Food K.
Yelp
Fun and expensive.
The most disappointing thing about this festival is the price. Just a few years back it was only $12 to enter. It now cost you around $25 to enter.
The price of beer here is just as outrageous is going to the Houston livestock show and rodeo. On large beer it seems like it's around a dollar an ounce. We paid eight dollars for a cup of beer. It's $26 for a domestic stein of beer and $30 for the import. Pictures are even more expensive and there was no shortage of people walking around with them.
The food was expensive and very good. I think the pork chop on a stick was as good as anything. I ate several places that served sausage on a stick. I went to three different places where there were bands playing. Very crowded and hard to find a seat. This is a well organized event with plenty of security and plenty of folks to help you get in and out with no problem. There was a wide variety
Of things to eat and drink. Some folks like to wear costumes that adds to the ambience of the festival.
I don't see how you could say this could be a family event. I think they priced themselves out of the market on tickets, although there was a crowd of people there, I think they've taken the average family out of this event.
Can you really say it's a family event when you're charging $30 for a stein of beer. I can understand having a decent markup on beer, but marking it up 6-7 times does not seem like it's in anyone's best interest except the festivals interest, even if it is a charitable event.
They've done like so many other places and events, they've commercialized it to where it's just not affordable for the average family.
In the past year admission has gone up five dollars. Apparently it used to be free on Fridays and now it's not. If you happen to download the coupon you can get buy one get one free on Friday.
In 2019 the price to enter the festival was $12. On Saturday this year the price was $25. I read quite a few complaints online where people just don't come anymore because they say they can't afford it. I probably won't come back here next year. If you're going to go to this festival you should have another plan for the rest of your day.
1. The price for admission on Saturday for two is $50.
2. Add a couple of Steins of beer to that and spent an additional $60.
3. Add some food for each person and now you're another $40 into the event.
4. Add some parking in there and you could be another $20-$40 out of pocket.
5. Remember, you're between 150 and $200 into this event and you've only had one beer each. If you want a souvenir or dessert you better add another $20.
I went on Friday and Saturday and wished I hadn't went on Friday. You could see everything you want, eat some food and listen to a band or two in a four hour period. If you plan on spending the entire day and drinking beer and eating food you're probably going spend between $300 to $500 for two people. I would encourage anyone going to this festival to find something to do the rest of the day. I don't know why anyone would want to spend more than about four hours here. Half the fun is taken out of it when you look at what you have to spend to go there. I guess with fancy buildings, high prices are to follow.
I don't mean for this to sound so pessimistic, but this is a very expensive festival and if you're planning on spending the night or doing it more than one day you are going to pay a lot.
I just think they've taken the small town out of the Festival, and it seems to me like one big beer drinking event. Maybe it's always been that way and it just didn't seem like it. If you're planning on spending $150 per person from the beginning you might not be as disappointed. They've priced themselves out of the family event Just like most events that were once annual events.
I think they could do a little better job making the restroom signs a bit larger. This is a large facility that's very well-kept and a very pleasant place to be around. Everything was very clean and organized. I think the city does a very good job putting this festival on and that a lot of thought goes into how to make traffic flow and get people in and out in a timely manner. I think the Wurstfest has evolved with time, and for my liking, it's gotten too large and commercialized.
I know that's a hard thing to control when you advertise on social media, but one thing you can control is the price and in my opinion it's gotten out of control. I would not recommend this as a family event. I guess I'd like to see what the worst fest committee thinks about how a family could go out to an event in their own town or nearby and spend $500 to hang out for the day on entrance, eating, events, and beverages.
I'm looking at it as, "been there done that".
