Wurstfest's Free Weeknights Get the Headliners and the Lantern Parade

The 65th Wurstfest runs November 6–15, 2026 at Landa Park, and from Monday, Nov. 9 through Thursday, Nov. 12, getting in costs nothing. The headline polka acts play every one of those nights. The two events with the deepest New Braunfels roots, the St. Martin Lantern Parade and the Veterans Day Salute, both happen inside that free window. If you can walk or drive over after work, the weeknights give you most of what the festival offers, minus the gate fee and the weekend crowds.

What the Free Window Is Worth

Admission on the official Wurstfest site goes up and down across the ten days:

Kids 12 and under get in free every day. Two adults buying at the gate on a Saturday spend $60 before anyone orders a sausage. Monday through Thursday, the same two get in for nothing. One detail on the calendar: Friday, Nov. 13 is a paid day at $15 online, so the free stretch ends Thursday night.

Weeknight hours are shorter. Gates open at 5 p.m. Nov. 9–11 runs until 10 p.m., and Thursday, Nov. 12 runs until 11 p.m. That puts the stages within easy reach of a workday. On the official 2026 schedule, every stage starts its first set by 5:10 p.m.

Four Nights, Stage by Stage

The festival runs five stages: Wursthalle, Grosse Zelt, Kleine Zelt, Stelzenplatz and Stelzenhaus. All five have full weeknight lineups, and some acts the festival puts at the top of its 2026 roster show up on all four nights.

Monday, Nov. 9

• Grosse Zelt: Alex Meixner Band at 5:10 and 7:45 p.m., alternating with Die Bayrischen Hiatamadln
• Stelzenplatz: Lederhosen Junkies at 5:10 and 8:40 p.m., with Happy Hour Oktoberfest Band in between
• Kleine Zelt: Kerry Christensen Master Yodeler at 5:00 and 7:30 p.m., trading sets with Auf Geht's Musik
• Wursthalle: Barvarski, then Klaberheads from 7:35 to 10 p.m.
• Stelzenhaus: Pivo & Polka from 5:10 to 10 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 10

Grosse Zelt and Stelzenplatz keep Monday's rotation, and Kerry Christensen is back in the Kleine Zelt, this time trading sets with Das Ist Lustig. The Wursthalle switches to Cloverleaf Orchestra early and San Antonio Dutchmen from 7:35 to 10 p.m. On Monday and Tuesday, Masskrugstemmen, the stein-holding competition, starts at 7:30 p.m. in the River Area.

Wednesday, Nov. 11

Wednesday packs in the most hometown programming of any night. In the Grosse Zelt, the St. Martin Lantern Parade fills 6:30 to 6:50 p.m., set between Alex Meixner Band and Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express. The Veterans Day Salute follows at 7 p.m. It appears on the printable schedule, and Community Impact places it in the Wursthalle. The website version of the schedule leaves the salute out, so check the PDF on the night.

The rest of the evening:

• Kleine Zelt: Lederhosen Junkies at 5:10 and 8:30 p.m., Yodel Blitz at 6:45 p.m.
• Stelzenplatz: Chardon Polka Band, with The Billie Jeans at 7 p.m.
• Wursthalle: Das Ist Lustig, then Klaberheads from 7:30 p.m.
• Stelzenhaus: Cloverleaf Orchestra all evening
• River Area: Masskrugstemmen at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 12

The last free night has the biggest Wursthalle booking of the week. Seven Dutchmen Orchestra plays from 5:10 to 7:10 p.m., and Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra follows from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Alex Meixner Band plays the Grosse Zelt for a fourth straight night, with Die Schlauberger in between. Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express joins Chardon Polka Band on the Stelzenplatz, and Happy Players and DJ Nils share the Kleine Zelt.

The Weekends Keep the Contests

Opening ceremonies and the "biting of the sausage" happen at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6. The waltz contest is Nov. 8. The USSA Texas Steinholding State Championship finals and the polka contest both fall on Nov. 15. The 3 p.m. cutoff on that last Sunday helps here. The finals start at 2 p.m. and the polka contest at 3:30 p.m., so the polka contest begins after the gates go free.

The new Weingarten splits along weekday lines too. It sits in the hydro plant near Gate One and pours German wine plus premium U.S. selections. Its sausage-making demonstrations run only on Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. On a weeknight you get the wine without the demonstration.

What's New at the Bars and Booths

On top of the Weingarten, Wurstfest added three draft beers for 2026: Modelo, Paulaner Pils and Weihenstephan. Rocky Mountain Crepes joins the food lineup, Fun Biz concessions are expanding, and a new trailer in the carnival section will serve nachos and street tacos.

Payment changed too. Bar purchases are cashless this year, tap-to-pay or credit and debit only, and so is admission on the paid days. According to festival president Marc Allen, other small-business vendors will still take both cash and cards. Bring a card for the beer line.

Much of the food money stays in town. Community Impact reports that 26 local nonprofits benefit from food, drink and goods sales, and that most of them make their annual budget at Wurstfest. In a news release quoted by the outlet, Allen said, "At its heart, Wurstfest is a service organization." The food-vendor directory is dated from an earlier year, so the final 2026 roster could differ. It lists examples like the Rotary Club of New Braunfels and its Kartoffelpuffers, Downtown Rotary's Wurst-N-Tashen and Wurst Dog, pretzels from the New Braunfels Conservation Society, and made-to-order funnel cakes from the Canyon High School Music Boosters.

Getting There on a Weekday Evening

Coming in after work means overlapping with the city's traffic setup. Per the City of New Braunfels, here is how it works for the free nights:

1. Landa Street closure. The westbound lane of Landa Street closes to vehicles between Zink Street and Landa Park Drive from 3 p.m. to midnight, Monday, Nov. 9 through Friday, Nov. 13. Pedestrians can still use it.
2. Park and ride. The city says parking around Landa Park is limited. Parking is free at the Comal County Fairgrounds, 701 E. Common Street. The shuttle to the gate costs $10 for riders 13 and older and nothing for kids 12 and under. The Wurstfest shuttle page lists the lot opening at 4 p.m. on Nov. 9–13, with the first shuttle leaving at 4:45 p.m. and no reservation needed. Its maps still carry an older label, so confirm the details closer to the date.
3. Rideshare. Pickup and drop-off are at the Landa Park Pavilion on Mill Race Run, closest to Gate 2.
4. Golf carts. The city's reminders: no driving at night, insurance required, stay off restricted roads, and no parking on grass.

The Saturday Morning Exception

Some neighbors will want one weekend morning anyway. The New Braunfels Running Club's Wurst 5 Mile Run starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 from the Landa Park Dance Slab at 32 Gazebo Circle, with a Kids Run at 9:30 a.m. The course runs through New Braunfels neighborhoods. Packet pickup is Friday, Nov. 6, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Two Rivers Running, 1265 N Academy Ave., Suite 1101. The 2026 race listing also includes a drawing for 50 pairs of Wurstfest tickets.

Living near Landa Park changes during festival week, and those Landa Street closure hours are part of daily life. If you're weighing how a street's location fits with events like Wurstfest, Ashley Lomas is happy to go through it with you. Let's Connect.