Start packing your bags, lobster lovers! The Shediac Lobster Festival returns this summer, July 5 to 13, 2025, celebrating the best seafood and drinks, Maritime culture, and Acadian music.
Last year the festival commemorated their 75th anniversary, as New Brunswick’s longest-running event, serving over 2,000 pounds of lobster. The festival feels like one, big kitchen party, with lively fun over a week of events, near one of the province’s best beaches.
Special events offer food, music, craft beverages, and activities, alongside midway rides and even a fun run.
The highlight of the festival is La Grande Table, the famed lobster dinner, served right on main street at a gigantic community table that stretches several blocks, and it’s like one big, east coast family meal.
During last year’s anniversary event, as 700 people sat down together for the meal, I had a wonderful meal alongside an Acadian couple and we chatted about the best way to cook lobster, and their favourite East Coast music. It was easily one of the best and most memorable days of my trip.
Other events that are already confirmed this year include: Ales and Tales, where you can sample New Brunswick’s best craft beers and ciders with some tasty bites; Corks and Claws, with eight lobster dishes alongside wine pairings; performers Les Leblance, with Colleen Evelyn, and Moyenne Rig; and the closing concert, Third Harmony and Riverbank.
Last year’s Lobster Roll Challenge will also likely return, pitting chefs against each other to earn the title of the best lobster rolls in the Maritimes.
More events and details will be announced in the coming weeks, and the Shediac Lobster Festival is free for kids up to 5, $4 for ages 6 to 18, and $6 for 19+. Individual events like La Grande Table are separately ticketed, and you can purchase through the festival website.
There’s something really special about the way that Maritimers throw a party, and this event feels like the best of that spirit, especially in the middle of summer, along the coast, with some of the best food.
On top of everything else, Shediac is welcoming and fun, with a number of B&Bs, inns, and nearby hotels, including in Moncton. I recommend trying a few restaurants in town, and exploring the area nearby.
A few nearby highlights include Parlee Beach Provincial Park, Cap-Pelé, Cape Jourimain National Wildlife Area, the town of Bouctouche and the Bouctouche Dunes, and Kouchibouguac National Park.
Plan your trip to the Shediac Lobster Festival
Learn more about the festival on their website and through Tourism New Brunswick.
Find a hotel in Shediac for your visit, or use the map tool below.
Discover ideas for five incredible East Coast road trips, or explore more ideas for planning a road trip through New Brunswick.
All photos by W. Andrew Powell/The GATE.
