Fredericksburg's Oktoberfest has landed the #6 spot nationwide in USA Today's 2026 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, edging out Denver's version of the German celebration as the 46-year-old Hill Country tradition prepares for its next run October 2 through 4. The honor puts the small Texas town, home to fewer than 11,000 residents, on the same list as some of the country's biggest beer festivals.
A Small Town Beats Bigger Rivals
The rankings, decided through public voting after nominees were selected by travel editors and industry experts, placed Zeeco Oktoberfest Tulsa in Oklahoma at #1 for the third year running, according to the Denver Gazette. Minnesota's New Ulm Oktoberfest came in at #5, with Denver's own celebration trailing at #7 — just behind Fredericksburg. Festival manager Debbie Reeh, quoted by San Saba News & Star, said Fredericksburg's Oktoberfest was something special and the rest of the U.S. now knows it too.
In 2025, the Pedernales Creative Arts Alliance launched a campaign to build a Glockenspiel on Marktplatz, the historic public square that serves as Oktoberfest's home base, to permanently honor the town's German heritage, per the Pedernales Creative Arts Alliance.
German Roots Run Deep
Fredericksburg's connection to German culture goes back to its founding on May 8, 1846, by settlers under the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, led by John O. Meusebach, who named the town after Prince Frederick of Prussia, according to KEAN 105. Often called the Polka Capital of Texas, the town leans into that heritage with five covered stages featuring oompah, polka, waltz and brass bands throughout the weekend. Among this year's performers is the Boerne Village Band, founded in 1860 by Karl Dienger and recognized as the oldest continuously organized German band in the world outside Germany, according to Texas Public Radio.
Other acts on the lineup include Chris Rybak, Cloverleaf Orchestra, Czechaholics, Fredericksburg Filharmonic, the Jodie Mikula Orchestra, New Braunfels Village Brass Band, Pivo & Polka Band, Red Ravens, Seven Dutchmen Orchestra, the Oompahs, the Tuba Meisters, Walburg Boys and Yodel Blitz. Friday's schedule opens with Oktubafest, a Shiner Brewmaster meet-and-greet and the Altstadt Waltz Contest. Saturday brings the Hauptstrasse Chicken Dance, the Samuel Adams Stein Hoist, the Weihenstephan Polka Contest, a Sheryl Yuengling meet-and-greet and Altstadt keg tapping.
Food, Drink And A Very Texan Domino Game
Organizers pour more than 50 varieties of German, Texan, domestic and imported beer alongside Texas wines, bratwurst, sausage, kraut and potato pancakes. Three artisan tents will showcase juried artists and Hill Country fine art, while families can find a jumping castle, face painting, hi-strikers, games and a live magician on the grounds.
Sunday's slate features the Real Estate Ad-Visory Team's 42 Tournament, along with the Oktoberfest Lederhosen and Dirndl Contest and a special Altstadt head brewer keg tapping. The domino game 42 was invented in Trappe Spring, Texas, in 1887 and was officially designated the Official State Domino Game of Texas by the legislature in 2011, according to Texas Highways. Saturday morning also brings the Kraut Run 8K/5K, a partnership between Oktoberfest and the local Rotary Club that raises money for Gillespie County literacy programs, according to Lake.com.
Tickets, Hours And Getting There
Festival hours run 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $15 for adults and $1 for children ages 7 to 12, with kids 6 and under free. A two-day pass runs $20 and a three-day pass costs $25; tickets are available at the gate, with advance sales beginning at noon Friday at the entrance on Main. Attendees 13 and older get in free after 3 p.m. Sunday, and children 12 and under are free all day Sunday.
To ease downtown congestion, organizers are running a $10 Park & Ride shuttle from the Gillespie County Fairgrounds to Marktplatz, per the same Lake.com listing. Fredericksburg's 2023 edition drew roughly 26,000 visitors, about three times the town's own population, according to MySA — a scale that has helped the festival stand alongside New Braunfels' Wurstfest as one of the two oldest and most prominent German heritage celebrations in the Texas Hill Country, per eLederhosen.
