"At its heart, Wurstfest is a service organization," 2026 Wurstfest President Marc Allen said in a Community Impact report this fall, ahead of the festival's 65th year at Landa Park. The schedule backs him up in a practical way. From Monday, Nov. 9 through Thursday, Nov. 12, admission is free. The music on those four nights is no stripped-down weekday version of the festival. Most of the acts on the paid weekends play then too.
The festival runs Nov. 6 to 15 this year. If you live close enough to drive over after work, the middle four days are the cheapest way to see the full festival, and they come close to being the most complete.
The gate price follows the calendar
Here is what admission costs across the 10 days, according to the 2026 schedule:
- Saturdays, Nov. 7 and 14: $25 online, $30 at the gate
- Fridays and Sundays, Nov. 6, 8, 13 and 15: $15 online, $20 at the gate
- Monday through Thursday, Nov. 9 to 12: free
- Final Sunday after 3 p.m.: free
- Children 12 and under: free every day
Compare that with the Grosse Zelt lineup. The Alex Meixner Band is on the opening Friday program. It also plays two sets in the Grosse Zelt on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Two adults buying at the gate on a Saturday pay $60 to get in. On a Monday they pay nothing to hear the same accordion. Die Bayrischen Hiatamadln, Yodel Blitz, the Klaberheads and Bavarski are also on the opening-night program, and each of them turns up again on the free nights.
The weeknights are shorter. Gates run 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday. Saturdays run 11 a.m. to midnight. The fee buys extra hours and a weekend date. On most stages it doesn't buy a different band.
What the four free nights actually hold
All five stages run every weeknight. The official 2026 schedule, last updated Oct. 5, lays out the evenings like this:
| Night | Gates | Wursthalle | Elsewhere on the grounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 9 | 5 to 10 p.m. | Bavarski, then Klaberheads | Kerry Christensen Master Yodeler and Auf Geht's Musik in the Kleine Zelt; Lederhosen Junkies on the Stelzenplatz |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | 5 to 10 p.m. | Cloverleaf Orchestra, then San Antonio Dutchmen | Kerry Christensen and Das Ist Lustig in the Kleine Zelt; Happy Hour Oktoberfest Band on the Stelzenplatz |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | 5 to 10 p.m. | Das Ist Lustig, Veterans Day Salute at 7 p.m., then Klaberheads | Yodel Blitz in the Kleine Zelt; Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express in the Grosse Zelt; The Billie Jeans on the Stelzenplatz |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | 5 to 11 p.m. | Seven Dutchmen Orchestra, then Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra, 7:30 to 10 p.m. | Die Schlauberger in the Grosse Zelt; DJ Nills in the Kleine Zelt; Chardon Polka Band on the Stelzenplatz |
The Alex Meixner Band plays the Grosse Zelt every one of those nights. Pivo & Polka holds the Stelzenhaus from 5:10 to 10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and Cloverleaf Orchestra takes the Stelzenhaus on Wednesday.
Wednesday is the busiest weeknight. The Veterans Day Salute is in the Wursthalle at 7 p.m. The St. Martin Lantern Parade passes through the Grosse Zelt from 6:30 to 6:50 p.m. River Area Masskrugstemmen, the stein-holding contest, starts at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
For younger kids, the Kinderhalle runs shows every weeknight at 5, 6, 7 and 8 p.m. Rebecca Jane Huck and the Dallas Puppet Theater take turns. Children 12 and under get in free all 10 days anyway, so on a weeknight a family pays nothing at the gate.
The Lederhosen Junkies, a New Braunfels polka band, play Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Edelweiss Kinder Chor von New Braunfels, the local German children's choir, sings on Sunday, Nov. 8 from 11:50 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. in the Kleine Zelt, which is a paid day.
