Like most sane adults, I do everything I can to avoid the Old Port Festival. When I lived in Portland, I would take the day off and leave the city, the same way I would leave town on St. Patrick’s Day when I lived in South Boston. Whenever the Old Port Festival comes up, I smugly commiserate with other sane adults over how positive we are about how absolutely terrible it is going to be.
Perhaps I am softening in my old age, though, because this year I was much less of an a-hole about all of it. I mean, I like music, good weather, fun, and drinking. And with turning it into a two-and-a-half day event, the festival organizers are obviously upping their game. I wandered through Congress St. on Friday night and was entertained by a handful of things I saw there. Everyone was in very good spirits.
This morning I looked through some of the event-related hashtags on Instagram to see how the event played out. I think I expected to find a lot more falling-down, drunken debauchery than there ended up being—I mean, there was some, but it also looks like there was also a lot of good times had. The event, and a lot of the music represented there (with some exceptions, of course) might not be my cup of tea, but it appears as if—barring a handful of really bad sunburns and Jello-shot-induced hangovers—it was a pretty fun event.
There was this adorable outtake from Every Which Way But Loose. [via lena_really]
And this real-life Bud Light commercial. [via k_elllyyy]
Bizarro Ginger Wu-Tang got back together for one more show. [via ayybepalachii]
Non-GMO zucchini and free range chicken was grilled, Maine brewed beers were had, and locally sourced beard conditioner was doing its thing while [presumably] selfies were taken. [via leclairextraordinaire]
Pigs were robbed. I think? Or pigs did the Macarena. That’s the one. Pigs did the Macarena. [via derektheriault]
This extra from Zoobilee Zoo is having the time of his life. LOOK AT THAT FACE. [via walter_phillips]
Seth Rogan made an appearance, apparently. [via mmm_mitchy]
I like this woman’s style. Had I actually gone to the festival, I probably would have spent the whole time in a bookstore, communing with Stephen King, Maine’s spirit animal. [via comccu]
Appetites were satiated. [via blklze]
In the words of Prof. Jason Read: “Old Port Fest is like a street theater PSA for sunblock.” [via seraileri]
I am not entirely sure what is going on here, but I think that this guy is as excited about the fact that there are bull horns affixed to that lady’s umbrella as I am. [via hiphiphuzzah]
Spose’s beard was in attendance. [via spizzyspose]
As was Mystique from the 90s X-Men cartoon. [via rln207]
And okay, so this dog was not at the Old Port Festival, but at a Portland-based yard sale. I came came across it while looking for all of the photos above, but puppy kisses. PUPPY KISSES. Come on. Amazing. [via rispo45]
IMAGE CREDIT: “Berlin Wall” by cindiannajones88