Ricky Gougain pours a sample of Urban Farm Fermentory kombucha during the 2023 Swine & Stein Brewfest on Water Street in downtown Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

GARDINER — Swine & Stein Brewfest, one of Gardiner’s largest annual events, is back Saturday for its 15th year.

Tamara Whitmore, the executive director of Gardiner Main Street, which organizes and puts on the event, said tickets have been selling at a fast pace.

Every year, the festival draws breweries, cideries, distilleries and meaderies from across the region to Water Street.

Whitmore said the festival has evolved into the current tasting format, similar the feel of Oktoberfest, the traditional fall celebration in Germany.

“October is a perfect time of year for a brewfest, and it lends itself to an ‘Oktoberfest’ feel, amplified by holding it right on Water Street,” she said. “We don’t often ask to close down the main artery of our downtown, but the coziness of the buildings on either side gives the ‘street party’ a very unique feeling.”

A crowd gathers on Water Street during the 2022 Swine & Stein Brewfest in downtown Gardiner. Emily Duggan/Kennebec Journal file

The festival draws crowds each year to Water Street, and is expected this year to feature about two dozen local brewers, including Gardiner-based Bateau Brewing, Chadwick’s Craft Spirits of Pittston, Absolem Cider Co. of Winthrop, Definitive Brewing Co. of Portland and Freedom’s Edge Cider of Albion.

Vendors are expected to serve pork items, and restaurants on Water Street are planning special offerings.

Attendees have the chance to compete in the traditional Swine & Stein Brewfest competitions, including  the classic Beard & Mustache contest and a rock, paper, scissors tournament, or listen to live music through a partnership with the Johnson Hall Opera House in downtown Gardiner.

Mayor Patricia Hart said she cannot believe the event, which attracts about 1,500 visitors each year, is celebrating its 15th year.

“Year after year, we hear how first-time visitors are impressed with our merchants and historic downtown,” Hart said. “Local people say they appreciate the changes in the downtown, such as the renovated pocket park, restored Johnson Hall Opera House, new shops, restaurants, bakeries, cafes and a brewery.

“Swine & Stein has definitely introduced more people to Gardiner, who come back again and again to shop, dine and see a show. It is a terrific event for the city.”

Hart said the event serves as the the largest fundraiser for Gardiner Main Street, whose purpose is to promote a vibrant downtown neighborhood.

“The money we raise through Swine & Stein truly makes it possible for us to serve the community through a variety of programs all year long,” Whitmore said.

Tickets can be purchased online in advance or the day of the festival.

The event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. General admission tickets are $45. VIP tickets are $55 and allow early entrance — at noon. There is also a $10 ticket for those who are designated drivers or otherwise want to join the fun without drinking.

For more information, see www.swineandsteinbrewfest.com.