More than 100,000 people are expected to attend Wurstfest 2019 during its 10-day run at Landa Park in New Braunfels. It kicks off at 4 p.m. on Friday.
It officially opens with the traditional sausage bite by dignitaries.
Organizers said the celebration is about German-Texan culture and sausage.
There is a lot of polka music under tents, German food and beer, and chicken dancing in the huge Wursthalle complete with a very high ceiling and colored lights in the rafters.
Wurstfest Executive Director — Suzanne Herbelin — said a relatively new area on the grounds allows visitors more room.
“We’ve added at least 800 seats, including this area and landscaping it. We also have a new bar facility that is a work of art in itself,” she said.
She has a big tip for visitors: “Arrive via shuttle or park-n-ride. Parking is very limited in this area”
Some nearby churches offer parking for a fee, but the spots closer to Landa Park tend to cost more.
Another tip is to avoid long lines by buying individual $15 dollar tickets online at wurstfest.com.
There are food, beverage and retail booths selling all things German with proceeds going to non-profit organizations.
Tammy Pfeuffer sells Alpine hats, pins and beer steins at Carl’s Stein Haus at Wurstfest.
She said the steins are very collectible.
“We’ve got new steins that have ‘Wurstfest’ on them,” she said. “Then we’ve got dated ones with ‘Wurstfest.’ We also have some one-of-a kind (steins) that we had imported from Germany.”
Rick Donovan sells Reuben sandwiches at a booth operated by the New Braunfels Performing Arts Academy.
“The only thing we don’t have is anything on a stick, unlike a lot of other places around here where they tried it. We tried putting a Reuben on a stick, but it didn’t work,” he said.
There is also a carnival area and a contest to see how long you can hold a huge beer mug in your extended arm.
Tickets must be purchased on the grounds to buy beer at separate booths. Food is sold for cash.
Brian Kirkpatrick can be reached at Brian@TPR.org and on Twitter at @TPRBrian.
