BATH — Piled-up snow and cold didn’t stop hundreds from coming out to Bath’s Winterfest celebration on Saturday to enjoy free, family-friendly events and light up the night during the annual lantern parade.

Now in its fourth year, Winterfest 2025 featured a pageant of pups, games for kids, live music and appearances by Bath’s yeti mascot.

The event is organized by Main Street Bath, a nonprofit organization that supports historic preservation and local businesses and sponsors community events throughout the year.

Amanda McDaniel, Maine Street Bath director, said that Winterfest was born to create a sense of connection during the COVID 19 pandemic — and has been a beloved tradition ever since.

“People come in, ready to be a part of it,” McDaniel said.

It’s especially important to bring people together in the dead of winter, McDaniel said.

“It is a hard time of year for small businesses, and we needed a way for people to get out in the downtown and exploring things that they may not have remembered exist,” McDaniel said. “We just put on our pajamas and wait for the spring to come — we really need to make sure we make the effort to get out and about and support our small businesses.”

This year, Main Street Bath made sure to include furry friends, with the first-ever gazebo dog show in Library Park. Dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes paw-raded through the gazebo, competing in categories like “cheers to ears” and “waggiest wigglebutt.” Winners brought home toys and treats from L.L. Bean and pet shop Loyal Biscuit, and gift cards to use at local businesses.

Angie Karla, of Bath, signed her corgi Ro up for the dog show as soon as she heard about it online. Ro strutted across the gazebo wearing ski goggles while her supporters waved signs.

“We’ve been practicing our pageant walk every night,” Karla said.

The group was looking forward to the day’s festivities.

“We live like a mile down the road so we usually come (to Winterfest) every year, normally just to watch the yeti walk around,” Karla said.

Competing in the “cheers to ears” category, it was the first Winterfest for Jeanine Kramer, of Bath, and her dog Luna.

“When I saw the category, cheers for ears, I was like, ‘Oh, they made it for Luna,'” Kramer said.

Down the street at Bridge Park, kids tumbled around in the snow in a potato sack race and took their photos in front of the L.L. Bean Bootmobile.

In addition to outdoor events, Winterfest attendees warmed up throughout the day at Bath’s small businesses. Those who shopped at four local businesses could enter for a chance to win gift cards as part of the “Bee Bath, Buy Bath” program, which encourages people to support the local economy by shopping small.

“This program (puts), at the minimum, $40,000 into the downtown each year,” McDaniel said.

One-year-old Iris Ellis and her dad, John, enjoyed riding the Bath trolley, “Charlie,” which had free rides every 30 minutes on Saturday.

“The dog show was a highlight, seeing the Bean Boot was a highlight. We rode Charlie the Trolley, which is always awesome,” said John Ellis, of Bath. 

Ellis said his first exposure to Winterfest was watching the lantern parade last year. This year, he was excited to once again see the homemade luminarias travel through town.

“The lantern festival tonight is always a cool way for (Winterfest) to end, because it goes right by (our) house,” Ellis said.

The parade was set to kick off from Five County Credit Union at 6 p.m. and continue to the Chocolate Church Arts Center, ending in a performance from the Ideal Maine Social Aid and Sanctuary Band. Those interested in marching Saturday night could bring a lantern from home or make one at the Midcoast Youth Center or the Chocolate Church Arts Center.