![]() Not a heavy lifter? There are polka and waltz contests, too.# ARIN WHOIS data and services are subject to the Terms of Use # available at: # If you see inaccuracies in the results, please report at # Copyright 1997-2018, American Registry for Internet Numbers, Ltd. Channel your inner German to compete in this traditional Bavarian beer stein-holding endurance contest, which awards whoever can hold a 1-liter stein of beer that weighs roughly 5 pounds in their outstretched arm for the longest without spilling. If there was an Olympic event for beer fans, Masskrugstemmen would be it. Festival favorites include Alex Meixner, who has been wowing Wurstfest-goers for years with his amazing accordion skills and captivating energy, the legendary Mollie B., and Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra - the multiple-Grammy-Award-winner who has remained at the top of the country’s polka scene. ![]() Make your way to one of five stage areas - Wursthalle, Das Grosse Zelt (The Big Tent), Das Kleine Zelt (The Little Tent), Stelzenhaus or Stelzenplatz - where popular performers keep the pulse of Wurstfest pumping. More than 40 national and international live music acts form the backbone of this festival, which has gathered the best of the best when it comes to Alpine and Bavarian-style entertainment. Grammy-nominated musician and producer Alex Meixner reigns as a Wurstfest favorite each year. Fill your cups (which double as great souvenirs we use all year) with everything from nonalcoholic beverages to a wide variety of beer including German imports like Warsteiner Dunkel and Paulaner Oktoberfest, domestics and a slew of craft beers. Wurstfest’s main focus has always been the sausage, but hundreds of thousands of plastic cups are needed each year to help wash it all down. RELATED: Gruene Hall is a timeless Texas treasure For me, it’s fun to return to see the familiar faces of Omas and Opas I’ve known since I was my own children’s ages, compete in the Wurst 5 Miler run with friends I used to run high school cross country with, and to take part in Wurstfest traditions that haven’t changed much since I was a kid. What humbly began as a one-day “sausage festival” in 1961 that drew an impressive crowd of 2,000 for the then-tiny town of New Braunfels became “Wurst Week” before evolving into Wurstfest, which drew a record 233,000 visitors in 2019 (read more about the festival’s history here ). While small-town festivals come and go, this annual event has been going strong for more than a half-century. ![]() Wurstfest drew a record 233,000 visitors in 2019. Be sure to come hungry - there’s temptation at every corner of this food-filled festival, which serves up roughly 10,000 turkey legs each year along with typical festival foods like funnel cakes and deep-fried delights spanning fried Oreos to fried mushrooms. Festival favorites include kartoffelpuffers (potato pancakes) served with a dollop of applesauce, schnitzel on a stick, juicy marinated pork chops on a stick, pork wings with sauerkraut and German pizzas called flammkuchen (flame cake). After you’ve gotten your fill of sausage on a stick, in a pita and with a bun, check out some of the other German-inspired specialties that have been perfected over the years by nearly 40 vendors, about half of which are nonprofit organizations who reinvest profits back into the community. Photo by Mauri ElbelĮat your greens at home - the fare found at this festival isn’t particularly healthy, but it’s delicious. More than 10,000 turkey legs are served up at Wurstfest each year. “Guests can snap selfies with a life-size bronze Opa near the Information Booth, where a real Opa might even photobomb your shot!” “In addition to the newly rebuilt Marktplatz following the 2019 fire, we have some exciting new additions to the grounds in celebration of our 60 th annual event,” says Suzanne Herbelin, executive director of the Wurstfest Association of New Braunfels. This year, the festival is back, the renovations are complete and there’s a whole lot to look forward to. Then, on what would have been Wurstfest’s 60 th celebration in November of 2020, festivities were canceled due to the pandemic. On the heels of the 2019 festival, Wurstfest suffered a fire that ripped through and destroyed the historic Marktplatz building just days after the 59th annual Wurstfest wrapped up. ![]() ![]() Like most everyone, Wurstfest has had a rough recent past. This year, Wurstfest is celebrating its 60th festival. Opa Jeff Albrecht rides the carousel with his grandson. ![]()
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