AUBURN — Thousands are expected to gather in downtown Auburn on Saturday to ring in the new year at the city’s signature celebration.

Billed by organizers as Maine’s “biggest and best New Year’s celebration,” New Year’s Auburn will have live music, fireworks, food trucks and a beer garden featuring local brewers.

Due to predicted rain showers Saturday night, the event will now run from 3 to 9 p.m. Thus far, all of the bands and vendors have been agreeable to the time change, Jennifer Boenig, Auburn’s downtown coordinator, said.

“We’re still going to have a party, it’s just going to be a little earlier,” she said.

The sheds in Festival Plaza that recently housed Auburn’s Christmas shopping village will instead be occupied by six local brewers selling beer and other alcoholic beverages. Food trucks will offer pizza, BBQ, poutine and nonalcoholic beverages.

Live music will be performed by Jumpin’ Willys from 3 to 4:15 p.m., Hello Newman from 4:30 to 6:15 p.m. and the Mallett Brothers Band from 6:45 to 9 p.m.

At 6:30 p.m., fireworks will be launched from Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston.

Temperatures are forecast to be above 40 degrees. Still, heaters and tents will be present to keep attendees warm and dry.

Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub and Craft Brew Underground will be open past midnight for attendees wishing to stick around after the celebration.

This is the fourth year of New Year’s Auburn. The event began in 2018, but was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is one of several recent initiatives by the city to boost Auburn’s reputation, develop the downtown and draw more people to the city, Mayor Jason Levesque said. Other recently created downtown events include the Christmas shopping village new this year and the Riverwalk Blues & Brews Festival started in 2018.

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