October 15-18, 2026
An Oktoberfest that has been running since 1875, three nights of music on a Bulverde porch, and a barbecue joint turning thirteen. The essentials for your weekend.
Live music and nightlife
Specht's Texas, Bulverde
Bulverde: Specht's Texas has music three nights running at 112 Specht Road. John David plays Thursday, October 15 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, the Dragonfly Duo takes Friday, October 16 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, and Michael Carey plays Saturday, October 17 from 2:30 to 5:30 PM.
Insider tip: Saturday's set is an afternoon one and it is done by 5:30 PM, so you can eat under the oaks at a place that has been standing since 1890 and still make an evening plan somewhere else. They are closed Monday and Tuesday, which catches people every time.
Krause's Cafe, New Braunfels
New Braunfels: Krause's Cafe has something all four days at 148 South Castell Avenue. The Froehliche Tanzgruppe dance group performs Thursday, October 15 at 6:00 PM, Tiffiny Dawn plays Friday from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, Tony Taylor takes Saturday from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM with The Lonely Hearts Club at 6:00 PM, and Sunday brings the Alli Mattice Duo at 11:00 AM, Biergarten Olympics at 1:00 PM, and Kade Isakson from 3:00 to 6:00 PM.
Insider tip: Tony Taylor's Saturday set starts at 11:30 AM, which is the quietest the biergarten gets on a weekend. Sunday is the stacked day, three things back to back from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and the Biergarten Olympics in the middle of it costs nothing to stand and watch.
Dam Red Barn, Canyon Lake
Canyon Lake: Dam Red Barn has Texas Heavy Band on Saturday, October 17 at 16520 South Access Road. The fall lineup they posted names the act but not a set time, and the doors run noon to midnight.
Insider tip: the room is family friendly from noon to 7:00 PM and 21 and up after that, so the call is whether you are bringing kids or making a night of it. Their phone is (830) 964-3276 if you want the set time before you drive out there.
Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar, Gruene
New Braunfels: Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar has three free sets in the beer garden at 1287 Gruene Road. Kyle Reed Hemmen plays Saturday from 12:30 to 3:30 PM, Kade Isakson follows from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, and Anthony Wright closes it out Sunday from 12:00 to 3:00 PM.
Insider tip: there are no reservations in the old cotton gin, only a waitlist, and you can join it from your phone before you leave the house. The Saturday afternoon slot is where the wait is shortest. Kade Isakson plays here Saturday night and again at Krause's on Sunday afternoon, if you want to hear the same guy in two rooms.
Local eats and drinks
Old 300 BBQ, Blanco
Blanco: Old 300 BBQ turns thirteen on Friday, October 16 at 318 4th Street. Doors at the Back Forty Event Hall open at 5:00 PM and Natural Causes plays from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
Insider tip: the brisket sells out and the counter closes at 8:00 PM on Friday, so eat before the band starts rather than after. The party is in the event hall out back, not the dining room, so walk around rather than waiting at the counter.
The Desert Spoon, Spring Branch
Spring Branch: The Desert Spoon holds a Chef's Table dinner Saturday, October 17 at 5:30 PM, inside Spring Creek Gardens at 11355 US-281. Chef Tatu Herrera builds the menu around what came in from nearby farms and ranches that week, and the seats are limited.
Insider tip: tickets go through OpenTable rather than the phone, and the biggest party they will seat is seven. If the Chef's Table is gone, happy hour runs Wednesday and Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, and brunch runs Wednesday through Sunday starting at 9:00 AM.
Community and events
Anhalt Hall Oktoberfest, Spring Branch
Spring Branch: Anhalt Hall has both halves of the weekend at 2390 Anhalt Road. The Ranger Band plays Saturday, October 17 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM and the Rocky King Band follows from 7:30 to 11:00 PM. Sunday, October 18 is Oktoberfest, noon to 6:00 PM, free admission, with German food, dancing, and oompah from the Jodie Mikula Orchestra.
Insider tip: Saturday is $25 general admission and Sunday costs nothing, which is worth sorting out before you load up the truck. The Germania Farmer Verein has held this on the third Sunday of October since 1875, lederhosen and dirndls are encouraged, and their Instagram sits dormant, so the website is the only place the lineup is current.
Blanco Market Day, Blanco
Blanco: Blanco Market Day sets up Saturday, October 17 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on the Old Blanco County Courthouse grounds.
Insider tip: it runs on the courthouse lawn in the middle of the square, so Old 300 BBQ and the rest of 4th Street are a walk from wherever you park, not a second drive. The market runs the third Saturday March through December, so after this one there are two left this year.
The goal
Four days, five towns, and one Sunday where the gate costs nothing and the orchestra has been showing up for a century and a half. Pick one, go, and tell somebody where you found it.
Alex / Hill Country Hot Ticket
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P.O. Box 4, Spring Branch, TX 78070