Oktoberfest will soon return to Fredricksburg, Texas, for the 42nd year. The annual festival celebrating German ancestry returns to the Polka capital of Texas from September 30 to October 2 with food, music, and beer.
The three-day festival will have five stages offering live entertainment in downtown Fredericksburg.
Festivities will kick off on Friday, September 30, with the 12th annual OkTubaFest taking place from 5:45 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. If you are a tuba player, there is still time to participate.
Festival-goers can wet their whistle during the Shiner brewmeisters’ Spoetzl Brewery keg tapping at 6:00 p.m. Then, beginning at 8:00 p.m., competitors can demonstrate their dancing abilities in an Altstadt waltz contest.
Saturday opens with the 12th Annual 5K & 8K Run/5K Non-timed Walk hosted by Fredericksburg Morning Rotary to promote reading programs in Fredericksburg. The activities begin at 8:30 a.m.
Big and little kids can get their bodies moving at the Hauptstrasse Chicken Dance, with the lineup starting at 9:00 a.m. Tailfeathers start shaking at 9:30 a.m.
Later, Samuel Adams presents the stein hoist at 1:00 p.m. For the uninitiated, a stein hoist is “a traditional Bavarian strength contest in which competitors hold a full one-liter beer stein in front of their bodies with a straight arm, parallel to the ground. The last person holding the pose is declared the winner,” according to the Institute of Beer. A sturdy glass stein filled with a liter of beer weighs about five pounds.
At 4:00 p.m., the Altstadt brewmeister will be on hand for questions and keg tapping. The Alstadt Brewery produces premium German-style beer using only four ingredients.
On Sunday, registration for the Real Estate Advisory Team 42 Domino Tournament starts at noon, with tournament play beginning at 1:00 p.m.
What is Oktoberfest if not for yodeling? There will be plenty of it at the Altstadt Yodel Contest, which begins at 1:45 p.m.
For those who go all out for Oktoberfest and want to show off their best Bavarian finery, a family Dirndl & Lederhosen Contest will be held at 2:30 p.m.
Along with all the festivities, attendees can enjoy 60 food and beverage options.
Fredericksburg Oktoberfest Park & Ride offers all-day park and ride access between the Gillespie County Fairgrounds parking area and the Oktoberfest celebration.
Oktoberfest gates open at 6 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. on Sunday. The festival shuts down at midnight on Friday and Saturday and wraps up on Sunday at 6 p.m.
For more information on Oktoberfest, click here.