The booths belong to groups you already know
If the free nights work for the people who come, they also have to work for the people serving the food. According to Allen, 26 local nonprofits benefit from food, drink and merchandise sales, and most of them make their annual budget from Wurstfest. Admission is free on a Tuesday, but the potato pancakes still cost money, and that money goes to a club or a school booster group.
The festival's food-vendor roster, updated Sept. 30, lists 18 nonprofit food and drink vendors for 2026. Some of them list their menus:
- Rotary Club of New Braunfels: potato pancakes
- Downtown Rotary: Wurst-N-Tashen, Reuben-N-Tashen and the Wurst Dog
- Long Creek High School Dance Boosters: sausage boil and "fluffy soda"
- New Braunfels Conservation Society: pretzels
- Canyon High School Music Boosters: funnel cakes
- New Braunfels Elks Lodge: German street food
The other nonprofits on the roster are SRJC Texas, New Braunfels Performing Arts, the New Braunfels Youth Soccer Association, the Comal County Senior Citizen's Center, the Comal County Jr Livestock Association, the New Braunfels Evening Lions Club, the Canyon Lake Masonic Lodge, the New Braunfels Fire Fighters Association, the New Braunfels Jaycees, New Braunfels Little League, the New Braunfels Noon Lions Club and the Children's Advocacy Center of Comal County. The support starts before the gates open, too. Through The Big Give, festival organizers commit $130,000 in matching funds to local nonprofits.
Bring a card. All Wurstfest admissions and bar purchases are cashless this year, tap-to-pay or credit and debit only. Other small-business vendors will take cash or cards, according to Allen.
The 65th-year additions are open on weeknights too
The new features for the anniversary aren't limited to weekends. A new Weingarten in the hydro plant near Gate One pours German wines along with premium U.S. selections. Three beers join the tap list: Modelo, Paulaner Pils and Weihenstephan, from one of the oldest breweries in the world. Rocky Mountain Crepes is among the new food vendors. Fun Biz concessions have expanded, and a new trailer in the carnival section serves nachos and street tacos.
A few things are weekend-only. On the official schedule, sausage demos run in the Weingarten on Saturdays and Sundays every half hour from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The waltz contest is Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3:30 p.m. The USSA Texas Steinholding State Championship Tournament Finals are at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15, with the polka contest at 3:30 p.m. the same day. Admission is also free after 3 p.m. that final Sunday, so you can catch the polka contest without buying a ticket.
Getting there after work
The City of New Braunfels traffic advisory, posted Sept. 4, covers the details that matter on a weeknight. The westbound lane of Landa Street from Zink Street to Landa Park Drive is closed to vehicles from 3 p.m. to midnight Monday, Nov. 9 through Friday, Nov. 13. On weekends the closure starts at 9 a.m. If you usually take Landa Street home, expect the change to start in the middle of the afternoon on weekdays.
Three ways in:
- Park and ride. Parking at the Comal County Fairgrounds, 701 E. Common Street, is free. The shuttle to the festival costs $10 per rider 13 and older, and children 12 and under ride free.
- Rideshare. Pickup and drop-off is at the Landa Park Pavilion on Mill Race Run, reached through Gate 2.
- Hotel shuttles. These run only on Fridays and Saturdays, at $25 per person round trip, paid at Gate 3. They aren't an option on the free nights.
The city routes charter buses, motorcoaches, party buses and limos along Loop 337/Common Street, Union Street, W. Torrey Street, Elizabeth Avenue and Hinman Island. If you live along those streets, expect more large vehicles throughout the 10 days.
Gates open at 5 p.m. Monday. The Alex Meixner Band starts in the Grosse Zelt at 5:10. Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra closes the Wursthalle on Thursday at 10 p.m.
Wurstfest's free weeknights are part of what makes living a short drive from Landa Park so good, and Diana Colbath is always glad to share what she knows about life in New Braunfels in every season. If you're curious what your home is worth in a city that hosts a 10-day festival for its neighbors, get your instant home valuation and set up a no-pressure conversation.
