The History of the Flamingo Festival: This beloved tradition began as Southwest Harbor Days before evolving into the vibrant Flamingo Festival we celebrate today. The transition began in the late 1990s during a cocktail party where the flamingo was adopted as the event's official mascot. After discovering that Don Featherstone—the visionary inventor of the iconic plastic lawn flamingo—resided in Massachusetts, organizers invited him to join the festivities. His appearance cemented the flamingo's place in our community, and it has remained the enduring symbol of our celebration ever since.