Arrival / Departure

Arrival Dates and Time

• Participants attending the full 6-week session and the first 3-week session must arrive at Bowdoin College between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 26th. College residence facilities will not be available before 2:00 p.m. on June 26th
• Participants attending the second 3-week session must arrive at Bowdoin College on Saturday, July 17th between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m..

Departure Dates and Time

• Participants attending just the first 3-week session must vacate the residence halls and apartments by 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 17th.
• All other participants must vacate their housing by 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 7th. Some participants may be required to vacate their rooms prior to 10:00 a.m. due to housing constraints.

International Travel Authorization

• From outside the U.S.: The U.S. now has a program called Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) under which every person from a Visa Waiver Country must get pre-approval before flying to the U.S.

Travel

• Hewins Travel acts as the travel service for the Bowdoin International Music Festival.  Their representatives are available to assist you in making arrangements with air, hotel, and car rentals. Please call Hewins Travel at 1-800-370-3008 in the U.S. and from overseas (207) 729-6261 or fax (207) 721-0402. You can also reach them by email at brunswick@hewinstravel.com. Their office hours are Monday thru Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (EST/DST).
• By car: Brunswick is approximately 1/2 hour north of Portland, Maine; 2 1/2 hours north of Boston, Massachusetts; and 6 hours from New York City. Get driving directions here. (Please disregard the final paragraph giving directions to the Bowdoin College Admissions office. Follow directions to the main campus, then look for the signs directing you to the BIMF registration.)
• By bus: Two bus services drop off in Brunswick: Concord Trailways and Greyhound. If you take the bus to Brunswick, you may need to take a taxi from the bus stop to the campus. When you get to Brunswick, call 207-729-3688 for Brunswick Taxi.
• By train: Amtrak has a station in Portland at 100 Thompson’s Point Road. Remember, Portland is about ½ hour south of Brunswick.
• By air: The Portland International Jetport, PWM, is the closest airport to Brunswick. Participants can also fly to Boston’s' Logan Airport, BOS, or Manchester, New Hampshire, MHT.
• Shuttle service: To use the van service to and from any of these airports or the Amtrak station, please contact Mermaid Transportation at 1-800-696-2463 within the USA or 207-885-5631 from outside the USA. You can also make a reservation on line by going to www.gomermaid.com. Click on "Reservations" then scroll down to the bottom of the page and type in the code "BIMF". View their special BIMF flier.