The annual Rockport HarvestFest celebration features the best of the season in a quintessential coastal New England setting, offering live music, great food and plenty of activities for families.

New England food producers gather under a giant tent on one of Rockport’s historic working wharves to celebrate the best of local food with fresh seafood, pastries, cider doughnuts, chowder, small-batch jams, jellies and chocolates, locally-grown produce and more. Local craft beer will be on tap, and Rockport’s own Twin Lights, a 120-year old soda company, will be on hand as well, with soda crafted from the company’s original recipes.

Cooking demonstrations take place throughout the day, the highlight of which is the Seafood Throwdown, a competition-style showcase between two chefs, demonstrating the versatility of coastal New England’s most significant harvest, fish.

HarvestFest also features plenty of live bluegrass, jazz, folk and Celtic music, along with the annual Scarecrow Stroll, where artistic, creative, and generally fascinating scarecrows can be found throughout downtown. Several Rockport inns, shops, restaurants and galleries offer HarvestFest specials and packages.

This year’s HarvestFest takes place from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday, October 17, 2015.

rockportartfestivals.com/harvestfest