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Annual Events in New Braunfels, TX You Won’t Want to Miss
Nestled between the Northeast corner of the San Antonio metro and the heart of the Texas Hill Country, New Braunfels, TX, is a city that thrives on tradition, community, and that indomitable Texas spirit. Whether you’re a lifelong local or a first-time visitor, New Braunfels offers year-round celebrations of culture and community, with a calendar packed full of events that showcase the area’s rich heritage, diverse culture, and vibrant business climate. Celebrate our shared passion for food, fun, history, music, art, nature, and more.
First Friday
When: The first Friday of every month (March through October)
Where: Downtown New Braunfels – Main Plaza
Time: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Kick off your month with some excitement through this beloved New Braunfels tradition. From March to October, the heart of downtown New Braunfels transforms into a lively hub of late-night shopping, live entertainment, and unique local experiences that you won’t find anywhere else. Stroll through the courtyard to enjoy awesome local bands, watch real Texas artists create on-the-spot masterpieces in awe-inspiring demonstrations, or even try your hand at some favorite local activities–axe throwing.
The 2025 First Friday season is set to kick off on March 7th at 5:00 PM. Visit the Downtown New Braunfels website for more information about First Friday and any other events organized or sponsored by the New Braunfels Downtown Association.
Folk Fest and Kindermasken Parade
When: Saturday, April 12, 2025
Where: Heritage Village – 1370 Church Hill Drive
Step back in time to celebrate the rich and diverse heritage of the New Braunfels area at the annual Folkfest, an action-packed weekend festival dedicated to early New Braunfels lore and Texan history. Held on the picturesque grounds of the New Braunfels Heritage Village and the Texas Handmade Furniture Museum, Folkfest brings the region’s rich past to modern visitors through living history exhibits where historians bring the past to life through demonstrations of traditional crafts and trades and a variety of reenactments.
One highlight of Folkfest is always the coinciding Kindermasken parade and Ball, a cherished local tradition dating all the way back to 1856. Founded by one of New Braunfels’ first educators, Hermann Seele, the parade was initially imagined as a May Day celebration to help local children connect with their German roots. Today, the event continues to honor that heritage, with local youth and families donning traditional Bavarian attire and participating in parades and dancing.
For more information about Folkfest or the Kindermasken Parade, head to the event webpage on the New Braunfels Heritage Society website.
Spring Fashion Plate
When: April
Where: Krause’s Cafe – 148 S Castell Ave
Tickets: Starting around $60 (includes lunch and wine)
Fashion enthusiasts in New Braunfels quickly mark their calendars whenever the details for the annual Spring Fashion Plate are announced. The Spring Fashion Plate is the area’s premiere style showcase, highlighting great spring and summer looks from a range of downtown boutiques. Held at the iconic Krause’s Cafe, this ticketed event is more than just a fashion show; it’s a full experience that includes door prizes, swag bags, and a delicious lunch spread complete with wine and dessert. Best of all, the proceeds from the Spring Fashion Plate go towards community beautification projects, making it a most stylish way to support New Braunfels.
Check the Downtown New Braunfels events schedule or the Krause’s Cafe website to find up-to-date information on plans for Spring Fashion Plate 2025 as they are finalized.
Saengerfest
When: Saturday, May 3, 2025
Where: Downtown New Braunfels – Main Plaza
Time: 12:00 noon to 10:00 PM
Admission: Free (drink tickets and souvenir glasses available for purchase)
An epic celebration of New Braunfels’ love for culture, community, and cool tunes, Saengerfest is one of the city’s most anticipated annual events. Originally known as “Wein & Saengerfest,” this festival is another long-standing local tradition that has evolved over the years but continued to thrive, much like New Braunfels itself. Today’s Saengerfest strives for a broader cultural appeal while still holding firmly to its roots in local heritage and music appreciation.
Saengerfest, which translates to “Singing Festival” in German, brings together the best of area music, food, art, shopping, and all sorts of family-friendly activities. Guests can sample Texas Hill Country wines and regional craft beers or hit up the local food trucks for an unforgettable feast. The festival’s early May date also makes it one half of a pair of great bookends for the perfect extended New Braunfels summer, with the other, of course, being the autumnal Wurstfest.
