens of vendors each July. But the Clam Festival canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 concerns.
The 2022 version, however, got underway Friday morning and is scheduled to run through Sunday.
The festival includes food vendors, a craft show with over 130 artisans, a popular carnival with rides and games, music acts, road races, a clam-shucking contest, fireworks and more. “Steamer,” a larger-than-life clam, mascots the festivities.
The celebration kicks off Friday evening with a parade of floats and marching bands. As in years past, locals have been setting up lawn chairs well in advance to stake out spaces on the parade route. This year, some chairs were spotted as early as June 23.
The fun helps raise funds for over 30 nonprofits, including school clubs, churches and cultural and civic organizations. Many depend on the Clam Festival as their primary source of income for year-round operations.
Roughly 60 businesses support the festival as sponsors. Some businesses, and the town of Yarmouth, donate parking space and make other in-kind contributions. Police and first responders work extra hours, and the town provides a shuttle service to help bring in attendees.
Town Manager Nat Tupper told Mainebiz the extra work is worthwhile. The chamber’s revenue from vendor fees and other festival income pays for town expenses, so the Clam Festival is generally budget-neutral.
Photo / Peter Van Allen
On Friday morning, people were already checking out vendor booths at the Yarmouth Clam Festival, which is being held for the first time since 2019.
The goodwill and benefit to the community are priceless, however.
“The Clam Festival is huge for Yarmouth,” he said. “It empowers groups so that they can make a difference. It sustains this community.”
While the previous cancellations and the ongoing pandemic may reduce some of the usual buzz about the festival, Tupper is nevertheless optimistic.
“Maybe some of the momentum has been lost, but it’s coming back,” he said, “like a rebuilding year for the Red Sox.”
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