AustOberfest's 14th Year Is Happening Right Now at Scholz Garten — Here's What $55 Buys You

AustOberfest's 14th year is happening right now at Scholz Garten, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd, noon to 10 p.m. today — $55 general admission at the door, $5 drafts, and Texas's oldest tavern turned into a beer garden with steins, sausage, and six historic bowling lanes. According to ATX Things analysis, tonight is the better half of the day to go: the sausage competition and kids' hours wrap by 4 p.m., and the headliner doesn't take the stage until the evening crowd fills in.

What is AustOberfest, and is it worth $55 tonight?

AustOberfest is Austin Saengerrunde's annual Oktoberfest at Scholz Garten — the oldest continuously operated tavern in Texas, opened in 1866 and run by the German singing society since 1908. This is the 14th year the club has thrown it, and the lineup is the same formula that's made it a standing Austin tradition: live bands on stage all day, a sausage competition judged by whoever shows up, steinholding contests that qualify winners for the Texas State Championship, and access to six historic USBC-standard bowling lanes that date back to the Saengerrunde's early-1900s renovation of the building.

Online tickets ran $40 through late September; the price stepped up to $55 ahead of the event, and door tickets — limited in number — are also $55. A $100 VIP pass adds the rooftop patio, an air-conditioned lounge with light food, and its own restrooms. Kids under 12 get in free. The first 500 guests through the gate receive a complimentary half-liter glass stein, and drafts inside the Halle run $5 once you're in.

What's actually happening, hour by hour

The day splits into two different events. From noon to 4 p.m., it's a family afternoon: kids' games and face painting in the North dining room, free admission for anyone under 12, and the sausage competition itself — Central Texas barbecue names including Micklethwait Barbecue, la Barbecue, Southside Market & Barbecue, and The Original Black's Barbecue bringing samples from 1 to 4 p.m. for a public vote. That detail alone is worth knowing before you go: this isn't a German butcher shop's wurst, it's Austin's barbecue scene making its own case for Oktoberfest sausage.

After 4 p.m., the kid-friendly stuff winds down and the night shifts toward the main event — bands on stage straight through to the 10 p.m. close, with Two Tons of Steel headlining a lineup that also includes Sour Bridges, Off the Grid, and DJ Vegan Leather. Steinholding contests run throughout the day at the bowling bar, where winners qualify for the 2026 Texas Steinholding Championship at Wurstfest in New Braunfels. If you've never seen it: contestants hold a full stein at arm's length, straight out from the body, for as long as they can without spilling or bending the elbow. It gets ugly fast and it is, reliably, the most-filmed five minutes of the night.

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"We would go back for Oktoberfest." — Kelsey Salt, Google review

What locals should know before they go

Weather is actually on your side tonight. A fresh Open-Meteo pull this afternoon (Oct. 3, 2026, ~4 PM CT) puts Austin at 76.8°F, feels-like 82.8°F, with rain chances in the single digits through the 5–9 PM window — a real improvement on the 64% Saturday rain risk Austin's cool front looked like it might bring earlier in the week. It's part of the same cool front behind this morning's story on the Greenbelt — temperatures stay in the mid-70s to low-80s through Monday before the heat comes back.

Parking is the one honest soft spot: Scholz Garten doesn't list a dedicated lot, and 1607 San Jacinto sits in the Capitol Complex/UT-adjacent corridor where street parking is limited on any Saturday. The one piece of good news — Texas is on its bye week, so there's no Longhorns home game today adding to the competition for a spot near campus.

How to plan the rest of your night

Scholz Garten sits a few blocks south of the UT campus and a few blocks east of the Capitol, so it pairs easily with a downtown evening either before or after. If you want food beyond the sausage samples, the venue's full kitchen and bar stay open the entire event per its normal hours.

1. Buy ahead at Saengerrunde's own ticket page if you want to guarantee entry — door tickets are capped.
2. Arrive before 4 p.m. if you want in on the sausage vote or the kids' activities; arrive after 4 p.m. for a quieter crowd and the full band lineup building toward Two Tons of Steel.
3. Grab a bowling lane sign-up early at the bowling bar — it's first-come, and it's the best rain-day fallback on-site.
4. Expect to walk a few blocks; budget extra time for parking given the Capitol/UT-adjacent location.

For the rest of the weekend's Oktoberfest options, St. Elmo Brewing and Banger's ran their own Oktoberfest weekend earlier this season, and Live Oak Brewing's Oaktoberfest out by the airport is a free, no-ticket alternative if $55 feels steep. If today's cool front has you thinking about the outdoors instead, this morning's piece on Austin's last cool weekend covers where that same front is making hiking and swimming good again before 88° returns Monday.

FAQ

What time does AustOberfest start and end today? Noon to 10 p.m. at Scholz Garten, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. Kids' activities and the sausage competition run noon–4 p.m.; bands play all day with Two Tons of Steel headlining into the 10 p.m. close.

How much are tickets at the door? $55 general admission, with limited availability — the venue doesn't guarantee walk-up entry. A $100 VIP pass adds rooftop patio access, an air-conditioned lounge, and dedicated restrooms. Kids under 12 are free.

Is there a rain plan? Rain chances tonight are in the single digits per this afternoon's forecast, but if weather turns, Scholz Garten's six historic indoor bowling lanes are open and taking sign-ups at the bowling bar.

Do I need to bring my own stein? No — the first 500 guests get a free half-liter glass stein, and $5 drafts are available inside the Halle once you're in.

Is this the same event as last month's Oktoberfest at St. Elmo and Banger's? No. That was a separate, earlier-September Oktoberfest weekend at different venues. AustOberfest is Austin Saengerrunde's own 14th annual event at Scholz Garten, Texas's oldest continuously operated tavern.