By Phyllis Domingo, REALTOR® · San Antonio Relocation Specialist · 6 min read Wurstfest 2026 runs November 6 through 15 in New Braunfels, about 30 miles from San Antonio, and it is the festival's 65th year since 1961. Saturday tickets run $25 online and kids 12 and under are free every day; here is the honest first-timer's guide.
The festival by the numbers
Wurstfest 2026 is the 65th annual edition, running Friday, November 6, through Sunday, November 15, at Landa Park on the banks of the Comal River in New Braunfels, about 30 miles from downtown San Antonio, per the official Wurstfest site.
It began in 1961 as a one-day festival started by city meat inspector Ed Grist to honor sausage, and it has grown into a 10-day 'salute to sausage' with 40+ bands on 5 stages, polka and waltz competitions, the Texas State Stein-Holding Championship, and carnival rides, per Wurstfest's history page.
Tickets and what they cost
2026 ticket prices, straight from the official tickets page: Fridays and Sundays are $15 online or $20 at the gate, Saturdays are $25 online or $30 at the gate, and Monday through Thursday admission is free, with gates opening at 5 p.m. those evenings. Kids 12 and under are free every day, and all admission and bar purchases are cashless.
One honest note: the free weeknight evenings are the calmest, while Saturdays are the most crowded. If you want music and people-watching, Saturday is the classic pick; if you want room to walk, aim for a Sunday or a weeknight. Admission is also free after 3 p.m. on the final Sunday, November 15.
What you actually get
Admission covers all entertainment and public areas: the bands, the dance competitions, the stein-holding contest, sausage-making demonstrations, and the carnival. Food and beer are pay-as-you-go at the vendors, and it is all cashless.
- 40+ bands across 5 stages, heavy on polka and German-American music.
- The Texas State Stein-Holding Championship, which is exactly what it sounds like.
- A full carnival area for kids, plus a quieter riverside side of the park.
Make a day or weekend of it
Landa Park alone is worth the drive: the city counts it at about 51 acres, with the headwaters of Comal Springs, a spring-fed pool complex, paddle boats, and a miniature train, per the City of New Braunfels.
For a full Hill Country weekend, New Braunfels and Gruene sit minutes apart, so a Wurstfest trip pairs naturally with an afternoon at Gruene Hall, a day trip we have already written up.
If you are new in town
Wurstfest is a great example of the Hill Country culture just outside San Antonio's city limits: casual, loud, and friendly, with roots running back to the German settlers who shaped the region.
And if the festival makes you wonder what it would be like to live closer to all of it, that is exactly what I help with. Call or text me at 210-744-5478 or use the contact page.
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Sources
The numbers in this post were checked against these sources on October 2, 2026.
