"What used to be a local tradition for New Braunfels residents now draws people from all over Texas and the nation," 2026 Wurstfest President Marc Allen said in the festival's 65th-anniversary announcement, as reported by the Herald-Zeitung. The 2026 schedule shows that the people driving in from elsewhere in the state mostly come on the weekends. The four nights in the middle of the festival, Monday, Nov. 9 through Thursday, Nov. 12, cost nothing to enter. They also carry the acts the festival advertises most, plus the program most closely tied to New Braunfels itself.
Wurstfest runs Nov. 6–15 in Landa Park, with more than 40 bands playing over 250 sets on five stages. Most of that music happens on weeknights, at no charge.
What the gate costs, and when it costs nothing
For 2026, the festival sells discounted online tickets at $15 for Fridays and Sundays and $25 for Saturdays. At the gate the same days cost $20 and $30. Admission is free Monday through Thursday, free every day for children 12 and under, and free after 3 p.m. on the closing Sunday, Nov. 15.
The free weeknights are fairly new for a festival this old. KSAT reported in 2018 that this was the first year Wurstfest offered free admission on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Thursday has since been added, and the festival's home page now advertises "Free Admission Mon–Thu" next to the dates.
| Weekend nights | Weeknights, Nov. 9–12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Admission, adults | $15–$25 online, $20–$30 at the gate | Free |
| Admission, 12 and under | Free | Free |
| Hours | Fri 5–11 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.–midnight, Sun 11 a.m.–10 p.m. | Mon–Wed 5–10 p.m., Thu 5–11 p.m. |
| Landa Street westbound closure | Begins 9 a.m. Sat and Sun, 2 p.m. opening Fri | 3 p.m. to midnight |
On weeknights the gates open at 5 p.m. That leaves a five-hour evening, six on Thursday. It fits a workday better than the weekend's 11 a.m. start.
The marquee names play the weeknights
When the Herald-Zeitung listed the 2026 lineup, it led with Grammy-winning polka musician Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra, Grammy-nominated accordionist Alex Meixner, and New York-based Die Schlauberger. All three appear on the free nights. The official 2026 schedule puts the Alex Meixner Band in the Grossezelt on all four weeknights. Die Schlauberger plays the Grossezelt on Thursday, and Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra closes the Wursthalle on Thursday from 7:30 to 10 p.m.
Here is how the two biggest halls line up, with a highlight from elsewhere on the grounds each night:
| Night | Wursthalle | Grossezelt | Elsewhere on the grounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 9 | Bavarski, Klaberheads | Alex Meixner Band, Die Bayrischen Hiatamadln | Kerry Christensen Master Yodeler in the Kleinezelt; Masskrugstemmen, River Area, 7:30 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Cloverleaf Orchestra, San Antonio Dutchmen | Alex Meixner Band, Die Bayrischen Hiatamadln | Kerry Christensen and Das Ist Lustig in the Kleinezelt; Masskrugstemmen, 7:30 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Das Ist Lustig, Klaberheads; Veterans Day Salute, 7 p.m. | Alex Meixner Band, St. Martin Lantern Parade, Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express | The Billie Jeans on the Stelzenplatz, 7:00–8:15 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Seven Dutchmen Orchestra, Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra | Alex Meixner Band, Die Schlauberger | Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express on the Stelzenplatz |
Masskrugstemmen is the stein-holding contest. It runs in the River Area at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Pivo & Polka holds the Stelzenhaus for whole evenings on three of the four nights. In the Kinderhalle, Rebecca Jane Huck and the Dallas Puppet Theater trade 40-minute sets from 5 to 8:40 p.m. each night.
The festival's official hours run until 11 p.m. on Thursday. The stage sets posted for that night end at 10.
Wednesday, Nov. 11 is the most hometown night on the schedule
The weeknights carry the headliners, and Wednesday carries the most local programming. It is Veterans Day. The festival's announcement says the Veteran's Day Salute and the Student Day for local high schools will have "added significance" this year because of the 65th anniversary. Community Impact's 2026 guide puts the salute at 7 p.m. in the Wursthalle. The 2026 date for Student Day has not been published.
Half an hour earlier, the St. Martin Lantern Parade fills the Grossezelt schedule from 6:30 to 6:50 p.m., between Alex Meixner's first set and Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express. Over on the Stelzenplatz, The Billie Jeans play from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. When the Express-News covered the 2025 festival, it identified them as a New Braunfels band.
That puts a lantern parade, a veterans' program and a hometown band within one hour, on a night with no admission charge.
With a free gate, the booths get the money
The festival also runs on local money in another way. More than 25 local nonprofit organizations sell food, drink and goods on the grounds, and the Herald-Zeitung reports that many of them meet their annual fundraising goals during these ten days. Community Impact counts 26 for 2026.
The festival's food vendor page was first posted in 2024, so the lineup may have changed since. Its nonprofit booths have included:
- 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: a sausage boil, plus fluffy soda
- Canyon High School Music Boosters: made-to-order funnel cakes
- New Braunfels Conservation Society: pretzels
The festival is cashless. Admission and bar purchases take credit and debit cards only. The Express-News reported in 2025 that ATMs would no longer be available on the grounds.
New for the 65th, by the mill pond
The main addition this year is a Weingarten with an expanded German wine list, set beside the mill pond in the Hydroplant. Otto's Cheese Shop will serve cheeses to pair with the wine. Visitors can also watch Wurstmachen, sausage-making demonstrations of a craft the festival describes as "passed down through generations of local families." The schedule lists the Weingarten and River Area together as one venue. On Monday through Wednesday, that is where the 7:30 p.m. stein-holding contest takes place.
Getting to Landa Park on a weeknight
The City of New Braunfels posted its 2026 Wurstfest traffic notice on Sept. 4. For the free nights, it covers:
- Landa Street: The westbound lane between Zink Street and Landa Park Drive closes to cars but stays open to pedestrians. From Monday, Nov. 9 through Friday, Nov. 13, the closure runs 3 p.m. to midnight.
- Parking: Parking in Landa Park and around the grounds is limited. Parking at the Comal County Fairgrounds, 701 E. Common Street, is free.
- Shuttle: The fairgrounds shuttle costs $10 and drops riders at the festival gate. Children 12 and under ride free. The shuttle ticket does not include admission, which doesn't matter on a free night.
- Rideshare: Uber, Lyft and other services use a designated pickup and drop-off area on Mill Race Run in Landa Park.
The parking map on the festival's own site is labeled as a 2024 map. The City's September notice is the current 2026 reference.
The first weekend opens the festival on Friday, Nov. 6. Opening ceremonies start at 4 p.m., and the annual "biting of the sausage" follows at 5:30 in the Wursthalle. After the festival closes, the City's free Wassailfest comes to Main Plaza on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 9 p.m. City Hall parking at 550 Landa Street and event shuttles are available.
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