Lisbon is hosting the 39th annual Moxie Festival.

Moxiefest a three-day event full of fun is hosted July 7-9th. Moxiefest’s unique theme this year, “3 days of Peace, Love, and Moxie”, brings people from all over to a small historic mill town in Maine to celebrate Maine’s iconic soda.

The festival is hosting events loved by Mainers this weekend. These events include The Moxie Day parade, a Whoopie Pie eating contest, a 5K race, a Moxie chugging contest, a Moxie car show, Smokey Greater Carnival, and many other fun events.

The Moxie Day parade is the longest parade in the state of Maine. The parade runs through Lisbon and includes dozens of floats, vintage cars, bands, and more.

The Moxie Festival is hosted with the help of Lisbon Parks and Recreation. We spoke with festival coordinator Kate Madore and director of Parks and Recreation Mark Stevens. Both told us about the year-round planning and immense efforts to orchestrate this event.

 

The Moxie Festival is hosted in honor of Maines’s unique soda “Moxie.” According to Maine.gov, the drink Moxie was created in 1884 by Mainer Dr. Augustin Thompson of Union Maine and is one of the first sodas ever to be mass-produced. Uselessetymology.com says that Thompson likely acquired the name Moxie from Native American Abenaki word for “dark water,” which are lakes and rivers where Thompson grew up.

Originally, Moxie was sold as “Moxie Nerve Food,” a medicinal that could fix several sicknesses. It was used for insomnia and paralysis.

The official soft drink of Maine has a very bitter taste, similar to root beer, that people either love or hate. But if you need instant energy- Moxie is the perfect drink.

To find more information about where the events are located and the times, visit The Moxie Festival.