At the 65th Wurstfest, Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra plays Landa Park twice. The first set is Thursday, Nov. 12, a night with free admission. The second runs from 11:10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15, during the part of the day when tickets cost $15 online or $20 at the gate. The 2026 schedule repeats that pattern. The polka acts at the top of the bill play the free hours as well as the paid ones, so a ticket mostly buys daylight.
For anyone in New Braunfels who can get to Landa Park on a Tuesday after work, that changes how to plan the festival's 10 days.
The price grid, day by day
Wurstfest runs Nov. 6 through Nov. 15, 2026, and admission changes every day. Community Impact's festival guide lists the full grid, and the official admissions page confirms the free Monday-through-Thursday stretch.
| Day | Hours | Admission |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 6 | 4–11 p.m. | $15 online, $20 at gate |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | 11 a.m.–midnight | $25 online, $30 at gate |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | 11 a.m.–10 p.m. | $15 online, $20 at gate |
| Mon., Nov. 9 – Wed., Nov. 11 | 5–10 p.m. | Free |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | 5–11 p.m. | Free |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | 5–11 p.m. | $15 online, $20 at gate |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | 11 a.m.–midnight | $25 online, $30 at gate |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | 11 a.m.–10 p.m. | $15 online, $20 at gate; free after 3 p.m. |
Children 12 and under get in free every day. That adds up to four full evenings and the last seven hours of the closing Sunday that cost nothing at the gate. The two Saturdays are the priciest days, at $25 online, and the free nights fall in between.
Who plays the free hours
The free weeknights are full festival nights, with the same headliners as the paid days. The official 2026 schedule shows the Alex Meixner Band on all four free nights, Nov. 9 through 12. Each of those nights also has a full roster across the stages:
- Monday, Nov. 9: Kerry Christensen Master Yodeler, Auf Geht's Musik, Die Bayrischen Hiatamadln, Lederhosen Junkies, Happy Hour Oktoberfest Band, Barvarski, Klaberheads and Pivo & Polka.
- Tuesday, Nov. 10: Kerry Christensen again, plus Das Ist Lustig, Die Bayrischen Hiatamadln, Lederhosen Junkies, Happy Hour Oktoberfest Band, Cloverleaf Orchestra, San Antonio Dutchmen and Pivo & Polka.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: Lederhosen Junkies, Yodel Blitz, Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express, Chardon Polka Band, The Billie Jeans, Das Ist Lustig, Klaberheads and Cloverleaf Orchestra.
- Thursday, Nov. 12: Happy Players, DJ Nills, Die Schlauberger, Chardon Polka Band, Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express, Seven Dutchmen Orchestra, Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra and Pivo & Polka.
On Sunday, Nov. 15, Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express plays at 12:55 p.m., inside the paid window, and again at 5:15 p.m., after admission goes free. Chardon Polka Band's two Sunday sets, at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m., both fall after 3 p.m. San Antonio Dutchmen close the night with a set from 7 to 10 p.m. Before 3 p.m., Sunday visitors pay for Jimmy Sturr's midday set, the Boerne Village Band at 11:05 a.m. and the Austin Polka Band at 12:15 p.m. Those are real draws. Even so, the free part of the day still includes three of the festival's best-known bands.
Wurstfest's Events page says all times are subject to change, so check the schedule before you go.
Wednesday has the most going on
Of the free nights, Nov. 11 has the fullest program, and it falls on Veterans Day. The schedule lists a Veterans Day Salute at 7 p.m., a St. Martin Lantern Parade from 6:30 to 6:50 p.m. and a Dallas Puppet Theater performance from 6 to 6:40 p.m. Rebecca Jane Huck also has sets that evening. Masskrugstemmen, the contest where people hold a full stein out at arm's length, is set for 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 9, 10 and 11.
Put those times together and a family could catch most of the puppet show, leave in time for the lantern parade at 6:30, then stay for the salute at 7 and the stein-holding at 7:30, all on a free night and finished well before the 10 p.m. close. Our team is led by a 32-year Army veteran, and many of our clients come through our military and veteran program, so we're glad to see a Veterans Day salute on a night with no gate charge. For a look at how other fall events around the bases depend on federal funding, see our post on why one half of Military City's fall calendar is a lock.
