Heart of Biddeford will celebrate its second annual Oktoberfest at the end of the month. Contributed / Heart of Biddeford

Heart of Biddeford will host its second annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 28 on Lincoln Street in Biddeford.

For $25 a ticket, attendees are invited to don their lederhosen and celebrate the return of fall with brews, food, music and activities.

Last year, Heart of Biddeford created Oktoberfest in collaboration with local breweries that were interested in amplifying the traditional beer-drinking celebration.

“Collaboration builds community and brings more people to local breweries,” said Heart of Biddeford Director Delilah Poupre.

Oktoberfest has cultural history as the oldest folk festival in Bavaria and Germany, starting as a horse race to celebrate a Bavarian royal wedding in 1810.

Since then, the festival has grown, and now breweries, including local Biddeford breweries, celebrate Oktoberfest each year.

“We’re building on those traditions in Biddeford,” Poupre said.

This year, Biddeford’s Oktoberfest will feature a Bavarian band, and a German food truck serving more traditional food than the festival had last year.

Of course, beer is a necessity during Oktoberfest, and five local breweries, including Banded Brewing Co. and Blaze Brewing Co., will be offering beer all day long.

Games, activities and various food trucks will add to the celebration.

“We’re going to have our wine provider serving cider this year,” Assistant Director Abby Leibowitz said. “Being able to usher in fall with a community event like this is really exciting.”

In only its second year, Oktoberfest has already become one of Heart of Biddeford’s biggest events, with over 12,000 people attending last year. Heart of Biddeford expects this year’s crowd to be equally big.

And with the event taking place downtown, Poupre said it’s a chance for people to get exposed to local businesses right in the heart of Biddeford.

“That’s one of the things I like about community events,” Poupre said.

The event is $45 for VIP tickets and $25 for general admission; all proceeds go toward Heart of Biddeford.

“We put on a lot of free community events, so it’s weird for us to have a paid event,” Leibowitz said. “But it’ll help us put on more free events.”

Oktoberfest will begin at noon and end at 6 p.m., and tickets are available on the Heart of Biddeford website.