Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
Lewiston-Auburn is a vibrant community with the best of both worlds: a location perfectly suited for business, and a great place to live and enjoy the arts, sports, recreation, and — one of Maine’s greatest assets — the outdoors.
The Arts
Maine Music Society
With a professional music program that has gained the respect of area music critics, the Maine Music Society sponsors a number of events in venues such as Bates College’s Olin Arts Center, the Franco-American Heritage Center, local auditoriums, and churches. Recent highlights include performances by the Maine Chamber Ensemble, with classical works by Mozart, Aaron Copeland, Igor Stravinski, and Bach.
The Public Theatre
The Public Theatre is a professional equity theater producing the very best Broadway and Off-Broadway plays. Hiring professional actors from New York and the New England area, The Public Theatre is dedicated to producing high-quality entertainment for the people of Central Maine. It is Maine’s most affordable and most successful equity theatre.
Community Little Theatre
The Community Little Theatre is a community-based organization of local volunteers offering entertainment and instruction in theatre arts. In recent seasons, the Community Little Theater has performed Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Evita,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “On Golden Pond,” and “Annie.”
Bates College
Bates College plays an important role in the central Maine cultural community. Throughout the year, the college offers more than 100 concerts ranging from classical to folk music, as well as lectures, art exhibits, dance and theater. Each summer, Bates hosts the nationally renowned Bates Dance Festival, featuring performances by some of the world’s foremost talents, and the popular Lakeside Concert Series.
L/A Arts
L/A Arts is a community-based local arts agency established in 1973 with a mission to “integrate the arts into the fabric of everyday life.” L/A Arts presents professional arts events in dance, music, and family entertainment, and oversees a number of local galleries. L/A Arts collaborates with the local school systems in a nationally acclaimed program that brings artists into the schools to provide hands-on arts education and experiences.
Annual Events
Lewiston/Auburn has a number of festivals that have grown bigger and better each year — some of them gaining national attention.
- The Great Falls Balloon Festival is one of the largest hot air balloon festivals in New England.
- Bates Dance Festival features public performances by some of the world’s foremost talents.
- The Liberty Festival is the area’s Independence Day extravaganza, with live entertainment, food, and a large fireworks display.
- The Festival Franco Fun is a celebration of L/A’s strong and proud Franco-American heritage and culture, and has grown to highlight other cultures.
- Auburn’s Winterfest is an annual celebration of winter, and includes ice sculpting, skating, and skiing.
- The Dempsey Challenge is an annual walking, running, and biking event in October featuring Grey’s Anatomy actor Patrick Dempsey; it serves as a fund-raiser for Central Maine Medical Center’s Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer, Hope & Healing.
The Great Outdoors
The options for nearby recreation and sight-seeing are endless. Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary in Lewiston is one of the largest sanctuaries in New England. The Androscoggin River offers paddling and fishing, with attractions including the Great Falls, the Riverwalk bike and pedestrian trail, and the David Rancourt River Preserve. Crescent Beach, Popham Beach, Old Orchard Beach, Ferry Beach, and Pine Point are all within an hour’s drive.
Golf
Lewiston-Auburn has several golf courses in its backyard, including Prospect Hill Golf Course, Martindale Country Club, and the newest Fox Ridge Golf Course, an 18-hole, 7,000-yard course which has received regional acclaim. In nearby Casco, Point Sebago Golf and Beach Resort is a favorite among many golfers.
Sports and Entertainment
Maine has an impressive offering of sporting events for its size. Lewiston-Auburn is a hotbed for hockey — one reason why the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League chose Lewiston’s Androscoggin Bank Colisee to site their first U.S. franchise, the Lewiston MAINEiacs. The league offers some of the finest hockey outside of the NHL, and has served as the training ground for the likes of Mario Lemieux, Ray Bourque, and Martin Brodeur. Lewiston also has some of the area’s best live entertainment, restaurants, and pubs, including Gritty’s Brew Pub. Concerts, special events, and business shows are also held at the newly-renovated Colisee.
Skiing
Lewiston-Auburn is close to some of the best skiing in the Northeast. Home to its own family-centered Lost Valley Ski Area, L/A is hardly more than an hour from Sunday River, one of Maine’s finest ski resorts. Also within reach is Sugarloaf/U.S.A. in Kingfield, Mt. Abram in Locke Mills, and Saddleback in Rangeley.