Visit the City of New Braunfels’ Saengerfest website for more details.
Mayfest
When: Saturday, May 10, 2025
Where: Mayfair
Time: 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Mayfest is one of New Braunfels’ newer annual traditions, and is hosted by the emergent Mayfair neighborhood. This single-afternoon event is jam packed with fun for the whole family, including live music, crafts, tours of Mayfair model homes, kids activities, and booths from lots of great local vendors and artists, which makes Mayfair’s Mayfest the perfect opportunity to pick up a unique Mother’s Day gift. For all the details on Mayfest, head over to our dedicated webpage all about the 2025 festival.
New Braunfels Pumpkin Patch
When: Autumn (2025 details TBA)
Where: Rockin’ R, 1405 Gruene Rd.
For your annual pumpkin patch experience done right, head towards the historic Gruene area and stop at the Rockin’ R tour operator along the Guadalupe River for fall-time festivities the whole family is sure to remember. This annual pumpkin patch experience includes a dedicated kids’ area, arts and crafts, awesome fall color photo ops, and–of course–high quality pumpkins for all your autumnal jack o’ lantern carving and pie-making needs.
Check out the Rockin’ R website for 2025 pumpkin patch details as they become available.
Wurstfest
When: November 7 – November 16, 2025
Where: Wurstfest Grounds – 120 Landa St
Admission: Around $20, but ticket price varies by day
Any list of annual New Braunfels events would be shamefully incomplete if it failed to include the 10-day experience known as Wurstfest, a beloved annual celebration that is nearly synonymous with New Braunfels itself. This iconic festival is like an Oktoberfest celebration cranked up to 11.
While this long-standing tradition is another rooted in celebrating the area’s rich German heritage, it has become so much more and is now a lively blend of foods, music genres, and fun activities that draws enthusiastic visitors of all different backgrounds. Whether you’re here for the sausages, the polka, or the beer, it’s nearly impossible not to have the best time at Wurstfest.
If you want to experience Wurstfest on a budget, be sure to check the schedule for Free Admission days, and you’ll be happy to know that children under 12 are always free. Visit the official Wurstfest website for full details.
Wassailfest
When: First weekend of December
Where: Downtown New Braunfels – Main Plaza
By now, you may be noticing a pattern where a lot of events here follow the naming convention of German word plus “fest,” but that’s just how we roll here in New Braunfels, where reminders of our old world roots are very literally built into the city’s architecture and are a part of daily life. Wassailfest is the last of our big Bavarian festivals for the year and is the New Braunfels version of a hometown Christmas fair.
Kick off your holiday season with a heartwarming event that celebrates the spirit of the season and the good cheer we’ve found in our community all year long. Come see the New Braunfels downtown transformed into a veritable winter wonderland of lights, carols, and seasonal treats.
Wassailfest has an official event page on Facebook if you want more details.
Christmastime in New Braunfels and the Texas Hill Country
When: The Holiday Season
While this final entry isn’t for a specific fair or festival, we felt we needed to give a shout out to the many other great wintertime and holiday themed activities occuring in the area. If you think of Wassailfest as the star atop the tree, you can think of these many other “Hometown Christmas” style events as the ample ornaments and tinsel. Whether you’re looking for that perfect locally made gift, a chance to support the local arts scene, or even just a memorable backdrop for this year’s family Christmas card photo, the holidays in New Braunfel have it all.
Check out Mayfair’s blog about Christmas in Texas Hill Country for additional details on some of our favorite holiday events. (This post will be updated with details for 2025 as they become available.)
Mayfair, TX – Celebrating Life in New Braunfels Year-Round
If you’re considering relocating, why not put yourself in the middle of all these great annual celebrations? Check out New Braunfels’ up-and-coming Mayfair district, located within easy walking and biking distance of New Braunfels’ biggest celebrations. Mayfair takes applications on new units regularly, so be sure to bookmark our blog and visit often.
Also, visit our events page to stay informed about all things happening in New Braunfels.
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