The Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival returns October 22 through October 25, bringing four days of wine, food and Texas Hill Country hospitality to locations across Fredericksburg.
Tickets are now available for the 2026 festival, including individual event passes, Grand Tasting badges and a limited All Access option covering the entire weekend.
The schedule moves well beyond the standard tasting tent setup. This year’s festival includes an opening night celebration overlooking the Hill Country, a four course dinner staged in downtown Fredericksburg, a massive Saturday tasting at Marktplatz and a waterfront brunch to close out the weekend.
A Festival Built Around the Texas Hill Country
Plenty of food and wine festivals borrow a local name while quietly filling the lineup with brands and talent from everywhere else. Fredericksburg is taking a more regional approach.
Every participating winery, chef, brewery and distillery must be based in the Texas Hill Country. That rule keeps the weekend focused on the people actually shaping the area’s food and beverage culture, rather than turning it into another traveling promotional event with a scenic backdrop.
A portion of festival proceeds will also benefit the Hill Country Hospitality Workers Emergency Relief Fund, which supports hospitality professionals throughout the region.
Opening Night and the Downtown Street Dinner
Festival weekend begins Thursday, October 22, with Opening Night at Contigo Ranch. The bluff top gathering will feature wide Hill Country views, live music and a signature cocktail from LALO Tequila.
Guests can also expect wine and food pairing stations featuring local names including Turtle Creek Vineyard and Prochnow Winery, along with a bandana embroidery bar. Opening Night tickets are priced at $125.
On Friday, October 23, the festival moves into downtown Fredericksburg for its returning Street Dinner, presented by Waldorf Astoria.
A long communal table will run through the center of downtown, beginning with a reception featuring Elisa Christopher bubbles, cocktails from Garrison Brothers and Dietz Distillery and passed bites from Gulf Ranch, the upcoming sister restaurant to Hill & Vine.
The evening continues with a four course dinner prepared by chefs from Mesquite at the Warehouse, Hill Country Herb Garden, Feast & Merriment and Boot Ranch. Each course will be paired with wine produced in the Texas Hill Country.
Street Dinner tickets are $275.
A new Street Dinner and Après ticket is available for $400. The upgraded experience adds entry to the Après Garden Party, a late night gathering with fromage service, chocolate, sparkling wine and martinis. Basically, the night does not have to end just because someone cleared the dinner plates.
More Than 75 Tastings at Marktplatz
The Grand Tasting takes over Marktplatz on Saturday, October 24, serving as the festival’s largest and busiest event.
More than 75 wine, culinary, brewery and distillery tastings will be included with admission. Guests can move through the Grand Tasting Pavilion powered by Uncork Texas Wines, the Heath Sparkling Garden, a Beer Garden, a new Rosé Garden and the Surtierra Tequila Cantina.
The day will also feature a whole hog roast from Jesse Griffiths and Millscale, live culinary demonstrations on the Flint & Flame Culinary Demo Stage and a music lineup curated by Crossroads Saloon & Steakhouse.
There will even be a silent disco from Slate Theory, because apparently fermented grapes and wireless headphones were always destined to find each other.
VIP badge holders receive early entry beginning at 11 a.m. and access to the Grape Creek VIP Lounge, which includes private restrooms, exclusive wines and passed bites. Only 350 VIP Grand Tasting badges will be available.
Closing the Weekend at Das Peach Haus
The festival wraps up Sunday, October 25, with a waterfront brunch at the Fischer & Wieser Farmstead.
Held along the water behind Das Peach Haus, the brunch will feature a chef prepared menu, Fischer & Wieser wines, handcrafted cocktails and live music. The setting should offer a considerably slower landing after three days of dinners, tastings and increasingly confident opinions about Texas wine.
Sunday Brunch tickets are priced at $100.
Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival Tickets
Early bird pricing for Grand Tasting badges is available through August 31.
The Local Early Bird Badge is $100 and is available to primary residents of select Hill Country ZIP codes. It includes admission to the Saturday Grand Tasting with all tastings, music, activations and access to the retail market.
The General Admission Early Bird Badge is $125 and includes the complete Grand Tasting experience.
The VIP Early Bird Badge is $265 and includes early entrance, the full Grand Tasting and access to the Grape Creek VIP Lounge.
Only 48 All Access Badges will be sold. Priced at $835, the badge includes Opening Night, the Street Dinner, VIP access to the Grand Tasting and Sunday Brunch.
Regular Grand Tasting pricing begins September 1. Local admission will increase to $125, general admission will increase to $150 and VIP admission will increase to $295.
The 2026 Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival takes place Thursday, October 22 through Sunday, October 25, at venues throughout Fredericksburg.
Tickets, badge details and complete event information are available through the Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival website.
