Local · Trusted · Free
The Morning Impact — your neighborhood's most important stories, delivered every morning.
Celina City Council is working to determine the future of the city’s annual Oktoberfest after assuming control of the event from the Celina Chamber of Commerce.
The council considered options for how the event could look in the future at a Jan. 13 meeting. No vote was taken on the item during the meeting.
The discussion
Council members favored a large Oktoberfest celebration paid for by the city over a reduced version of the event.
“If we’re going to be known [for special events], then we should go all in,” Mayor Ryan Tubbs said.
Although city events are usually free and open to the public, the council may make an exception for Oktoberfest because residents are already accustomed to paying for tickets when the event was administered by the Chamber.
Ticket sales could help to offset city staff’s estimated $269,550 budget for a full-scale version of the event.
“Even if it costs the city money I would look at it as excellent marketing,” council member Andy Hopkins said.
The backstory
The Celina Chamber of Commerce has hosted the Celina Oktoberfest since 2018, and officials decided to stop holding the event after 2025, according to city documents.
Celina city officials wanted to the event to continue in the coming years.
Celina Oktoberfest originally took place in the Downtown Square but was relocated to the Entertainment District in 2025.
City Council will be moving Oktoberfest back to Downtown Celina.
What else?
The event was held Oct. 11 in 2025 and council expressed interest in keeping it during the same time frame in 2026. In the meantime, the council is considering the timing of Oktoberfest in relation to other city events that take place downtown like Beware! of the Square, which is held on the Saturday before Halloween, and Friday Night Market, which is held once a month and is currently scheduled for Oct. 9.
Officials may move the October Friday Night Market to a different weekend in order to allow city staff ample time to prepare for each individual event.
