McKinney is welcoming fall this weekend at the city’s 17th annual Oktoberfest festival.
The event will feature Hofbrau, a German beer, and local beers, activities for children, live music, German food and contests — from wiener dog races to a brat-eating contest.
Oktoberfest is the historic downtown cultural district’s largest event of the year, and Andrew Jones, the city’s cultural district director, said as many as 75,000 people are expected to attend over three days.
“What makes McKinney Oktoberfest really unique is our setting in the historic downtown,” Jones said. “It feels like you’re as close as you can get to being on the streets in Munich in Germany.”
Organized by the city through the McKinney Main Street organization, Oktoberfest runs rain or shine from Friday through Sunday over 14 blocks in the historic downtown square.
Here’s what to expect ahead of the three-day festival.
Eat, drink and play
The festival runs from 2 to 11 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, and food, beer and activities can be purchased from vendors.
Credit cards and mobile wallet options like Apple Pay are encouraged, according to the city’s website. Some vendors will not accept cash.
From 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, beers will be discounted during the event’s happy hour special. The event’s opening ceremony, parade and keg tapping will kick off at 6 p.m. Friday.
Vendors will sell brats, sausages, schnitzel, strudel, funnel cakes, roasted almonds and other “authentic German food,” according to the event’s site.
Beverage options include beer from Hofbrau and Tupps Brewery, a local brewhouse in McKinney’s historic cotton mill, and wine from Landon Winery and Lone Star Wine Cellars. Beer will cost $8.50 for 16 ounces and wine will start at $7 per glass.
“This is a really cool thing to have both the real, traditional brewery and then also our hometown brewery … side by side for this event,” Jones said.
Attendees can register online for a brewmaster session on Saturday at 4 and 4:30 p.m. to learn more about Tupps Brewery’s craft beer. Attendees must be 21 to attend.
Multiple stages will host live performances and polka bands throughout the event. Music will include strolling accordion musicians and alpine music groups, the event schedule stated.
The Arts and Crafts Marktplatz will feature Bavarian and traditional items for sale.
The festival will have kid-friendly activities like a “Kinder Korner” play area, petting zoo, face painting, arts and crafts activities and a carnival for young attendees.
Come to compete
McKinney’s Oktoberfest will feature a number of competitive events open to the public. Registration is required for all contests, and attendees can register online.
On Saturday, more than 70 dogs are expected to gather for the annual Weenie Dog and Wannabe Dog races. Dachshunds will compete in the Weenie Dog races from noon to 2 p.m. and other breeds will compete in the Wannabe Dog races from 2 to 5 p.m.
The fifth annual beard and mustache competition is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday. One contestant will be crowned the official beard or mustache of McKinney. The competition is limited to 30 contestants.
From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, contestants can compete in the Hofbrau “Masskrugstemmen” stein-holding competition to see who can hold a one-liter glass stein of beer the longest. Contestants must keep their arm extended, parallel to the floor.
The competition has a $30 fee to enter, which includes the beer and official Hofbrau stein, according to the event’s website. The winner of the contest, Jones said, travels to New York to compete in the next round of the competition.
The Tupps brat eating competition at 3 p.m. Sunday will determine who can eat the most brats in eight minutes. The contest is limited to 10 contestants and the winner will receive a prize package from Tupps Brewery.
VIP ticket options
Attendees 21 and older can purchase tickets to a private Blue Box VIP Biergarten with exclusive craft beers, menu items from local chef Noah Hester’s Hamm’s Meat and Market, live beer hall music and private restrooms. One-day VIP tickets, for sale online, cost $45 and a multiday pass is $115.
VIP tickets include food and beer vouchers, event merchandise and access to the Biergarten.
“The VIP experience was our take at recreating the Oktoberfest tent hall experience that we would have in Munich and Germany,” Jones said. “It’s … for those people that want a little bit of a retreat.”
Where to park
Event parking is free in downtown McKinney. The area has two covered parking garages, on Davis and Chestnut streets, as well as 13 uncovered public parking lots. A map of available parking can be found online. Street parking is free all day on evenings and weekends, and three-hour parking is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
During the Oktoberfest event, free shuttle services will operate from First McKinney Baptist Church. Buses will leave every 15 minutes from 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
A rideshare pickup zone will be located on the west side of Dr. Glenn Mitchell Memorial Park on Benge Street between Louisiana and Virginia streets, according to the city’s website.
The city’s downtown trolley will provide a shuttle service between First McKinney Baptist Church and Mitchell Park on Friday and Saturday, the city’s website stated.
Accessibility and safety
The festival grounds are wheelchair accessible, according to the event’s website. Accessible port-o-lets will be available, as well as accessible restrooms inside the McKinney Performing Arts Center in the middle of the square. Limited accessible parking is available in the city’s free parking lots. Service animals are welcome.
Emergency services will be at the festival at all times, according to the event’s website. The first aid station, an area for lost children and the event’s lost and found will be in the basement of the McKinney Performing Arts Center.
Pets are allowed at the event, but must be on a leash at all times, and owners are required to clean up after them.
Merchandise for sale
A souvenir tent on the Tennessee Street side of the square will sell event T-shirts for $25.
Attendees can also purchase the event’s official McKinney Oktoberfest MassKrug stein. The liter acrylic beer stein costs $8 and will be sold at beverage booths. A 32-ounce stein plus a first fill costs $21, and stein refills cost $7.50 for 16 ounces and $15 for 32 ounces, according to the event’s sample pricing.
As one of the largest community events of the year in McKinney, Jones said there’s something for everyone at Oktoberfest. The event is one of the oldest Oktoberfest festivals in North Texas, Jones said, and is in its 17th year.
“It’s a really rich cultural experience, and it’s one of the highlights of our year,” Jones said.