The closing Sunday has its own competitions. Community Impact reports that the 2026 USSA Texas Steinholding State Championship Tournament Finals start at 2 p.m. on Nov. 15. The official schedule sets the Wursthalle polka contest for 3:30 to 4:15 p.m., just after admission goes free. If you arrive at 2 for the finals, you pay. If you arrive at 3:15, you get in free in time for the polka contest.
What's new this year applies to every night
Wurstfest President Marc Allen told Community Impact that the organizers are "pulling out all the stops" for the 65th anniversary. None of the additions he described is limited to the paid days:
- A new Weingarten in the hydro plant near Gate One, pouring German wines and premium U.S. selections.
- Three new beers on tap: Modelo, Paulaner Pils and Weihenstephan.
- Rocky Mountain Crepes, the Gruene crepe shop, as a new food vendor.
- Expanded Fun Biz concessions and a new trailer in the carnival area selling nachos and street tacos.
Admissions and bar purchases are cashless this year, so they take only tap-to-pay, credit or debit. Other small-business vendors will take cash or card. On a free night you'll never pay at the gate, but you'll still need a card or phone for the Weingarten and the beer halls.
Weeknight logistics run on a different clock
The free nights start at 5 p.m., and the traffic and shuttle plans follow those hours. The City of New Braunfels traffic notice says the westbound lane of Landa Street will be closed to cars from Zink Street to Landa Park Drive during the festival, while staying open to pedestrians. The closure hours change by day:
- Friday, Nov. 6: 2 p.m. to 1 a.m.
- Saturdays, Nov. 7 and 14: 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.
- Sundays, Nov. 8 and 15: 9 a.m. to midnight
- Monday, Nov. 9, through Friday, Nov. 13: 3 p.m. to midnight
That means that from Monday through Friday of the second week, westbound Landa Street closes two hours before the gates open. If your evening drive home or after-school pickup uses that stretch, plan on the closure starting at 3 p.m., not 5.
The city says parking in and around Landa Park is limited. Wurstfest's official parking page adds that nearby lots can fill early on busy nights. Parking is free at the Comal County Fairgrounds, 701 E. Common St., and the shuttle to the festival gate costs $10 for anyone 13 or older. Kids 12 and under ride free. According to Wurstfest's Park 'N Ride page, from Nov. 9 to 13 the fairgrounds lot opens at 4 p.m. and the first shuttle leaves at 4:45 p.m. On Nov. 15 the lot opens at 10 a.m. and the first shuttle leaves at 10:45 a.m. Shuttles run continuously until closing, you don't need a reservation, and the shuttle fare doesn't include festival admission. On a free night, $10 for the shuttle is the only entry cost.
Rideshare pickup and drop-off is at the Landa Park Pavilion on Mill Race Run, reached through Gate 2. Charter buses, party buses and limos follow a set route that avoids low-clearance bridges: Loop 337 to Common Street, Union Street, W. Torrey Street and Elizabeth Avenue, then drop-off on Hinman Island. If you live along that route, expect bus traffic all week. If you plan to drive a golf cart around town during the festival, the city reminds owners that golf carts can't be driven at night.
Free at the gate still funds local nonprofits
Free admission doesn't mean a free night for the groups running the booths. Community Impact reports that 26 local nonprofits benefit from food, drink and merchandise sales, and Allen said most of them raise their annual budget at Wurstfest. Wurstfest's food-vendor directory lists booths run by the Rotary Club of New Braunfels at A-1, the New Braunfels Fire Fighters Association at B-5, the Comal County Senior Citizen's Center at B-9, New Braunfels Little League at D-1, the Children's Advocacy Center of Comal County at C-2 and the Canyon High School Music Boosters at A-3. Even with no ticket sales on a Tuesday, the sausage on a stick still raises money for those groups.
Wurstfest's fundraising started before the gates open. Its Big Give in late September put up $130,000 in matching funds for 24 local nonprofits, including the Hope Center Food Pantry and Outreach, the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area and the Crisis Center of Comal County, as the Herald-Zeitung reported. Allen described Wurstfest to Community Impact as "at its heart... a service organization."
If you're weighing a move to New Braunfels or anywhere along the I-35 corridor and want a team that knows the town's calendar, Abrahams Real Estate TIES Team can help. Book a consultation, or request a free home valuation if you already own here and want to know what your place is worth.
